Helsinki, 28 December 2023
In its plenary session on Thursday 28 December, Finnish Government decided on the main themes for strategic research in 2024. In line with the decision, the themes will be ‘Water as an element of wellbeing, security and peace’ and ‘The future of democracy’.
The Government decided on the main themes for strategic research based on a proposal from the Strategic Research Council. In its proposal submitted to the Government in June, the Strategic Research Council outlined two themes for 2024: ‘Water as an element of wellbeing, security and peace’ and ‘The interaction between migration, work and wellbeing in the Finland of the future’. The council also proposed ‘Democracy’ as a cross-cutting priority. Alongside the themes now decided on, preparations will continue independently on the migration theme so it can be selected as a theme for strategic research in 2025.
The proposed authorisation for strategic research in 2024 amounts to EUR 55,631 million. The Strategic Research Council will announce the launch of the call for funding at a later date.
Strategic research refers to high-quality, long-term and problem-oriented research that contributes to social policymaking and the development of society’s functions and aims to find solutions to the major challenges and problems facing Finnish society.
The Strategic Research Council is responsible for deciding on research programmes, organising funding calls and selecting projects to be funded, as well as for monitoring and impact assessments. The projects to be funded are selected based on a review of their societal relevance, impact and scientific quality.
Source – Finnish Government