The Finnish Research Impact Foundation’s (FRIF) new TIA Connect networking program brings social sciences and humanities (SSH) researchers to the forefront of solving companies’ research challenges. The program offers researchers in the humanities a unique opportunity to build connections with businesses.
The social sciences and humanities hold vast untapped potential for businesses. This potential is increasingly recognized by both researchers and companies. However, collaboration is still in its early stages.
According to researchers, one of the main bottlenecks for collaboration is the lack of networks with the business sector. From the companies’ perspective, initiating collaboration is hindered by factors such as a lack of mutual understanding and limited knowledge of possible forms of cooperation and funding opportunities.
Our TIA Connect program aims to address these challenges.
“The goal of TIA Connect is to bring together SSH researchers and companies, and to help them identify opportunities for research–business collaboration. Both researchers and companies have expressed a strong interest in this kind of facilitated networking support from FRIF – and now it’s available,” says our Research Impact Officer Outi Vanharanta.
The program is free of charge for participating companies and researchers, and taking part does not commit either party to anything.
TIA Connect: Step by step
Over the spring, the Foundation has been seeking open-minded companies to join the networking program. The participating companies have a research challenge to which the humanities can contribute. Companies already on board include F-Secure, Gugguu, Mirka, OP, Porokylän Leipomo, Valio, and Heino Group.
“The search for companies showed that there are truly interesting research challenges for SSH scholars across a wide range of industries. Many of these challenges are linked to current societal changes. These are critical issues for Finland, such as ecological sustainability, demographic shifts, and the transformation of the food sector,” Vanharanta explains.
The Foundation will publish descriptions of the companies’ research challenges in early autumn. The call for researchers to apply to the TIA Connect program will open at the beginning of September. Researchers can apply by submitting a brief concept paper outlining how they would approach the company’s challenge from a research perspective.
Towards a TIA Postdoc funding application
In October, the FRIF will make decisions—based on input from the companies—about which researchers’ proposals they would like to explore further. In November, the Foundation will facilitate a workshop where researchers and companies can get to know each other better and deepen their understanding of the research challenge and its potential solutions.
If the researcher and the company find common ground, they can apply for the FRIF’s two-year Tandem Industry Academia Postdoc (TIA) funding. If the funding is granted, the researcher will spend two years working closely with the partner company to address the identified challenge. One of those years will be spent embedded in the company.
“We’re delighted to have found open-minded companies that see the potential of the social sciences and humanities in solving their challenges. Now, we need ambitious researchers who are eager to develop solutions to these problems,” Vanharanta concludes.
The companies’ research challenges will be published in August, and the call for researchers to join the TIA Connect program will open at the beginning of September. Stay tuned!
