Proposed strategic research themes focus on strengthening common security and securing strategic resources

The Strategic Research Council (SRC) established within the Research Council of Finland (RCF) proposes that the Finnish Government adopt two strategic research themes for programmes to be launched in 2027 (PDF). The SRC proposes the following new themes:

• Common security in a diverging world
• Strategic resources for the future.

The SRC proposes Data as power as a cross-cutting priority.

According to Professor Mikael Fogelholm, SRC Chair, the proposed themes are two very topical themes that are very important from the perspective of society’s functional capacity. The SRC believes they will attract wide interest in the scientific community.

Themes examine psychological security, crisis resilience and resources significant for the future

The theme proposal on common security focuses on psychological security and the functional capacity of the population, both of which are essential elements of Finland’s concept of comprehensive security. The aim is to understand the social, institutional and cultural mechanisms that influence people’s sense of security and to identify ways to strengthen society’s ability to act in the midst of change and uncertainty.

The theme proposal on strategic resources addresses strategic resources, their responsible use and securing their future supply. Strategic resources refer to materials and data essential to the functioning and wellbeing of Finnish society and whose availability is constrained by challenges related to governance, environmental impacts, supply chain bottlenecks and geopolitics.

Data has societal and economic power

Data as power is proposed as a cross-cutting priority for the new research programmes to be launched in 2027. The SRC requires that, in the data they use and the data collection methods, the funded projects must take into account factors that the Finnish scientific community can use more widely in future.

Strategic research tackles major social challenges

Strategic research aims to reform and develop Finnish society on a long-term basis and to support informed policymaking in accordance with society’s changing information needs. Solving complex societal challenges requires collaboration. A key feature of strategic research is close interaction between researchers, policymakers and other societal actors.

Each strategic research programme focuses on a specific theme. In preparing the theme proposal to be submitted annually to the Finnish Government, the SRC identifies societal challenges that are important for Finland's future and that require new research data produced across disciplinary boundaries.

From proposal to decision and funding calls

The Government will discuss the SRC’s theme proposals and then decide the final themes, after which the SRC will be responsible for launching research programmes and opening funding calls based on the themes. The funding calls are typically opened in late autumn. It is then up to the researchers to evaluate together with knowledge users how the challenge at hand could best be met by means of multidisciplinary research and to create new solutions tailored to Finnish society.