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FRIF’s new strategy introduces two special focus areas: on one hand, it aims to connect expertise in the humanities with business, and on the other, to accelerate the integration of top international talent into Finland. The foundation’s mission and core activities, however, remain unchanged.

​​The Finnish Research Impact Foundation’s new strategy for 2025–2028 has now been published. In preparing the strategy, the foundation examined and assessed the types of challenges where its support is most needed in today’s world.

There has been no need to reinvent the wheel. Support for ambitious research–business collaboration projects will continue as before. What’s new are two special focus areas: bringing humanities scholars and businesses closer together, and accelerating the integration of top international talent into Finland.

“In our strategy, we’ve once again been able to identify new and timely funding bottlenecks where the foundation’s support is needed. If we can help push these issues forward even a little, our funding and the example it sets can have a significant systemic impact. I find the new strategy inspiring,” says Poutanen.

“Our mission statement remains exactly the same as it was four years ago: We are renewing Finland’s knowledge base by supporting cutting-edge research and developing new ways to enhance the impact of collaboration between research and industry.”

The humanities and international expertise hold untapped potential

For the first time, the Finnish Research Impact Foundation has included in its strategy a special focus area with the goal of connecting humanities expertise with business. Behind this lies the observation that supporting collaboration between these fields and companies has proven challenging. You can read more about the barriers to such collaboration in a recent report published by the Foundation.

“Through our own research and analyses, we’ve identified that the position of the humanities in funding calls that emphasize collaboration is weaker than that of other disciplines. For example, the humanities often lack the necessary networks in the business world. Yet these disciplines have great potential to generate intangible value – much more than is currently being realized,” Poutanen explains.

One way to advance this goal is a new programme currently under development at the foundation, designed to allow companies and humanities researchers to explore opportunities for collaboration. More information about the programme will be available later this spring.

The second new strategic focus area is the effort to integrate top international talent into Finland. This goal is based on the observation that Finland’s innovation and research sectors are facing a shortage of top experts, due in part to the country’s demographic structure, among other factors.

“For Finland’s innovation system, it is vital that we are able to attract top talent to the country and ensure that they stay. Funding models that support integration are one way to achieve this,” Poutanen explains.

“The challenges mentioned above are not easy to solve. However, the foundation’s core mission is to strengthen Finland’s long-term competitiveness and knowledge base, and that gives us a responsibility to address even the most difficult issues,” he continues.

A familiar core – FRIF exists to serve Finland

Despite the new focus areas, the core of the foundation’s strategy remains familiar. Supporting collaboration through funding continues to be a cornerstone of the foundation’s work – most notably through the Tandem Industry Academia (TIA) funding programme. The quality and potential impact of proposed projects remain the most important criteria in funding decisions.

In addition, the foundation continues to act as an expert on the impact of research collaboration and to connect stakeholders across sectors. It is also committed to sharing proven best practices and engaging in dialogue with the wider society.

“The foundation exists to serve Finland and to advance knowledge. These challenges cannot be solved by any one actor alone—they require active interaction not only between research and its users, but also among funders and those working to renew existing structures. We are always happy to engage in dialogue with our stakeholders and welcome ideas and feedback,” Poutanen concludes.

The Finnish Research Impact Foundation received a total of 62 joint applications from research organisations and companies for the Tandem Industry Academia (TIA) Postdoc 2025 funding call, which closed on 13 April 2025.

“It’s been great to see that the strong interest in TIA Postdoc funding continues year after year. The number and quality of applications clearly show that there is a real need for research collaboration – and a strong ambition to carry it out in a meaningful and impactful way,” says Petro Poutanen, CEO of the foundation.

TIA Postdoc is a funding model developed by the foundation. It is intended for research-driven projects with high potential for impact that are based on close collaboration between a research organisation and a business partner. The projects must promote the goals of both cutting-edge research and industry.

The TIA Postdoc call has been organised annually since 2020. The 2025 round was the sixth to date. In total, 47 two-year projects have so far been funded, with a total of EUR 9.5 million in awarded funding.

The foundation’s board will make its funding decisions at its meeting in August. Before this, the applications will be reviewed by external and independent experts appointed by the foundation.

Successful applicants will be informed of the funding decision personally in August. All applicants will be notified of the results by September at the latest.

TIA Seed call coming up in the autumn

The TIA Seed funding call will open again in the autumn. TIA Seed is designed for researchers who have recently entered the Finnish research funding system and who are looking to initiate collaboration with companies. More information about the call will be published later this spring.

The next TIA Professor funding call will be held in 2026. Further details and the schedule for the call will be announced by early 2026.

The year 2025 has brought changes to the Finnish Research Impact Foundation’s (FRIF) board, as three new members began their terms at the start of the year. They bring diverse expertise from business, human sciences, and international research. At the same time, we extend our gratitude to the outgoing board members for their valuable contributions to the foundation’s development.

What do the new board members aim to achieve? What insights do they bring with them? And how do the outgoing board members reflect on FRIF’s impact and future?

Meet the new and outgoing Board members:

Perspectives from the outgoing Board members – How do they see FRIF’s role in fostering collaboration between research and business? Read reflections from Lauri Oksanen, Keijo Hämäläinen, and Virpi Muhonen.
Read the article →

FRIF’s Board plays a key role in advancing research-business collaboration. We are excited to welcome new members and grateful for the contributions of those who are stepping down.

