2026 EuroHPC matching funds, call for invited applicants
- funding to cover self-financing contribution of Finnish subprojects that have received funding in EuroHPC JU calls
- applications invited from parties at Finnish research organisations who have received funding from EuroHPC JU calls
The objectives of European High Performance Computing Joint Undertaking (EuroHPC JU) funding include, among other things, the development of the computing ecosystem of the future and related expertise, the expansion of the use of HPC into new areas, the promotion of national and international cooperation and attracting experts with high-quality research infrastructures and computing infrastructures.
This call is intended to provide funding to cover the self-financing contribution (50% of project costs) of Finnish subprojects that have received funding in EuroHPC calls. Eligible applicants have been granted funding from EuroHPC JU calls and are based at Finnish research organisations. In the present call, the Research Council of Finland (RCF) is prepared to grant funding of up to 3.5 million euros. Projects will be funded for a maximum of five years in accordance with the EuroHPC funding decision.
Before you fill in your application in the online services (SARA), carefully read the call text and the standard terms for RCF funding. The present call is governed by the standard terms adopted on 22 September 2025.
If the call text conflicts with the standard terms, the terms should always be considered primary.
If the translated English or Swedish version of the call text conflicts with the Finnish call text, the Finnish version should always be considered primary.
Read the full call text below.
At the core of the Research Council of Finland’s activities is to provide funding for excellent scientific research. The research we fund is also expected to have high scientific and societal impact and follow the principles of responsible science.
The objectives of EuroHPC JU funding include, for example, the development of the computing ecosystem of the future and related expertise, the expansion of the use of HPC into new areas, the promotion of national and international cooperation and attracting experts with high-quality research infrastructures and computing infrastructures.
This call is intended to provide funding to cover the self-financing contribution (50% of project costs) of Finnish subprojects that have received funding in EuroHPC calls.
Eligible applicants have been granted funding from EuroHPC JU calls and are based at Finnish research organisations. In the present call, the Research Council of Finland (RCF) is prepared to grant funding of up to 3.5 million euros. Projects will be funded for a maximum of five years in accordance with the EuroHPC funding decision.
The funding is applied for by an individual research organisation. All Finnish parties of the consortium submit their own applications. The research organisation selects the person responsible for the application, who will be responsible for the project and the application.
Other conditions and obstacles to the granting of funding
The conditions and obstacles apply to all applicants. If a prerequisite for granting funding is missing or there is an obstacle to the granting, the RCF can decide not to consider (process) the application.
We will not consider (process) the application if the person responsible for the application has been found guilty of a serious violation of research integrity in the previous three years.
RCF funding will not be granted to a recipient located in Russia or Belarus. In RCF-funded projects, cooperation with individual Russian or Belarusian researchers and research teams can only be carried out if the instructions of the site of research, the sanctions against Russia and Belarus, the export control provisions, the travel recommendations of the Ministry for Foreign Affairs or other guidelines by authorities do not prevent it. Funding shall be granted and used in a way that respects the equal treatment of researchers, regardless of nationality.
We will not consider (process) the application (or consortium application) if the person responsible for the application is a member of the RCF Board or scientific councils or the Strategic Research Council.
Funding can only be granted if the conditions set by the RCF for the funding are met. In addition to the eligibility criteria, another condition that must be met in order for the funding to be awarded is that you have in your application identified and assessed the risks related to research security and, where necessary, presented an adequate risk management plan.
The applicant must also describe in the research plan how good scientific practice will be followed in the implementation of the project, how gender equality and nondiscrimination will be promoted in the implementation of the project, and how the RCF’s guidelines on open access to research results and on the responsible management of research data will be followed in the project.
The application will not be considered (processed) if the applicant or the application does not meet the competence requirements or other key requirements set for the call, if the application does not belong to the call, or if there in some other respect are no conditions for processing the case. A scientific council or another decision-making body may decide not to fund an application based on science policy objectives, or if it is apparent for some other reason that the applicant cannot receive funding with the submitted application. Read more: Eligibility.
The RCF Board decides the principles for RCF funding decisions. The present call is governed by the principles adopted on 18 September 2025. You must immediately notify us if you receive funding from other sources for the same purpose after you have submitted your application to us.
The application consists of a form completed in the online services and PDF appendices.
When the call opens
- Sign up or log in to the online services). Check and update your personal details. Your up-to-date email address is important when we are in contact with you.
- The online services contain instructions for filling in the form.
Application parts in the online services
The different parts of the application are listed below. A comprehensive A–Z index of application guidelines is available on our website. Instructions for filling in the application form are also on the tabs of the form.
- Personal details
- General description: details on site of research and research infrastructure, project subject, disciplines, keywords
- Research ethics
- Project's funding and commitment by site of research.
- Public project description
Appendices
- The research security assessment is an obligatory appendix. Use the template provided. Read more: Research security. Subprojects within the same consortium submit a joint appendix.
- The description of the implementation of responsible science is an obligatory appendix. With a free-form appendix (approx. 1 page), describe how good scientific practice will be followed in the implementation of the project, how gender equality and nondiscrimination will be promoted in the implementation of the project, and how the RCF’s guidelines on open access to research results and on the responsible management of research data will be followed in the project. Subprojects within the same consortium submit a joint appendix. Submit the appendix in PDF format. Read more: Responsible science.
- Application submitted to EuroHPC JU call. Subprojects within the same consortium submit a joint appendix. Submit the appendix in PDF format.
