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Features:
EUR 5.5 billion on R&D activity in Finland in 2005
Finland received EUR 345 million from the EU for R&D projects during last four years
Knowledge of science good among Finnish children and youth
Finnish innovation centre FinNode celebrated its inauguration in Silicon Valley
Research cooperation with Egypt launched
Academy welcomes research programme initiatives online
Academy funds nutrition and food research with EUR seven million
Academician Eino Jutikkala dead
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EUR 5.5 BILLION ON R&D ACTIVITY IN FINLAND IN 2005
Nearly 5.5 billion euros was expended on research and development in Finland in 2005. According to the recent report of Statistics Finland, R&D expenditure grew by four per cent from 2004, or by almost the same amount as in the previous year. In terms of figures the growth amounted to 220 million euros, of which a good 193 million euros came from the business enterprise sector and 25 million euros from the public sector. The R&D expenditure of the university sector remained almost unchanged. In 2006, R&D expenditure is expected to rise to over 5.7 billion euros and all three sectors will probably contribute to the addition of 260 million euros.
The GDP share of R&D expenditure was 3.5 per cent. For a long time now Finland's GDP share of R&D expenditure has been the second highest after Sweden (4.0%) among the EU countries and even among other countries the only one ahead is Israel (4.4). A total of 77,300 persons were employed in research and product development tasks in Finland in 2005. Almost two-thirds of the R&D personnel were researchers and R&D engineers, while the rest were engaged in expert or support tasks relating to R&D activity. One person in three of the R&D personnel was a woman.
FINLAND RECEIVED EUR 345 MILLION FROM EU FOR R&D PROJECTS DURING LAST FOUR YEARS
During the last four years, Finns have received around 345 million euros in EU funding for R&D projects. Funding has been allocated to more than 1,000 projects involving Finns. Finns have been most active in telecommunications technology, materials and process engineering and medical sciences. Among those who had most projects receiving funding were VTT, University of Helsinki, Helsinki University of Technology and Nokia. Of all those involved in EU projects, 16 per cent were SMEs.
The new EU calls for project proposals were opened at the turn of the year. In the first calls, more than four million euros have been earmarked for joint R&D projects of universities, research institutes and business companies. Tekes, the other major public funding agency in Finland, expects some 80 million euros to Finnish projects.
KNOWLEDGE OF SCIENCE GOOD AMONG FINNISH CHILDREN AND YOUTH
Knowledge of science among Finnish youth is good. Children and young people are quite good at distinguishing science-based issues from non-science-based issues. Among different disciplines, the natural sciences and medical sciences are regarded as science more often than other fields. This is the outcome of a recent survey commissioned by the Finnish Society for Scientific Information in cooperation with the Ministry of Education and the Academy of Finland. The survey was carried out by the University of Helsinki.
There are differences between different school levels in the understanding of the concept of science and research. Vocational school students often see science on a concrete level, and the ideas of science and research are mainly confined to comprise the natural sciences, whereas knowledge of science among senior secondary students is more comprehensive; in addition to the natural sciences, they see science as an ideological and societal phenomenon.
Finnish young people have no coherent idea of a researcher. Some of them regard researchers as hermits, whereas others see researchers as professional and energetic or broad-minded and modest, etc. Views also change with age. Just under half of the young people who answered the questionnaire had thought of entering a career in research. In the eyes of children and young people, researchers may also be attractive spouses-to-be. The profession of a researcher is appreciated and researchers are generally considered bright and intelligent.
FINNISH INNOVATION CENTRE FINNODE CELEBRATED ITS INAUGURATION IN SILICON VALLEY
FinNode, the new Finnish innovation centre, was opened in Silicon Valley, USA. FinNode is a joint effort of Finpro, Finnish Innovation Fund Sitra, Academy of Finland, Tekes – Finnish Funding Agency for Technology and Innovation, and VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland. "Silicon Valley is one of the world's major innovation clusters. FinNode's most important task is to create and maintain the right contacts and cooperation networks. Our job is to put most useful American partners in touch with the Finnish clients – companies and researchers –, and vice versa. From the client's perspective, it's a major improvement that all our services can now be found under one roof," says Pekka Pärnänen, Director, FinNode, who is also Head of Trade Center, FinPro Silicon Valley.
