Research infrastructures
The Research Council of Finland provides funding for the acquisition, establishment or upgrading and expansion of nationally significant research infrastructures that promote scientific research.
The aim of the research infrastructure funding is to improve the quality, renewal, competitiveness and interdisciplinarity of Finnish research and to increase the appeal of Finnish research environments.
The key instrument with which the Research Council funds national and international research infrastructures is the funding provided by the Finnish Research Infrastructure Committee (FIRI Committee). Applications for research infrastructure funding are reviewed by international panels of experts. As a rule, FIRI calls are opened every two years.
The FIRI Committee produces national research infrastructure roadmaps; read more about them: Roadmap for Finnish research infrastructures.
What is a research infrastructure?
Research infrastructures are instruments, equipment, information networks, databases, materials and services that serve to facilitate research, promote research collaboration and reinforce research and innovation capacity and know-how.
Research infrastructures may be single-sited, distributed or virtual, or a combination of these. Europe hosts several large-scale research infrastructures that are open to collaborative use across national boundaries.
Research infrastructures have versatile impact and are often at the heart of a science and technology cluster. Read more about the impact of research infrastructures: Societal impact - Competence clusters.
- Research Council of Finland grants substantial funding for research infrastructure projects
- Research Council of Finland to introduce changes in call for roadmap research infrastructures
- FLUXES, The European Greenhouse Gas Bulletin: Nature-based solutions for net zero might help – but they won’t save us
- The FIRI call for national research infrastructures in 2023 attracted a total of 60 applications.
- Assessment of benefits of international Research Infrastructure memberships for Finland 2020-2021(PDF)
- €25m in funding under Finland’s Recovery and Resilience Plan granted for local and regional research infrastructures
Finland is a member of several international research infrastructures, either through state treaties or other agreements. The vast majority of research infrastructure membership are in the administrative branch of the Ministry of Education, Science and Culture.
*ERIC (The European Research Infrastructure Consortium)
ACTRIS ERIC: Aerosol, Clouds, and Trace Gases Research Infrastructure
More information:
- ACTRIS ERIC
- ACTRIS Finland
- headquartered in Finland
AnaEE-ERIC: Analysis and Experimentation on Ecosystems
More information:
BBMRI-ERIC: Biobanking and Biomolecular Resources Research Infrastructure
More information:
- Biobanking and BioMolecular Resources Research and Infrastructure – European Research Infrastructure Consortium (BBMRI-ERIC)
- Finnish National Node of BBMRI-ERIC (BBMRI.fi)
- Analysis and use of data from genetic research (biomedinfra.fi, in Finnish)
CERN: European Organization for Nuclear Research
More information:
- European Organization for Nuclear Research (CERN)
- Helsinki Institute of Physics (HIP)
- The Nordic e-Infrastructure Collaboration (NeIC)
- Big Science Business – Commercial & Career Opportunities in CERN & FAIR
CESSDA ERIC: Consortium of European Social Science Data Archives
More information:
- Consortium of European Social Science Data Archives (CESSDA)
- Finnish Social Science Data Archive FSD
CLARIN ERIC: Common Language Resources and Technology Infrastructure
More information:
- European Research Infrastructure for Language Resources and Technology CLARIN
- Language Bank of Finland
- Helsinki Term Bank for the Arts and Sciences
- FIN-CLARIN consortium
EATRIS-ERIC: European Infrastructure for Translational Medicine
More information:
- European Infrastructure for Transnational Medicine EATRIS
- Finnish arm of EATRIS
- Analysis and use of data from genetic research (biomedinfra.fi, in Finnish)
EISCAT-3D: incoherent scatter radar
More information:
ELIXIR: European Life-Sciences Infrastructure for Biological Information
More information:
- European Life Science Infrastructure for Biological Information (ELIXIR)
- ELIXIR Finland
- Analysis and use of data from genetic research (biomedinfra.fi, in Finnish)
EMBL: European Molecular Biology Laboratory (and EMBC)
More information:
ESO: European Southern Observatory; E-ELT: European Extremely Large Telescope
More information:
ESS ERIC: European Social Survey
More information:
ESRF: European Synchrotron Radiation Facility
More information:
EU Openscreen ERIC: European infrastructure for high-capacity screening in chemical biology
