Scientific councils
The RCF has three scientific councils:
- Scientific Council for Biosciences, Health and the Environment
- Scientific Council for Social Sciences and Humanities
- Scientific Council for Natural Sciences and Engineering.
The scientific councils are responsible for, among other things, granting funding for scientific research, research infrastructures and the development and utilisation of research framework conditions and their utilisation.
They also monitor the impact and effectiveness of RCF research funding and promote research together with other RCF decision-making bodies.
The Finnish Government appoints the chair and members of each RCF scientific council for a three-year term. The term of the current scientific councils is 1 January 2025–31 December 2027.
The scientific councils represent extensive and excellent scientific expertise. The members represent research and science in a broad sense; they are not representatives of a single discipline, university or research institute.
Suitable members can be proposed to the Ministry of Education, Science and Culture by universities, research institutes, R&D stakeholders and organisations, learned societies, academies, and representatives of the research community. The Ministry consults different parties before appointing the scientific councils.
