2026 International collaboration in high-performance computing

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 aim of the funding for international collaboration in high-performance computing is to support the development of a versatile future data management and computing ecosystem and the expansion of related expertise at both national and international level. In the present call, the funding is targeted at the Large Unified Modern Infrastructure (LUMI) and the European High Performance Computing Joint Undertaking (EuroHPC) infrastructures, at making appropriate use of them and promoting their wide and effective use.

The EuroHPC JU is aimed at developing a world-class supercomputing ecosystem by pooling the resources of the European Union, European countries and private partners. High-performance computing is at the heart of the digitalisation of scientific information, enabling deeper scientific understanding and breakthroughs in nearly every scientific field. LUMI is a supercomputer project under the EuroHPC JU designed to improve research, employment and competitiveness in Finland and throughout Europe. LUMI provides not only supercomputing capacity, but it is also one of the world’s leading platforms for artificial intelligence. Throughout its lifecycle, it will be one of the most visible scientific instruments in the world.

The aim of this funding call is to support internationally excellent research where the use of EuroHPC or LUMI supercomputing resources is necessary for the success of the research project. High-performance computing can produce results and outputs regardless of the scientific discipline, so there are no restrictions on the discipline of the application. However, it is essential that the project promote the expansion of expertise in high-performance computing. The project can be multidisciplinary and consortium-based. In a consortium-based project, the cooperation between the parties creates added value in the expansion of expertise in high-performance computing.

The funding will support international research collaboration that makes use of

• EuroHPC’s high-performance computing resources in cooperation with partners in EuroHPC's European user states (incl. the United Kingdom)

or

• the LUMI supercomputer in collaboration with researchers working in the following states, organisations or countries:
  • US states of Colorado, Minnesota or Texas
  • US National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)
  • Japan
  • Canada.

Funding will not be granted for coordination or planning of collaborations.

The funding granted under this call is based on Finland’s strategic partnerships with the aforementioned countries/regions. The projects to be funded must combine the following aspects:

• Justified use of the EuroHPC or the LUMI supercomputer in the research
• international collaboration with research teams in the aforementioned countries/regions
• high-quality scientific research.

Funded projects may be asked to submit monitoring reports during the project. The method and deadline for submitting the reports and the contents of the reports will be specified separately.

Partnerships on which the call is based

In February 2022, the Finnish Government and the US State of Colorado signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to promote sustainable development and the green economy as well as the development of cutting-edge future technologies such as computing.

In October 2021, the Finnish Minister for Foreign Trade and Development Ville Skinnari and Governor of Minnesota Tim Walz signed a letter of understanding (LoU).

In December 2022, CSC – the Finnish IT Center for Science and Texas Advanced Computing Center (TACC) at the University of Texas at Austin signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to promote research collaboration in the area of key high-performance computing applications to address global challenges.

In January 2024, the Finnish Ministry of Education, Science and Culture and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) entered into an agreement on cooperation in the geosciences and space sciences. The aim is to support collaboration between NASA and Finnish researchers using the Large Unified Modern Infrastructure (LUMI) supercomputer located at the CSC data centre in Kajaani.

In May 2022, CSC signed a Memorandum of Cooperation (MoC) with Japan’s RIKEN Center for Computational Science (R-CCS) to advance excellent international research at global level and to provide researchers with unprecedented resources for conducting research.

In January 2025, heads of the Ministry of Education, Science and Culture and the Research Council of Finland agreed on the promotion of research cooperation between Finland and Canada in the field of high-performance computing during a visit to Canada. In addition, the RCF and the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada have a general Memorandum of Understanding signed in 1990.

Applications are invited from individual research teams and consortia composed of two or more teams. The consortium parties may represent one or several research organisations. In a consortium-based project, the cooperation between the parties creates added value in the expansion of expertise in high-performance computing.

A consortium application is an application built around a joint research plan, where each party to the consortium applies for funding. The RCF treats a consortium application as a single application, although the funding is granted to each subproject separately. Consortium compositions cannot be changed after the call deadline. Read the guidelines for consortium applications.

In addition to a doctoral degree, the principal investigator (PI) of the proposed project must also have other significant scientific merits. Usually, the PI is a researcher at the professor or docent (adjunct professor) level. These criteria also apply to subproject PIs in consortia. In addition, the applicant must have a close connection with Finland to support the implementation of a multi-year project. This connection must be evident from the application.

The PI of the application cannot be changed while the application is being processed (after the call has closed but before the decision). The only exception to this is if the PI dies.

Restrictions

In this 2026 call for international collaboration in high-performance computing, the RCF will consider (process) only one application (incl. consortium subproject) from the same applicant. If you submit more than one application (incl. consortium subproject), only the first application or consortium application to be submitted will be considered (processed).

The research collaboration shall make use of EuroHPC high-performance computing resources or the LUMI supercomputer.

At least one international collaborator must be named in the application. The collaborator must be:

• for using EuroHPC resources from the European user country of EuroHPC (incl. the UK)

or

• for using the LUMI supercomputer
  • from the US states of Colorado, Minnesota or Texas
  • from NASA
  • from Japan
  • from Canada.

