Global partnerships
The Research Council of Finland has several bilateral partnership agreements with research funding bodies both within and outside the EU. Depending on the terms of the agreement, this cooperation can involve either project or mobility funding and, in some cases, also assistance for co-hosting research seminars.
We also contribute to the work of international research funding organisations (IIASA, OECD) as well as bodies that coordinate Finland’s global research and higher education partnerships on a national level (UNESCO, Team Finland Knowledge).
Bilateral international partnerships
The Research Council of Finland’s research funding cooperation with African countries is mainly carried out through multilateral, EU-based networks between funding agencies. The Research Council participates in LEAP-Agri, a network funded under the EU Horizon 2020 programme that aims to promote and support research and innovation cooperation between the EU and Africa in food and nutrition security and sustainable agriculture. The Research Council also participates in the LEAP-RE network, which aims to support Africa and Europe in the transition to reliable, affordable and accessible renewable energy.
In addition, the Research Council participates in the European and Developing Countries Clinical Trials Partnership (EDCTP), a partnership programme between countries in Europe and sub-Saharan Africa and the European Union. EDCTP primarily aims to support collaborative research that accelerates the clinical development of new or improved drugs, vaccines and diagnostics to prevent or treat infectious diseases.
Inquiries and more information
- LEAP-Agri network
- LEAP-RE network
- EDCTP
- Questions: helpdesk
The Research Council of Finland has an agreement with two Brazilian research funding organisations: the National Council for Scientific and Technological Development (CNPq, agreement since 2008) and the São Paulo Research Foundation (FAPESP, agreement since 2012). The objective of both agreements is to foster high-quality and mutually beneficial research funding cooperation. By granting funding to joint research projects, the aim is to support long-term research cooperation between Finnish and Brazilian research teams and to promote researcher mobility. The Research Council has opened five joint calls with its Brazilian partners.
Nowadays, the Research Council collaborates with Brazil mainly through multilateral, EU-based networks between funding agencies. In 2013–2017, the Research Council participated in ERANet-LAC (Network of the European Union, Latin America and the Caribbean Countries on Joint Innovation and Research Activities), a project under the EU’s Seventh Framework Programme. As the EU funding has ended, the project continues under the name EU-CELAC Platform. The Research Council also participates in the Trans-Atlantic Platform for the Social Sciences and Humanities (T-AP), which was funded from 2013 to 2016 under the EU Seventh Framework Programme.
More information
- Link to CNPq website
- Link to FAPESP website
- Questions: helpdesk
The Research Council of Finland has had a cooperation agreement with the National Agency of Research and Development of Chile (ANID, formerly known as CONICYT) since 2007. The objective of the agreement is to support Finnish-Chilean research cooperation by launching joint calls for research projects and implementing research programmes in jointly agreed fields. The Research Council has organised five joint calls with CONICYT.
Nowadays, the Research Council collaborates with Chile mainly through multilateral, EU-based networks between funding agencies. In 2013–2017, the Research Council participated in ERANet-LAC (Network of the European Union, Latin America and the Caribbean Countries on Joint Innovation and Research Activities), a project under the EU’s Seventh Framework Programme. As the EU funding has ended, the project continues under the name EU-CELAC Platform. The Research Council also participates in the Trans-Atlantic Platform for the Social Sciences and Humanities (T-AP), which was funded from 2013 to 2016 under the EU Seventh Framework Programme.
More information
- Link to ANID website
- Link to CONICYT website
- Questions: helpdesk
The Research Council of Finland has agreements on cooperation with three Chinese research funding organisations. The cooperation with the National Natural Science Foundation of China (NSFC) and the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) covers all scientific disciplines, except those that fall within the remit of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences (CASS). The cooperation with the CASS covers socio-economic sciences and the humanities.
The cooperation between the Research Council and the Chinese funders supports mobility related to project cooperation between Finnish and Chinese researchers. The mobility cooperation funding is intended for travel and living expenses of Finnish research teams in China. The funding does not cover research or equipment costs.
CAS cooperation projects can also apply for mobility cooperation funding for seminars in Finland and China. NSFC cooperation projects can apply for either mobility cooperation funding or mobility seminar funding. Please note that the project must have both a Finnish and a Chinese responsible person, both of whom must submit an application to their own funding agency. The Research Council usually opens applications in September, but the Chinese funders may have other deadlines.
More information
- Questions: helpdesk
The Research Council of Finland has an agreement on cooperation with two research funding organisations in India: the Department of Biotechnology (DBT) and the Department of Science and Technology (DST). The agreements do not cover research fields within the social sciences and humanities.
Within the framework of EU cooperation, the Research Council has participated in joint calls launched by New Indigo ERA-NET (2009–2013) and Inno INDIGO (2013–2016) as well as in the Equip project (2014–2017), which promoted, among other things, the networking of European and Indian researchers and funders in the social sciences and humanities.
