RCF at a glance
The Research Council of Finland (RCF) is a government agency whose activities are guided by the Ministry of Education, Science and Culture as part of the educational and cultural administration. The RCF’s research funding comes from the state budget. We have a unique position in Finland: we grant funding in all scientific disciplines based on open competition and independent peer review.
What we do, who we are
The RCF’s activities are governed by law. Our statutory duties include fostering scientific research and its utilisation and developing research capabilities.
- We fund research and researcher training: We support excellent research and state-of-the-art research environments through open funding calls and competition.
- We promote research utilisation: We prepare analyses and produce data to support policymaking so that the research-based knowledge is made available to society.
- We support cooperation: We engage in both national and international collaboration, which improves both the international opportunities of Finnish researchers and the impact and visibility of Finnish research.
Put simply, our task is to ensure that the best research in Finland gets funded.
*The total sum (€543m) includes the Strategic Research Council’s (SRC) proportion, approx. 55 million euros.
The RCF is an expert organisation that employs a wide range of professionals in science, law and administration, finance, communications and information management as part of the educational and cultural administration.
All RCF funding is granted based on external peer review: This ensures that the most competitive research is selected for funding based on the assessments of independent and globally merited researchers.
The following criteria are used when reviewing scientific merits:
- Scientific quality, innovativeness and novelty value of research as well as impact within scientific community
- Feasibility of research plan (incl. responsible science)
- Competence of applicant/research team in terms of project implementation, possible researcher training
- Quality of research environment and collaboration networks (incl. researcher mobility)
- Suitability of proposed research in terms of possible special objectives of funding scheme (incl. societal impact)
RCF officials do not make any funding decisions, and political decision-makers do not participate in the review of applications or the decision-making. The funding decisions are made by bodies consisting of members of the Finnish research community. The members are esteemed professors or researchers working in Finland in various fields.
Funding with impact
The funding distributed by the RCF each year comes from the state budget. We use the funds to provide long-term funding for bold research ideas, research environments that strengthen cutting edge science, and research that solves societal challenges.
In 2024, our funding for research amounted to some 543 million euros (incl. funding by Strategic Research Council approx. €55m). This enabled the research work of up to 3,500 people (FTEs) at Finnish universities and research institutes.
Our funding portfolio consists of Spark funding, which supports the best new research initiatives emerging from the scientific community, Forge funding, which strengthens the most competitive research environments and infrastructures, and Shift funding, through which we promote research-driven change based on the various needs of Finnish society.
In addition, the Strategic Research Council (SRC), an independent body established within the RCF, funds research that seeks solutions to major societal challenges.
RCF research funding in 2024
Since we cannot know today where tomorrow’s innovations are created, we must make sure the innovation path starts wide. Innovations cannot emerge without a broad research base. That is why Finland needs not only the highest quality research and expertise, but also the broadest range possible.
The funding goes to the host organisation
Our versatile funding portfolio includes schemes targeted at both individual researchers, research teams and research organisations.
The funding granted for research projects is paid to the university or research institute where the researcher or research team works, not directly to the researcher. The researchers are employed by the university or research institute that hosts the project.
The research organisation uses the funding to cover the salaries and research costs of the researcher or team. The organisation invoices the RCF annually based on the actual costs.
The average funding for a four-year project is 500,000 euros. Of this sum, 35–40 per cent goes towards the organisation’s overhead costs, such as rents, IT systems and administrative expenses.
