SRC call texts 2027 out now: security and strategic resources for the future

The Strategic Research Council (SRC) established within the Research Council of Finland is launching two new strategic research programmes. The six-year programmes start in late 2027.

The programmes are:

• Common Security in a Diverging World (PROTECT)
• Strategic Resources for the Future (RESOURCES).

Strategic research contributes to the long-term development and transformation of Finnish society and strengthens the knowledge base for decision-making. The SRC programme Common Security in a Diverging World (PROTECT) strengthens the security and crisis resilience of Finnish society by producing information on factors affecting psychological security and the functional capacity of the population. The aim is to identify and develop ways to strengthen society’s ability to act in the midst of change and uncertainty.

The SRC programme Strategic Resources for the Future (RESOURCES) strengthens Finland’s self-sufficiency in materials and the resilience of critical value chains by generating new, research-based solutions. The aim is to increase our understanding of the securing and responsible use of strategically important material and digital resources, and to develop practical solutions that will support the future availability of these resources.

Strategic research funding is intended for extensive, multidisciplinary research consortia formed by research projects from several organisations that carry out research with an emphasis on active interaction and engagement with knowledge users. Projects to be funded must produce knowledge to support strategic decision-making on the benefits, costs and effects of alternative policy options, taking into account the interlinkages, synergies and trade-offs between key societal policy objectives.

The calls for applications have two stages. Guidelines on how to apply, the funding terms and the consortium structure, composition and activity are available in the call texts. The first call stage (for letters of intent) opens on 16 November 2026 and closes on 15 December 2026. The first stage is open to all eligible applicants. According to a preliminary schedule, the projects invited to the second stage will be selected in February 2027. The SRC will take decisions on the projects to be invited to the second stage based on an international peer review.

The SRC expects the projects selected for funding to deliver not only excellent scientific research but also active interaction between knowledge producers and knowledge users throughout the entire research lifecycle, beginning already at the project planning stage. In addition, projects are expected to engage actively in collaboration across the programme as a whole. The SRC also encourages applicants to plan international cooperation to promote scientific research into and understanding of the most effective solutions for Finnish society.

In the two programmes combined, the SRC is prepared to fund 8–9 projects with a total of some 24 million euros during the first three-year period. The progress of the selected projects will be reviewed at midterm, after which the SRC will decide on the continuation of funding.

A webinar about the SRC programme calls will be organised on Monday 9 November 2026 at 10.00–11.30. The webinar is in Finnish, but questions can also be asked in English. Sign up by 9 November 2026 at 8.30.

Also note the ministries’ own info session on 12 November 2026: Registration and programme.