Applicants must append to their applications a letter of collaboration from the international collaborator, describing the use of HPC resources within the framework of the cooperation.

Funding will not be granted for coordination or planning of collaborations.

Other current RCF funding

Researchers who were granted funding in the 2024 and 2025 calls for international collaboration in high-performance computing are eligible to apply for funding in this call. However, the research topic of the planned project must be substantially different from that of the already funded project. The research topics of researchers who were granted funding in earlier calls than these are not restricted.

Other conditions for and obstacles to the granting of funding

The conditions for and obstacles to the granting of funding apply to each subproject’s applicant (consortium PI or subproject PI). If a prerequisite for granting funding is missing or there is an obstacle to the granting, the RCF will not consider (process) the entire consortium’s application.

We will not consider (process) your application or consortium application if you have participated in the planning of the call to an extent likely to give you a comparative advantage over other applicants.

We will not consider (process) your application or consortium application if you have 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.

If you have failed to submit a final report on a completed or ongoing RCF-funded project by the set deadline, we will not consider (process) your application or consortium application.

The application or consortium 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 respects 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.

We will not consider (process) your application or consortium application if you are 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 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 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. As an applicant, you have the right to submit your application in Finnish or Swedish, but we ask that you submit it in English to facilitate the international review.

Before the call opens

Check your eligibility

• Read the section Who can apply? to see whether you meet the eligibility criteria.

Plan the contents of your application

• Find out the calculation resources required for the project. Contact CSC as soon as you start preparing your application, if necessary: (servicedesk(at)csc.fi).
  • Some services are free of charge for researchers in research organisations.
  • The Epicure project provides support for using EuroHPC supercomputer resources. Read more about the Epicure project.
  • Learn more about how to apply for LUMI supercomputer resources from CSC (Get started, User support and Events).
• Start drafting your research plan and CV.
  • Prepare the above appendices on our templates, see ‘Application parts in the online services’ below. Read the instructions on using the templates. You have access to the templates even before the call opens.
• Read the review guidelines and the review form. Write your research plan in such a way that reviewers can easily find the answer to the review questions.
• Contact your collaborators. Please check the ‘Restrictions’ section to make sure your collaborator meets the requirements set for this call. Include in the application a letter of collaboration from your international collaborator before the call deadline. Read more about the letter.

Plan the funding of your project

• Draft the budget in line with the guidelines of your organisation. Read more about the amount and conditions of the funding in section ‘Funding to be applied for and funding period’.
• Contact your organisation’s support services now if you have any budget-related questions.
• Also read our standard terms for 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.

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.
• If you are applying as part of a consortium, read the consortium application guidelines before you start drafting the application.

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: topic, keywords and scientific disciplines of the project, details on the site of research
• Consortium parties: In a consortium application, the consortium PI appoints the subproject PIs.
• Abstract
• Public project description
• Project's funding and commitment by site of research. The commitment must be given within 14 days of the call's closing date, or the application (consortium application) may be inadmissible. See section ‘Funding to be applied for and funding period’ in the call text.
• Salary costs of principal investigator
• Collaborators: list of collaborators. The collaboration is described in the research plan.
• Mobility: list of researcher visits
• Affiliation with research infrastructures, Centres of Excellence and Finnish Flagships
• Brief data management plan
• Research ethics
• Progress report on all RCF-funded projects that have not yet submitted final reports.
• Most relevant publications and other outputs: The consortium PI enters a total of up to ten jointly agreed most important project-relevant publications by the consortium members and a total of up to ten of the consortium members’ most relevant own research outputs, with justifications. Detailed instructions are available on the application form.

Appendices to be appended on dedicated tabs

• The research plan is a mandatory appendix. Use the template provided.
• The curriculum vitae is a mandatory appendix. Use the template provided.

Other appendices

• The research security assessment is a mandatory appendix. Use the template provided. Read more about research security.
• The full list of publications is a mandatory appendix.
• The letter of collaboration is a mandatory appendix.

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.

The consortium PI submits the joint consortium application. They can submit the consortium application only after all subprojects have tagged their applications as complete.

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 three-year funding period for the projects funded in the call starts on 1 January 2027.

The funding comes to up to 500,000 euros for an individual project, up to 1 million euros in total for a consortium-based project and up to 500,000 euros for a consortium subproject.

The funding is primarily intended towards the salaries of persons who work full-time on the project and for other project costs.

The funding is granted to a Finnish site of research (usually a university or institute institute) through which the funding is paid.

The project PI must have a close connection with Finland to support the implementation of a multi-year project. The funded researchers may, however, spend time working abroad during their funding period.

Funding plan

As a rule, research funding granted by the RCF is co-funding. The RCF’s contribution to the funding is up to 70% of the total costs, and the site of research (host organisation) will cover at least 30% of the total costs. Before submitting the application, you must agree with the administration at your organisation on the funding contribution of the site of research. You must check with your organisation whether the funding planned as the own funding contribution suits this purpose.