Tandem Industry Academia Postdoc (TIA Postdoc) call is open from 4 March to 14 April 2025. Read more about the call here and carefully read the guidelines before submitting your application.

Do you have questions about the application process or the evaluation? Experts from the Finnish Research Impact Foundation will answer applicants’ questions in one-to-one video meetings.

Book yourself a 30-minute sparring session with the Foundation’s experts using this link.

Please note that a limited number of slots are available. If you cannot find a suitable time or all times are full you can also email us or contact us by phone. See the Foundation’s contact details here.

The recording of the TIA Postdoc application info session on March 3, 2025.

The Finnish Research Impact Foundation’s (FRIF) Tandem Industry Academia Postdoc (TIA Postdoc) call’s 6th round opens in March 2025. The application period is from March 3 to April 13. Applications must be submitted through the foundation’s grant system by April 13 at 23:59.

The guidelines and funding terms will be updated and published when the call opens on March 3.

We will host an information session on March 3 at 9:30 AM. Register for the online event. You will receive the event link via email before the session starts. During the session, participants will have the opportunity to ask the foundation questions regarding the application process. A recording of the information session will also be available afterward.

The TIA Postdoc funding is intended to support joint research between research organizations and companies, targeting ambitious, pre-competitive collaborative research projects that advance both top-level research and business objectives. In a TIA Postdoc project, the postdoctoral researcher works half of the project duration with the academic partner and the other half with the industry partner in close collaboration.

Upcoming Funding Calls

The FRIF will launch the second edition of the TIA Seed call in autumn 2025. The call was piloted for the first time in 2024. TIA Seed funding is intended for researchers who have recently entered the Finnish research funding system and wish to initiate industry collaboration. More details about the call will be published later.

The TIA Professor call will be held next in 2026. Further details and exact schedules for the TIA Professor call will be announced no later than early 2026.

The Finnish Research Impact Foundation has announced the first grants under its TIA Seed programme in 2024 to support the career paths and industry networking of two research scientists who have moved to work in Finland. The recipients describe the funding as a major appeal factor and as internationally unique.

Although the academic community is well known to be international through and through, it always takes time and effort for researchers to integrate in a new country. A recent statistical report on PhD Pathways commissioned by Finnish Education Employers showed that while some foreign PhD graduates stay on to work in Finland, a majority actually move out of the country post-graduation.

FRIF’s new Tandem Industry Academia (TIA) Seed funding is intended to facilitate the integration of new talent moving to the Finnish research and innovation environment from abroad.

The TIA Seed initiative is founded on the idea of strengthening Finland’s competitiveness. We need top-tier talent for domestic RDI activities. According to a February 2023 report from the Finland Chamber of Commerce, Finland does not rank among the most sought after destinations in international surveys of the preferences and willingness of the best international talent to move abroad. In the OECD’s talent attractiveness rankings, Finland lags behind all other Nordic countries and Estonia.   

TIA Seed funding is intended for researchers who have recently entered the Finnish university system and who are starting out their research careers in Finland. In their projects researchers work closely with at least two companies, fostering the exchange of expertise.

The first TIA Seed grant recipients were announced in November 2024. They were most of all attracted by the prospect of networking with companies and forming new kinds of business partnerships.

“I’ve never come across this kind of call before. Typically, grants for corporate cooperation are either projects awarded by one company to address a specific need, or else major EU Horizon calls. TIA Seed gives the opportunity to set up a project focused on experimental and boundary-breaking research,” says Professor Cecilia Nauclér. 

Professor Nauclér has been in Finland since 2022, following her tenure at Karolinska Institutet in Sweden. She was drawn to Finland by InFLAMES, an ambitious flagship research project in human immunology.

Nauclér was positively surprised to learn that the project offered opportunities for networking with industry. “Interaction with companies creates a space in which new ideas are bound to emerge,” she says. But in order to establish partnerships with companies, you also need funding mechanisms that are designed for collaboration. 

It was through these informal interactions that she found the industry partners for the TIA Seed research grant project. “We’re super excited to start working together.”

The networks created through the research project pave the way for further research but also support personal career development. “The results of our research have extensive application in a commercial context, so I’m not ruling out a career in industry either.”

“It is motivating to understand companies’ real needs”

Anton Zasedatelev, the other newly-announced recipient of TIA Seed funding, is only just moving to Finland. He was recently appointed to the position of assistant professor at Aalto University, and in that role he will be leading the TIA Seed project, aiming to improve the speed and efficiency of processing large data volumes. The business partners in this project are Picophotonics, Reflekron, and Microsoft.

“When I applied for this role at Aalto University I was most impressed by the close interplay and intertwining of basic and applied research. I felt I could make a meaningful contribution and also learn a great deal from this kind of environment.”

Zasedatelev’s project combines quantum optics, semiconductor laser technologies and high-performance computing. This type of research benefits greatly from a multidisciplinary approach that brings together in-depth scientific knowledge and the practical know-how of companies. Zasedatelev is convinced that the project will help him build up networks in Finland and develop his own expertise.

“We researchers don’t usually have much insight into the real needs of business companies. Indeed, the big motivation for me is to better understand the actual needs of the industry and, in particular, the current challenges of companies involved in the project. This way we can learn how research can help solve them.”

More about the projects funded under the TIA Seed programme.