Focus areas

Success requires from the Academy of Finland the ability to:

• identify the most promising and highest-level researchers and research projects
• raise the quality of research and improve the application of innovation potential and research results
• support and facilitate the internationalisation of research and researchers.

The strategic focus areas for 2015 are listed in the Academy’s strategy (2006). They are:

Resources and impact
As the prime funding agency for Finnish basic research the Academy works to provide opportunities to raise the scientific standards of research and generate new knowledge. This gives added national and international exposure and intensifies the application of research knowledge produced elsewhere.

The Academy is committed through its measures to significantly increasing the availability of competitive research funding.

New scientific breakthroughs
The Academy is actively involved in promoting science and research and it uses its resources to flexibly respond to changes. Academy funding has crucial significance to the development of new scientific breakthroughs.

Internationalisation
A major focus in the Academy’s operation is on the internationalisation of the Finnish research system. This means increasing research funding cooperation with major science countries within and outside Europe with a view to improving the prospects of Finnish researchers to collaborate in high-level international research. The international mobility of Finnish researchers will be increased, and the number of high-level foreign researchers in Finland will be notably higher in the future. The goal of the Academy is to be a well-respected research funding agency and partner in the European research funding system. Its quality-based, competitive research funding and its peer review system are recognised for highly being effective and efficient.

Research infrastructures
The Academy selectively takes part in funding of high-level research infrastructures in Finland and abroad in order to facilitate high-quality Finnish research. Academy funding is designed to promote the diversification of universities and research institutes and the identification of their strengths. Furthermore, the Academy is keen to stress the importance of scientific education based on research knowledge.

Research career
Through its consistent funding the Academy provides incentives for researchers with a view to increasing the appeal and strengthening the continuity of a career in research.

The Academy works closely with universities, research institutes, research funding agencies, business and industry, and public administration to improve the quality of research, its capacity for renewal and the application of its innovation potential. At the same time, this cooperation serves to promote the mobility of researchers and knowledge, to improve researcher training and to open up new career opportunities for researchers.

Public appreciation and visibility of science
The Academy works to increase the impact of basic research and demonstrate its role and significance, and contributes to raising awareness and public appreciation of science and to its increasing visibility in society.