Finnish Research Impact Foundation – Annual Report 2025
The FRIF promotes the impact of top-level research by strengthening collaboration with the business sector.
CEO’s review
Finland’s competitiveness is increasingly built on expertise, research and the ability to renew itself. At the same time, the world around us is changing faster than perhaps ever before: technological development is accelerating, geopolitical uncertainty is increasing, the climate crisis and green transition are reshaping economic structures, and skill requirements are evolving rapidly.
Our funding activities
In 2025, the Foundation awarded a total of approximately 2 million Euros to strengthen collaboration between research and industry at seven Finnish universities.
In the spring, the Tandem Industry Academia (TIA) Postdoc call was organised for the sixth time. The programme aims to increase the impact of research through collaboration with industry. A total of 62 joint applications from research organisations and companies were submitted. The Foundation’s Board awarded approximately 1,3 million Euros in funding to six two-year projects.
In the autumn, the Tandem Industry Academia (TIA) Seed funding call was organised for the second time. The programme is aimed at professor-level researchers who have recently entered the Finnish research funding system and seeks to initiate and accelerate research collaboration with industry. A total of 12 applications were submitted, of which three projects received funding totalling 0,6 million Euros.
During the year, the Foundation also launched a pilot of the new Tandem Industry Academia (TIA) Connect networking programme. The programme aims to bring together humanities researchers and companies to build shared understanding and create a foundation for new research collaboration initiatives. Seven companies participated in the programme, and researchers submitted 28 applications addressing research challenges defined by the participating companies.
“In 2025, we further strengthened our view that Finland does not lack research expertise or good ideas. The greatest need lies in bringing together research, companies and talent early enough and in a sufficiently long-term manner. Finland’s competitiveness can no longer be built solely on the quality of research, but increasingly on the ability to connect research, expertise and businesses into a functioning innovation ecosystem.”
Sampo Ahonen
Chair of the Board of the FRIF (2026)
The AgriAlga project took steps towards a circular economy in greenhouse cultivation
The project led by Yagut Allahverdiyeva-Rinne identified microalgae that can be utilised in purifying greenhouse wastewater.
The FilmCO project accelerates the transition to fully bio-based packaging solutions
In the FilmCO project led by Monika Österberg, researchers at Aalto University identified a new method for studying the spreading phenomenon of coatings in bio-based packaging materials. The project was carried out in collaboration with Kemira, and funding from the Finnish Research Impact Foundation enabled research that both addressed the company’s needs and was scientifically meaningful.
ReMION project developed novel solutions for measuring atmospheric ultrafine particles
The ReMION collaboration between the University of Helsinki and Karsa Ltd provided valuable insight into just how challenging it is to adapt laboratory instruments for long-term atmospheric measurements – and that led to a breakthrough. Thanks to FRIF’s TIA Postdoc funding, the project was able to recruit a top expert from abroad.
Highlights from 2025
17.3.2025
The board of the FRIF renewed →
The year 2025 brought changes to the Foundation’s Board, as three new members began their terms at the beginning of the year. Read the article to learn more about the perspectives of the new and outgoing Board members.
14.5.2025
New guide to industry collaboration published →
Professor Tero Soukka from the University of Turku shared his experiences of research collaboration at the University of Turku’s Open Science & Impact Festival 2025, where the Foundation launched its guide to industry collaboration during a workshop organised by the Foundation.
25.9.2025
The FRIF promoting Nordic collaboration
The Finnish Research Impact Foundation participated as one of the organisers of the discussion session “Business-Academia Collaboration and Funding in and Across Nordic Countries” at the Nordic Foundation Conference in Helsinki on 25 September.
25.11.2025
TIA Connect brings SSH researchers and companies together →
The FRIF’s new TIA Connect programme offers humanities researchers a unique opportunity to build connections with companies. Researchers met with companies in workshops organised by the Foundation, which launched in November 2025.
1.12.2025
SSH are needed alongside technology →
There is a clear need to strengthen the role of the humanities in European research and innovation programmes. The Foundation’s Impact Specialist attended the Human Values and Grand Challenges conference organised during the Danish Presidency of the Council of the European Union.
Foundation’s assets
The assets of the FRIF are invested productively, securely and responsibly. The Foundation maintains a long investment horizon, and stable returns help safeguard the continuity of its operations. The Foundation’s investment activities are guided by its investment policy and its principles for responsible investment.
From the perspective of investment activities, 2025 was a strong year despite high market volatility. At the end of the year, the market value of the Foundation’s investment portfolio stood at 76.2 million Euros, and the portfolio’s total return for 2025 was 6,1 per cent. Since the Foundation’s inception, the portfolio has delivered an average annual return of 9,2 per cent.
Long-term and stable investment activities are essential to the Foundation’s mission. They enable us to ensure the continuity of research funding even during periods of economic uncertainty and to develop our activities consistently regardless of market cycles.
