SRC decides on funding for second period of projects researching the just green transition

The Strategic Research Council (SRC) established within the Research Council of Finland (RCF) has granted continued funding to ten consortia and two programme directors in the following SRC programmes:

• Energy Solutions as Part of a Just Green Transition (JUST ENERGY, 2023–2029)
• Societal Solutions in a Just Green Transition (JUST TRANSITION, 2023–2029).

Juha Peltomaa, Development Manager at the Finnish Environment Institute, will continue as Programme Director of five projects under the JUST ENERGY programme, and Olli-Pekka Ruuskanen, Research Director at Pellervo Economic Research, will continue as Programme Director of five projects under the JUST TRANSITION programme.

As a rule, the consortia funded under SRC programmes run for six years, but the funding is granted in two three-year periods. The funding for the second period is granted based on an application for continued funding and the information provided in an interim report.

The consortia exploring the just green transition were launched in October 2023 and now received funding until September 2029. Each consortium was allowed to apply for funding for the second period up to 90 per cent of the level of funding for the first period. The funding granted in the two programmes totalled 24.3 million euros, on average 2.4 million euros per consortium.

The SRC was pleased with the progress of the projects and the standard of the applications for continued funding. In the second funding period, the SRC expects the projects to produce both scientific and stakeholder cooperation results. Scientific and societal impact is expected to further strengthen thanks to long-term interdisciplinary cooperation.