Research infrastructures
The Academy 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 Academy 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.
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.
- €25m in funding under Finland’s Recovery and Resilience Plan granted for local and regional research infrastructures (Academy of Finland press release, 14 December 2022)
Finland is a member of several international research infrastructures, either through ESFRI or through treaties:
BBMRI: Biobanking and Biomolecular Resources Research Infrastructure (ESFRI)
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: Consortium of European Social Science Data Archives (ESFRI)
More information:
- Consortium of European Social Science Data Archives (CESSDA)
- Finnish Social Science Data Archive FSD
CLARIN: Common Language Resources and Technology Infrastructure (ESFRI)
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: European Infrastructure for Translational Medicine (ESFRI)
More information:
- European Infrastructure for Transnational Medicine EATRIS
- Finnish arm of EATRIS
- Analysis and use of data from genetic research (biomedinfra.fi, in Finnish)
EFDA-JET: Joint European Torus (ESFRI)
More information:
EISCAT-3D: incoherent scatter radar (ESFRI)
More information:
ELIXIR: European Life-Sciences Infrastructure for Biological Information (ESFRI)
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
More information:
ESA: European Space Agency
More information:
- European Space Agency (ESA)
- ESA Science & Technology (EUCLID)
- Euclid Consortium: A space mission to map the Dark Universe
ESO: European Southern Observatory; E-ELT: European Extremely Large Telescope
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ESS: European Social Survey (ESS ERIC)
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ESRF: European Synchrotron Radiation Facility
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Euro-BioImaging: research infrastructure for biological and biomedical imaging
More information:
EuroHPC JU European high performance computing (LUMI supercomputer)
More information:
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: Integrated Carbon Observation System (ESFRI)
More information:
IML – Institut Mittag Leffler
More information:
Infrafrontier: European Research Infrastructure for Phenotyping and Archiving of Model Mammalian Genomes (ESFRI)
More information:
- Infrafrontier: European Research Infrastructure for the generation, phenotyping, archiving and distribution of model mammalian genomes
- European Mouse Mutant Archive (EMMA)
- Biocenter Oulu
ITER: International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor
More information:
IODP: Integrated Ocean Drilling Programme
More information:
Jules Horowitz Materials Testing Reactor
More information:
NeIC: Nordic e-Infrastructure Collaboration
More information:
MAX IV Laboratory for Synchrotron Radiation Research
More information:
PRACE: Partnership for Advanced Computing in Europe (ESFRI)
More information:
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 state and local infrastructures of key importance to research organisations.
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)
Read more:
- 29 high-level infrastructures selected to Finland’s national research infrastructure roadmap (Academy of Finland press release, 11 December 2020)
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
- Tiina Ilo, Coordinator, tel. +358 295 335 150
- general questions: firi(at)aka.fi
Our email addresses are in the format firstname.lastname(at)aka.fi.
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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