More information:
Euro-BioImaging: research infrastructure for biological and biomedical imaging
More information:
- Euro-BioImaging
- Euro-BioImaging Finland
- headquartered in Finland
FAIR: Facility for Antiproton and Ion Research
More information:
- FAIR (Facility for Antiproton and Ion Research in Europe)
- Finland in FAIR
- Helsinki Institute of Physics (HIP)
- Big Science Business: Opportunities in CERN and FAIR
GBIF: Global Biodiversity Information Facility
More information:
- GBIF (Global Biodiversity Information Facility)
- Finnish Biodiversity Information Facility (FinBIF)
- Finnish Biodiversity Info Facility, Finnish Museum of Natural History
ICDP: International Continental Scientific Drilling Programme
More information:
ICOS ERIC: Integrated Carbon Observation System
More information:
- Integrated Carbon Observation System (ICOS)
- ICOS Finland
- headquartered in Finland
IML – Institut Mittag Leffler
More information:
Infrafrontier: European Research Infrastructure for Phenotyping and Archiving of Model Mammalian Genomes
More information:
- Infrafrontier: European Research Infrastructure for the generation, phenotyping, archiving and distribution of model mammalian genomes
- European Mouse Mutant Archive (EMMA)
- Biocenter Oulu
- Infrafrontier is preparing to establish an ERIC
Instruct-ERIC: European research infrastructure in structural biology
More information:
IODP: Integrated Ocean Drilling Programme
More information:
MAX IV Laboratory for Synchrotron Radiation Research
More information:
NeIC: Nordic e-Infrastructure Collaboration
More information:
PRACE: Partnership for Advanced Computing in Europe (ESFRI)
More information:
- Partnership for Advanced Computing in Europe (PRACE)
- CSC – IT Center for Science LTD/PRACE, Partnership for Advanced Computing in Europe
EuroHPC JU European high performance computing (LUMI supercomputer)
More information:
In addition, some international research infrastructures are supervised by bodies other than the Ministry of Education, Science and Culture. These include:
EFDA-JET: Joint European Torus
More information:
- The Ministry of Economic Affairs and Employment
- EUROfusion.org
ITER: International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor
More information:
- The Ministry of Economic Affairs and Employment
- International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor (ITER)
Jules Horowitz Materials Testing Reactor
More information:
- The Ministry of Economic Affairs and Employment
- JHR Jules Horowitz Reactor – Cadarache site
ESA: European Space Agency
More information:
- The Ministry of Economic Affairs and Employment
- European Space Agency (ESA)
- ESA Science & Technology (EUCLID)
- Euclid Consortium: A space mission to map the Dark Universe
EURO-ARGO ERIC: ocean observation system
More information:
- The Ministry of Transport and Communications
- EURO-ARGO ERIC
- FINMARI Finnish Marine Research Infrastructure - International co-operation
The roadmap for Finnish research infrastructures is a document that defines the significant national research infrastructures within the Finnish research infrastructure ecosystem.
The roadmap also lists Finnish partnerships in ESFRI projects (European Strategy Forum on Research Infrastructures) as well as international infrastructures where Finland is a member through (state) treaties.
More about the roadmap:
- Roadmap for Finnish Research Infrastructures 2021–2024 (PDF)
- PDF-brochure: The Finnish national roadmap for research infrastructures
- Finland’s Strategy and Roadmap for Research Infrastructures 2014–2020 (2018 version, PDF)
- Finland’s Strategy and Roadmap for Research Infrastructures 2014–2020 (2014 version, PDF)
Inquiries and more information
- Finnish Research infrastructure Committee
- Strategy for National Research Infrastructures in Finland 2020–2030
- European Strategy Forum on Research Infrastructures (ESFRI)
- Merja Särkioja, Senior Science Adviser, tel. +358 295 335 111
- Paula Leskinen, Science Adviser, tel. +358 295 335 145
- Marjut Kaukolehto, Science Adviser, tel. +358 295 335 169
- Helen Gästrin, Coordinator, tel. +358 295 335 172
- general questions: firi(at)aka.fi
Our email addresses are in the format firstname.lastname(at)aka.fi.
Read more
High-level research infrastructures support COVID-19 research:
- High-performance computing (HPC) supercomputers harnessed to support COVID-19 research
- Open access and storage of research data must be ensured even in exceptional times
- International infrastructure services for molecular biology and bioinformatics support coronavirus research
- Imaging technologies play key part in virus research: Finland has cutting-edge expertise
- Virus vector laboratory applies gene transfer technology to tackle corona pandemic
