Instructions and forms

The DNSH assessment at the application stage has already ensured that every project financed by the Recovery and Resilience Facility (RRF) through the Research Council of Finland complies with the DNSH principle. The applicant’s DNSH self-assessment covers the procurements of the project, and the DNSH evaluation carried out by the Research Council has ensured that the procurements are in line with the content of the project.

If there has been a justifiable change to the original plan of the project and the project's costs should include a procurement that was not part of the original plan, the Principal investigator of the project should contact rrf@aka.fi. A separate DNSH self-assessment form should be completed for the procurement not included in the plan, which the PI will receive instructions on after making contact. Based on the self-assessment, the Research Council of Finland will conduct the DNSH assessment as the funding agency, which will be sent to the PI of the project for notification through the registry. The procurement process can be initiated after the DNSH assessment conducted by the Research Council of Finland.

If, at a later stage, the Commission gives other guidance on procurements, these should be considered. We will keep projects informed of any changes.

Research funding granted by the Research Council of Finland may be used only for the purpose sta ted in the funding decision. Where the Research Council has made a special provision in its decision, it shall be complied with. The funding is provided as a total amount, which shall not be exceeded. The funding may only be used for expenditure incurred during the funding period.

The Research Council has the right to monitor the use of the funding it grants and to inspect the beneficiary's finances and activities, if necessary. The Research Council also has the right to verify the implementation of the research work in the project, its accounting and compliance with the terms of the funding decision. The site of research and the principal investigator (PI) of the research project shall be obliged to make available to the auditor all necessary accounting and other documents and information and to assist in the audit. Both the site of research and the project PI shall, upon request, provide the Research Council with information on the research and the use of funds.

The PI and the site of research shall inform the Research Council without delay of any changes affecting the use of the research funding budget, such as any other funding or income received for the implementation of the research plan.

The PI shall submit a notice of overlapping funding in the Research Council's online services (SARA) under My applications > Decision made > Give additional information.

Information on the notification is sent from the system to the RRF personnel. Other funding will be investigated and double funding monitored based on these notifications.

DNSH refers to the Do No Significant Harm principle, the EU definition of sustainable growth. In addition to the requirement of projects complying with the relevant EU and national environmental legislation, the projects to be funded must comply with the DNSH principle, which states that projects must not cause significant harm to the six environmental objectives defined in the EU Taxonomy Regulation.

This has been evaluated for each of the eligible applications through six different aspects: (1) mitigation of climate change, (2) adaptation to climate change, (3) sustainable use and protection of water and marine resources, (4) transition to a circular economy, including prevention and recycling of waste, (5) prevention and control of environmental pollution, and (6) protection and restoration of biodiversity and ecosystems.

The following RDI activities shall be considered to comply with the technical guidelines on the DNSH principle (2021/C58/01): (1) RDI actions leading to a technological neutral outcome at the level of their application, (2) RDI actions supporting options with low environmental impact, or (3) RDI actions focusing primarily on developing options with minimal environmental impact in the sector in question, where there is no technically and economically viable low-impact option.

n addition to the funding terms and conditions attached to the funding decision notification, the terms listed below shall be followed in the use of funds.

