RCF grants funding for Finnish-American research in telecommunications technology

On 1 October 2026, the Research Council of Finland (RCF) decided to fund six Finnish-American research projects aimed at facilitating significant advances in the performance and capabilities of next-generation advanced intelligent network systems.

The projects will develop, among other things, smart wireless technologies for future 6G networks, resilient terahertz backhaul links and smart communications networks for emergency response.

The RCF and Business Finland participated as funding agencies from Finland in the international call Verticals-Enabling Intelligent Network Systems (VINES) organised by the US National Science Foundation (NSF).

Other participants included the US Department of Defense (DoD), the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), as well as national research and innovation funders from India, Japan and Sweden, and major companies in the sector such as Intel, Ericsson and Qualcomm.

There were two subprogrammes in the call; the RCF participated in ‘Use-Inspired Fundamental Research’, and Business Finland participated in ‘Verticals-Driven Technology Development, Demonstration, and Translation’.

The funding granted by the RCF amounts to some 2.5 million euros. The corresponding funding provided by the NSF is approximately 2.1 million dollars.

In the RCF subprogramme, the NSF funded a total of 32 consortia out of 330 applications, of which 31 included a Finnish partner. One Finnish-American project was funded in the Business Finland subprogramme.