More information
- DBT website
- DST website
- Questions: helpdesk
The Research Council of Finland has an agreement on funding cooperation with the Japan Society for the Promotion of Science (JSPS). Through the cooperation, the Research Council and the JSPS provide support for the mobility of Finnish and Japanese researchers. Researchers can also apply for a JSPS Postdoctoral Fellowship grant through the Research Council.
In addition, the Research Council participates in a NordForsk-coordinated Nordic collaboration with the Japan Agency for Medical Development (AMED).
More information
- Questions: helpdesk
The Research Council of Finland has an agreement on funding cooperation with the National Research Foundation of Korea. The agreement supports cooperation between Finnish and South Korean research teams. In 2024, the Research Council and the NRF have agreed to fund research in 6G and quantum technologies.
More information
- Questions: helpdesk
The Research Council of Finland's cooperation with Russian organisations has been suspended.
- Questions: helpdesk
The Research Council of Finland has an agreement on funding cooperation with the National Science and Technology Council (NSTC). The RCF supports research mobility between Finland and Taiwan. The mobility funding is intended for travel and living expenses, not for research or equipment costs. Applications are invited in autumn.
More information
- Questions: helpdesk
The Research Council of Finland’s major partners in the United States are the National Science Foundation (NSF), the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and the Department of Defense (DoD). The Research Council and the American funders have agreed to promote Finnish-American research collaboration up until 2029.
Cooperation will be strengthened by funding research projects between American and Finnish parties in areas represented by the research flagships included in the Finnish Flagship Programme.
The funding will be granted via a mechanism called Lead Agency. Under the mechanism, proposers from both countries collaborate to write a single proposal, which will be submitted to a funding call organised by the US funder. Proposers from Finland will submit a version of the proposal to the Research Council as well. The instructions for Finnish applicants will be posted on the Research Council’s website.
If the funding situation allows, two joint calls per year per US funder will be organised. The most recent joint calls were published in November 2022. The next calls are planned to be announced by the end of 2023.
Finnish researchers can also apply directly for NIH funding for collaborative research with a US partner. The relevant NIH funding opportunities are PA20-183, PA20-184 or PA20-185. See the NIH website for more details.
More information
- See the Research Council’s open and upcoming calls.
- Read more about the Finnish Flagship Programme.
- NIH notice of collaboration with Research Council of Finland
- NSF notice of collaboration with Research Council of Finland
- Promoting research cooperation between Finland and the United States (PDF)
- Questions: helpdesk
Contributing to the work of international organisations
The International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis (IIASA) is an international, interdisciplinary research institute located in Laxenburg in Austria, which also facilitates intergovernmental dialogue through science and scientists. It produces information to support international and national decision-making and to promote trade.
The institute studies global problems that are either too widespread or too complex for a single country or scientific discipline to solve – problems that have a global dimension (such as global warming) and problems that are shared by a large number of countries in the world (such as energy security). The IIASA compiles and maintains a large number of databases and develops modelling tools for using them effectively.
The Research Council of Finland sponsors the participation of Finnish students and students enrolled in Finnish universities and research centres in the IIASA’s Young Scientists Summer Programme (YSSP) and certain other events hosted by the IIASA. The Research Council represents Finland’s interests in the IIASA.
More information
The mission of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) is to promote sustainable economic development, employment and the wellbeing of people around the world. The OECD provides a global reference point for economic and social policy makers.
The Research Council of Finland acts as Finland’s representative on the OECD’s Global Science Forum (GSF). The GSF is tasked with expanding the potential for international cooperation in the field of scientific research. The GSF also issues recommendations to the OECD’s members based on surveys and reports. The GSF identifies and studies, among other things, emerging fields of research cooperation and investigates the necessity, viability and implementation of projects that require major investments.
More information
- OECD: Global Science Forum
- Questions: helpdesk
UNESCO stands for the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation. It acts as a global laboratory of ideas and a catalyst for international cooperation in the fields of education, science, culture and communications. It develops normative instruments and helps its members to strengthen their capacity through technical assistance, political advice and a wide range of international and regional programmes. UNESCO is also an active publicist and statistician.
UNESCO’s intragovernmental science programmes promote the organisation’s objectives and strategies. The Finnish Ministry of Education and Culture has a team dedicated to coordinating UNESCO’s science programmes (IBSP, IGCP, IHP, IOC, MAB and MOST) of which the Research Council of Finland is a member. The team’s secretariat is based at the Council of Finnish Academies.
More information about UNESCO’s science programmes
Global cooperation networks
Team Finland Knowledge is a network set up to implement the Finnish Ministry of Education and Culture’s international affairs policy (2017–2025). Its mission is to support and increase Finnish universities’ and research centres’ international partnerships.
The network is made up of nine higher education and science advisers based in London, Los Angeles, Moscow, New Delhi, Beijing, Pretoria, São Paulo, Singapore and Washington. The advisers in São Paulo, Pretoria and Singapore are experts in their respective regions.
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