• Receipt of funding shall be approved without delay and within three working days of receipt of the funding decision.
• Extension of the funding period is possible only for special reasons and only until 31 December 2025.
• In the use of funding, deviations from the annual instalments according to the state budget (33.3% in 2023, 33.3% in 2024 and 33.3% in 2025) may only be made for justified reasons.
• The funded project is required to submit an interim report by 31 December 2025 and a final report by 31 March 2026. The projects must also prepare for further detailed RRF implementation and reporting requirements (incl. those related to the monitoring and follow-up of the implementation of the DNSH principle). Failure to report may lead to the recovery of funding.
• The Research Council of Finland requires audits of the projects. The auditor’s report must be submitted to the Research Council within three months of the end of the funding period. The deadline is non-negotiable. Failure to submit the auditor’s report by the deadline may lead to the recovery of funding.
• In all communications on the project, the funding recipient must mention the funding source and ensure the visibility of European Union funding by presenting both the EU logo and the text “Funded by the European Union – NextGenerationEU”.
• Beneficiaries shall keep all financial records and other records until the end of 2032, unless other European Union or national legislation requires a longer period.
• If overlapping funding is granted for the funded project from the EU Recovery and Resilience Facility (RRF) or other EU programmes, the PI shall inform the Research Council without delay.
• If the funding recipient is a business, an organisation or a foundation within the meaning of section 3 of the Finnish Business Information Act (244/2001), other than a legal person under civil law or a foundation-based university, the recipient must before each payment submit an account to the Registrar’s Office of the Research Council of Finland (kirjaamo@aka.fi) that details whether the recipient
  1. has failed to pay taxes or statutory pension, accident or unemployment insurance contributions, or failed to fulfil registration, notification or payment obligations related to fees charged by Finnish Customs during the year in which the application was initiated or during the preceding three calendar years
  2. has debts to be recovered by enforcement or debts that have been returned from enforcement with certificates of lack of means
  3. has a decision on declaration of bankruptcy, or a matter concerning the bankruptcy declaration is pending before a court of law
  4. has received a decision on the clawback of a government grant taken pursuant to sections 21 or 22 of Finnish Act on Discretionary Government Transfers (688/2001) or any other act that the recipient has failed to comply with
  5. has received a decision taken on the basis of deception, wrongful conduct or negligence, which the recipient has failed to comply with and by which the government loan or part thereof granted to the recipient has been ordered to be repaid immediately
  6. has received a recovery decision referred to in section 1 of the Finnish Act on the Application of Certain State Aid Rules of the European Community (300/2001) that the recipient has failed to comply with.

The EU’s Anti‑Money Laundering Directive and the Finnish Act on Preventing Money Laundering require the company or entity to identify its beneficial owners, report their data for registration and keep the information up to date. The aim of the Directive and the Act is to prevent money laundering and terrorist financing, to promote the detection and detection of such activities and to improve the tracking and recovery of the proceeds of crime. Identification of beneficiaries is the responsibility of the company. More information on beneficiary information can be found on the website of the Patent and Registration Office.

In accordance with the RRF Regulation (Regulation (EU) 2021/241, Article 22), the Research Council of Finland must collect and store the first names and surnames and dates of birth of the beneficial owners of the contractors as well as the subcontractor’s company name and tax identification number.

In accordance with the RRF specific conditions, non-reporting may lead to the recovery of funding.

Communication and visibility are closely linked to EU programmes. All beneficiaries of EU funding have a general obligation to indicate the origin of the funding and to ensure visibility of the funding received from the EU. Communication should highlight how the project contributes to the implementation of EU priorities.

In accordance with the RRF conditions, the beneficiary of the funding shall, in all communications of the project, display the origin of the funding and ensure visibility of the European Union funding by presenting both the Union logo and the words ‘Funded by the European Union — NextGenerationEU’.

During spring 2023, the Research Council of Finland will provide communication materials for the RRF-funded projects. These materials can be used to ensure that the project is communicating in accordance with the EU conditions.

The EU logo

The EU logo is the main visual symbol showing the origin of the funding and ensuring visibility of the European Union and EU funding. All beneficiaries, managing authorities and implementing partners of EU funding must use the EU logo in their communications. Beneficiaries of the EU Recovery and Resilience Facility shall use the following Union code for their communication: Funded by the European Union – NextGenerationEU.

• Download the EU logo and the financial reference from the European Commission website
• Means for communicating and raising EU visibility and EU information from the European Commission website

The Sustainable Growth Programme for Finland logo

The Sustainable Growth Programme for Finland logo and visual materials can be used in addition to the EU logo when it is intended to highlight the programme. The materials are intended to be used for the communication of participants in the programme.

• Download the logo and other materials from the Government’s image bank

Infographics

Infographics on EU Recovery and Resilience Facility have been published on the website of the Council of the European Union and the European Council. Their use in communication is authorised provided that the source is acknowledged.

Communication and visibility are closely linked to EU programmes. All beneficiaries of EU funding have a general obligation to indicate the origin of the funding and to ensure visibility of the funding received from the EU.

In publications, the source of funding can be mentioned as follows: ”This project has received funding from the European Union – NextGenerationEU instrument and is funded by the Research Council of Finland under grant number XXXXX”.