On the tab ‘Funding for the project, enter the following information:

• cost estimate, including an estimate of the annual amount of funding needed, itemised by type of expenditure
  • The annual instalment costs must be spread equally (e.g. 70%/30%) over all funding years.
• funding granted for the project as well as funding that will be provided by the site of research if the project is launched

Only costs that pass through the books of the site of the research must be included in the total costs.

Pay particular attention to ensuring that the cost estimate is realistic and justified for the implementation of the research project. Justify the most significant research costs by type of expenditure in the free-text field.

You can apply for funding to cover, for example, the following direct research costs:

• research team salaries
• PI’s salary costs (under certain limitations)
• salaries of researchers returning to Finland
• necessary costs arising from implementation of research
• travel expenses
• cooperation and mobility in Finland
• international cooperation and mobility
• preparation of international projects.

Funding will not be granted for coordination or planning of collaborations.

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.

Salary costs of principal investigator

RCF funding for research projects is primarily intended for the salaries of researchers working full-time on the projects and for other research costs.

As a rule, funding is not granted for the salary of the project PI. The PI’s salary costs may only under certain limitations and on justifiable grounds be incorporated into the total project costs. For the salary costs to be eligible, the PI’s tasks must be clearly specified and justified. The salary is justified on the tab ‘Salary of principal investigator’.

The salary costs must not be significant in relation to the project’s total costs. A three-year research project must not include more than 4.5 months (equivalent to 1.5 months/year) of the PI’s working hours for project management, doctoral thesis supervision and research work. The maximum amount of working time to be included is proportional to the duration of the project or subproject.

If the project includes salary costs for the PI, use the ‘Principal investigator’ category in the ‘Salaries’ section of the ‘Funding for the project’ tab in the RCF online services.

If the PI does not have an employment relationship

• If the PI does not have an employment relationship with, for example, the university or research institute for the duration of the funding period, they must explain how their salary will be covered during the funding period.
• Retired researchers can be granted funding on the same grounds as other researchers.

Mobility aid

Mobility aid can be applied for as research costs related to the implementation of the plan. The aid is applied for in accordance with the practices of the site of research. To obtain further information, contact the personnel and financial administration of the site of research.

In the online services, the aid is applied for on the tab ‘Funding for the project’ under ‘Travel expenses’. The mobility aid must be justified. Read more about the mobility aid in the standard terms for funding.

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).

Read more: Guidelines for sites of research.

How to submit and supplement the application

The call deadline is non-negotiable and also applies to consortia. We will not consider (process) an application that has not been submitted by deadline. The deadline for applications is 06 May 2026 at 16.15 Finnish time.

The consortium PI submits the joint consortium application. They can submit the application only after all subproject PIs have tagged their applications as complete. While the call is open, the consortium PI can return the consortium subproject application to be supplemented.

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. However, the possibility of supplementation does not apply to the research plan. Once the review process has started, supplementations can no longer be taken into account. Typically, the application review begins 1–2 weeks after the call has closed.

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 the application or consortium application 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.

RCF funding is granted based on peer review. We mainly use foreign experts as reviewers, and they make up the review panels.

The review of applications follows a two-stage process. In the first stage, experts are asked to give at least two individual reviews on the application. If at least one expert has given an overall rating of 5 or 6, the application will advance to the panel review stage. Applications that receive a panel rating of 5 or 6 for both the overall rating and the implementation of the call objective are ranked.

The fundamental principles of the review are transparency, integrity, equity, competence and diversity. Read more about responsible researcher evaluation.

Review factors

Criteria affecting the review of the scientific quality of the application:

• how the project implements the objectives of the call (see Background and objectives)
• added value of cooperation between the parties to the consortium (if consortium application)
• quality of research
  • scientific quality, novelty and innovation
• implementation
  • feasibility of research plan, including aspects of responsible science
  • expertise, human resources and cooperation, including aspects of responsible science.

In addition, the review panels and individual reviewers may, to support decision-making, draw attention to factors such as the societal effects and impact of the project.

The research security appendix will not be reviewed.

See the review questions and instructions on our website. The review instructions, forms and principles are only available in English.

The present call is governed by the principles for RCF funding decisions adopted by the RCF Board on 18 September 2025.

The body making the funding decisions (General Subcommittee) takes into account the entirety of the applications to be decided upon in the call in relation to the objectives of the call, and the funding promotes a wide variety of scientific research. The decisions are based on the review reports and the rankings made by the panels. If there are applications of equal merit, priority shall be given to the application that the decision-making body considers best advances the dismantling of gender stereotypes, promotes diversity in research and the scientific community as well as supports sustainable development.

The funding decisions will be made in November 2026 (estimate).

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. In the online services, you will also find the review report (or reports) on the application, which may include the panel ranking (given to the most successful applications).

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.
• Ask & Apply webinar on 17 March at 10.00–11.00
• CSC customer service email: servicedesk(at)csc.fi