Research programme on climate change FICCA 

The Finnish Research Programme on Climate Change (FICCA, 2011–2014) is launched to respond to the scientific challenges posed by climate change on a broad front. One of the principles underlying the FICCA programme is to support the type of multidisciplinary research that addresses the social and environmental spheres side by side – the objective being a systemic approach to research problems.

The funded research projects cover several different research fields: Geosciences; Environmental policy, economics and law; Economics; Other research into the environment and natural resources; Ecology, evolution and systematic; Environmental technology; Ecotoxicology, state of environment, environmental effects; Geography; Law; Physics; Education. Sociology, social psychology, social work; Anthropology, ethnology, folklore, comparative religion; Forest sciences; and Construction and municipal engineering.

The first FICCA call was in spring 2010. There were 11 national consortium projects funded for 12 million euros.

In spring 2011, funding was available within the FICCA research programme in the following three international joint project calls:

Societal implications and consequences of climate change,
Academy of Finland and Chinese Academy of Social Sciences (CASS)

Societal implications and consequences of climate change and climate policy,
Academy of Finland and Russian Foundation for the Humanities (RFH)

Climate change and ecosystem adaptation,
Academy of Finland and Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS)

Funding decisions have been made in the autumn 2011 and funded joint research projects are listed under the page Projects.  

Objectives

The primary objectives of the research programme are to:

• generate knowledge of climate change – its effects and management
• promote multidisciplinary expertise and research environments in order to intensify research into climate change and achieve synergy benefits
• serve Finnish society by combining the global and local perspectives

Other objectives are to:

• create new Finnish and international collaborative research networks
• increase the mobility of PhD students and researchers
• enhance coordination and cooperation with other Finnish (e.g. sectoral research) and international actors (e.g. IPCC)
• generate knowledge in support of innovation
• increase knowledge and awareness of climate change in society

Thematics

FICCA focuses on interaction between the environment and society. In the first, national Call in 2010 the key principle was to approach the research into climate change from a holistic point of view as it was presented in the Programme Memorandum.

In the second Call and possible later calls the thematics will be selected individually each time and together with co-operation bodies.

Co-operation

FICCA research programme will be carried out in wide national co-operation. Close collaboration is foreseen with Green Growth programme by Tekes – the Finnish Funding Agency for Technology and Innovation (Tekes). Close co-operation is foreseen also with the Advisory Board for Sectoral Research and its SETUILMU research activity. Other national coordination activities, collaboration groups, and stake holders are in contact.

International funding co-operation will be realized foremost with the Academy's present networks such as CIRCLE-2 ERA-Net, Nordic Top-level Research Initiative for climate, energy and the environment, and the European Joint Programming activities. Bilateral joint funding is being discussed with partner organisations in Russia, China, and USA.