The International Business Accelerator Center INBAC, which is owned by VTT and Technopolis Ventures, also operates out of the same premises. INBAC's objective is to accelerate the arrival of Finnish companies onto the USA market. FinNode is Finland's second innovation centre. The first one, the FinChi innovation centre, was established in Shanghai, China, in 2005. Innovation centres involving Finnish actors are also being planned for St Petersburg and Tokyo. More information: www.finnode.com.
RESEARCH COOPERATION WITH EGYPT LAUNCHED
The Academy of Finland and the Academy of Scientific Research & Technology (ASRT) in Egypt signed an agreement in January. This agreement provides the basis for funding of joint research projects and research cooperation of Egyptian and Finnish researchers in different fields. The theme of the first joint call is environmental research. Possible future cooperation fields that have been taken up in discussions include arts and design, medicine and the development of information society. In the joint call presently open each country provides funding for the research teams of its own country which are selected to receive funding within this call.
ACADEMY WELCOMES RESEARCH PROGRAMME INITIATIVES ONLINE
Research communities and other national and international stakeholder groups can now propose research programme initiatives online to the Academy of Finland using the form available on the Academy's website at www.aka.fi/programme_proposal.
"By this, the Academy wants to increase the openness of the initiation and preparation process of research programmes. We also want to listen to signals from researchers and society at large on what would be topical themes for possible research programmes," says Senior Science Adviser Jaana Roos from the Programme Unit.
A research programme is composed of a number of interdisciplinary research projects that are focused on a defined subject area or set of problems and that have a coordinated management. A programme shall form a thematic entity. A research programme shall have novelty value and generate substantial added value when compared to separate project funding.
Research programmes may be motivated by concerns arising from science and/or society. Initiatives may be prompted by internal development needs within a discipline or field of research, by needs to support a new, emerging field or by needs to produce new knowledge on an issue or problem that is considered to be of great societal importance.
ACADEMY FUNDS NUTRITION AND FOOD RESEARCH WITH SEVEN MILLION EUROS
The projects to be funded within the Research Programme on Nutrition, Food and Health (ELVIRA) have been selected. A total of 15 four-year projects are included in the programme. The Academy funds the projects with seven million euros; the rest of the funding comes from Tekes and the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry.
The specific objective of the ELVIRA programme is to generate high-quality and innovative research knowledge on food and nutrition so that it in the long run it would be easier for consumers to make healthy and safe food choices. Another key objective is to create knowledge aiming at significant scientific, societal and economic impacts of research. The results of the programme are expected to contribute to the promotion of health and well-being of citizens and to the development of Finnish food industries.
The ELVIRA programme is concerned to research issues related to food and nutrition from a number of different perspectives. The projects involved will be researching, for example, consumer behaviour, genetic factors, food safety, intestinal microbes and health, and food processing and health. More information: www.aka.fi/Programmes.
ACADEMICIAN EINO JUTIKKALA DEAD
Academician Eino Jutikkala has died at the age of 99. Jutikkala was known as the Grand Old Man of Finnish historical research: he made an exceptionally long and far-ranging career in the field of historical research. He was devotedly engaged in research and actively participated in social debate for more than 70 years. He was also well versed with the latest research.
Based on nominations by the Academy of Finland, the President of the Republic of Finland may grant the honorary title of Academician to highly distinguished Finnish or foreign scientists and scholars. The title of Finnish Academician can be held by no more than twelve Finnish scientists or scholars at a time. Eino Jutikkala was granted the title of Academician in 1972.
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Academy of Finland in brief: The Academy's objective is to promote high-level scientific research through long-term quality-based research funding, research and science policy expertise and efforts to strengthen the position of science and scientific research. The Academy makes decisions on research funding worth 257 million euros. Each year about 5,000 people benefit from Academy research funding. For more information, go to www.aka.fi or send a message to maj-lis.tanner(at)aka.fi.