Innovation Funding Calls to Be Closed and Funding Services Discontinued
The Tempo funding call will be closed for the remainder of the year, while the funding services Exhibition Explorer and Market Explorer will end in October. Additionally, the previously closed Talent funding will also come to an end. The discontinuation and closure of funding services is due to significant reductions in the innovation funding allocations in next year’s state budget.
Business Finland’s Tempo funding call will close for the rest of the year 2025. The call will end on Friday, 3 October 2025, at 23:59.
The funding services Exhibition Explorer and Market Explorer will close permanently on Friday, 3 October 2025, at 23:59.
Exhibition Explorer funding can only be granted for events taking place in 2025. Applications related to trade shows scheduled for late 2025 must be completed and submitted properly before the call closes.
The previously closed Talent funding will not be reopened, and the service will be completely discontinued.
Update: NIY will also be closed
The Young Innovative Companies (NIY) funding, intended to support the growth and internationalization of startup companies, will be closed on October 10, 2025.
Read the news.
Update: Accelerator and preparation funding calls will also be closed
The funding call for participation in international accelerator programs and the funding call for the preparation of Horizon Europe, EDF, and Innovation Fund projects will be closed temporarily. The calls will close on November 10, 2025.
Why are the funding services changing?
Going forward, Business Finland will increasingly direct its funding authorizations toward research and development (R&D) projects. This shift is driven by state budgetary savings measures, which require the reduction of funding allocated to activities outside R&D. The goal is for Finnish companies to increase their investment in R&D activities.
“Unfortunately, we have had to make difficult decisions due to the cuts in next year’s state budget proposal. We are focusing our funding services on R&D activities, where the long-term impact on Finland’s competitiveness is greatest,” says Business Finland’s Executive Director Timo Metsä-Tokila.
The funding services now being closed or discontinued are part of Business Finland’s innovation funding program. Funding authorizations for Exhibition Explorer and Market Explorer have not been allocated for 2026. These services were selected for closure because customers utilizing them have subsequently engaged only minimally with R&D funding services. The discontinuation of Talent funding is based on guidelines outlined in the government program.
The Tempo funding call is being closed for the remainder of 2025 due to the availability of funding authorizations. Further information on the continuation of the Tempo funding call will be provided later.
In the government’s 2026 budget proposal, funding authorizations for non-R&D activities and non-AV sector support are proposed to be reduced by a total of 27 million euros compared to the 2025 level.
At the same time, public R&D funding is set to increase, as the government aims to raise R&D investments to 4% of GDP.
Good to Remember: Market Research Can Be Part of an R&D Project
R&D funding is intended to cover costs arising from research and development activities. As part of an R&D project, Business Finland can fund customer and market analyses related to the solution being developed, as well as other actions supporting the solution's commercialization. These can include the development of organizational operations or management. However, these activities may account for a maximum of 20% of the approved project budget.
Learn More
- Read more about R&D funding
- Explore all of Business Finland’s funding services
- Read Executive Director Timo Metsä-Tokila's blog on the subject
The news was updated on September 16, 2025, with information about the closing of the NIY funding.
The news was updated on September 26, 2025, with information about the closing of the accelerator and preparation funding calls