- Final signed funding decision from the Commission (EuroHPC JU). Subprojects within the same consortium submit a joint appendix. Submit the appendix in PDF format.
Submitting the application in the online services
You can submit the application when you have filled in or attached all the necessary information. A red warning triangle tells you that there is an error or information missing.
You can authorise a person to edit or view the application on the tab ‘Authorisation’.
Submit your application in good time. You can supplement and edit the application and change appendices until the call deadline.
The funding period is up to five years and determined by the funding period in the funding decision of the EuroHPC JU call.
The funding is granted to a Finnish site of research (usually a university or institute institute) through which the funding is paid. Read more: standard terms for RCF funding. If you are granted funding, you are also bound by the terms. The present call is governed by the standard terms adopted on 22 September 2025.
Funding plan
On the tab ‘Funding for the project’, under ‘Other costs’, enter the subproject’s self-financing contribution (50% of total project costs) per year in accordance with the EuroHPC JU decision. The amount of funding requested from the RCF is therefore the same as the amount of EuroHPC JU funding allocated to the subproject concerned.
RCF funding cannot be used for economic activity. Read more: Economic operator.
Only for compelling reasons can government grants be awarded to cover salary costs in cases where the applicant has obstacles related to illegal employment, as referred to in section 7(2) of the Finnish Act on Discretionary Government Grants.
Research team salaries
As a rule, staff hired with RCF research funding must have an employment relationship. We recommend that they be hired for a period of employment no shorter than the funding period, unless a shorter contract is necessary for special reasons dictated by the implementation of the research project.
Short-term research, study, or other assignments may also be carried out in the form of outsourced services, the duration of which, as a rule, shall not exceed six months.
Instructions on job titles at different stages of the research career
What is required from the site of research?
The site of research is a Finnish research organisation such as a university, a research institute or some other research organisation. We require that the site of research provides the research project with all necessary basic facilities. These are determined based on the nature of the research and are the same as those available to other research staff at the site: office and laboratory premises, equipment (incl. computer equipment), and telecommunications, telephone, mailing, copying and library services.
The costs of ensuring immediate open access to peer-reviewed articles are included in the overheads of the site of research. The costs associated with storing and sharing research data and material are regarded as overheads for the project’s site of research. They may only exceptionally and for justified reasons be accepted as research costs to be covered with RCF research funding.
The site of research also commits to ensuring that the data management plan can be implemented at the site, and that the measures to be taken comply with good data management practice. After a positive funding decision, the site of research will also approve the data management plan of the project.
When accepting the funding, the site of research is responsible for ensuring that necessary statements and permits from ethics committees have been obtained before the start of the project. The site of research shall also make sure that the applicant has not been found guilty of any serious violation of research integrity during the previous three years.
The overheads, indirect employee costs and coefficient for effective working hours of the site of research are entered in the application. The site of research maintains these percentages in the online services under the site’s details. The information is provided as percentages.
When the site of research is a university or research institute, as a rule, the funding is applied for VAT included. Consult the financial administration at the site of research for more information on VAT. RCF funding may cover VAT costs, but only on certain conditions (see Value added tax, and read more in our standard terms for funding).
How to submit and supplement the application
The deadline is non-negotiable. We will not consider (process) an application that has not been submitted by deadline. The deadline for applications is 14 October 2026 at 16.15 Finnish time.
Make sure to submit the application in good time before the deadline. The system will only accept applications that contain all obligatory information. The applicant is responsible for ensuring that the content of the application appendices is correct.
You can edit and supplement the application until the deadline. For example, you can change the appendices to the application. If you notice that your application lacks important information after the deadline, immediately get in touch with us via our helpdesk, so that the application can be reopened for supplementation.
We may ask you to supplement the application. In that case, you will receive a supplementation request by email. If you do not supplement the application by the given deadline, or if the application is substantially incomplete even after a request for supplementary information, we may declare it inadmissible (i.e. it will not be processed). Make sure that your email address is up to date.
How the application becomes pending
According to section 17 of the Finnish Administrative Procedure Act and section 8 of the Act on Electronic Services and Communication in the Public Sector, the sender is responsible for the application arriving by the set deadline. An application becomes pending when the online application and the obligatory appendices have been submitted in the online services. The system will confirm a successful submission by sending an email to the address you have provided.
Publicity and data protection
Except for research plans, plans of intent, abstracts and progress reports, which are primarily kept secret, the application and its appendices are public documents. For example, the CV is a public document and as such must not include any secret information. This publicity is based on the Finnish Act on the Openness of Government Activities.
The RCF complies with data protection legislation. The applicant is responsible for the disclosure of any personal data contained in the application and, where appropriate, for requesting the consent of the parties concerned. The GDPR-compliant privacy statement concerning the research funding process is available on our website under Data protection.
The Scientific Council for Research Infrastructures will make the funding decisions its meetings in 2026 depending on how applications are received and processed. If necessary, contact us via the helpdesk (Application guidance, thematic calls) to find out more about the decision schedule.
You will receive an email notification after the funding decision has been made. After receiving the email, you can log in to the online services with your user ID to view the funding decision and its justifications.
How to receive the funding
A positive funding decision is accompanied by the standard terms for funding. They contain instructions on how to receive the funding (section 1.2).
- Contact us primarily via the helpdesk (select ‘Application guidance, thematic calls’).
- Technical issues with the online services? Contact us via the helpdesk (select ‘Online services and other technical questions’). Also see our how-to guides for the online services.
- Our telephone number (switchboard) is +358 295 335 000.
