36 applications submitted to fifth Finnish Flagship call

The Research Council of Finland's (RCF) fifth call under the Finnish Flagship Programme closed at the end of March. Research consortia submitted 36 applications to the call. The RCF has earmarked 60 million euros for the first four-year period of the new Flagships. The funding decisions are expected to be taken in November 2026.

The aim of the Finnish Flagship Programme is to support wide-ranging economic and other societal impact based on particularly high-level scientific research. The funding is targeted at competence clusters that are based on cooperation between organisations and that have convincing track records of results and impact.

Finnish Flagships bring together expertise from different fields into competence clusters that strengthen the quality and impact of Finnish research. Flagships are required to have an ability to work in flexible ways, simultaneously running several research projects and other activities. A strong commitment from host organisations to meeting the set targets is also required. Flagships collaborate closely with the business sector and society at large. During the flagship term, the Flagships shall systematically improve and expand their activities.