Finland’s strategy and roadmap for research infrastructures 2014–2020

Ministry of Education and Culture
Publication date 14.3.2014 10.27
News item

The Finnish Research Infrastructure Committee (FIRI Committee), a body appointed by the Academy of Finland, has published Finland’s first national research infrastructure strategy as well as an updated infrastructure roadmap. The publication covers the years 2014–2020. The roadmap is a plan for key research infrastructures in Finland that are either under development or that will be newly required over the next 10–15 years. Research infrastructures form a reserve of research facilities, equipment, materials and services. As such, they are essential instruments for research.

The research infrastructure strategy lays out a vision for Finland in 2020. By then, the strategy says, Finland will have gained further recognition for its world-class science and top-tier research, facilitating the regeneration of education, society and the business sector.

Also included in the roadmap are significant international infrastructures such as CERN, the European Organisation for Nuclear Research, and BBMRI, the Biobanking and Biomolecular Resources Research Infrastructure, which are of key importance to Finnish research.

The roadmap includes a total of 31 research infrastructures as well as two projects with potential to become significant infrastructures. The research infrastructures were selected in a two-stage international review using three main criteria: the project’s significance to the Finnish scientific community as well as to the research strategy of the host organisations; the quality and scope of the potential user community; and the commitment by the participating organisations to the project. All of these criteria were interpreted from Finland’s perspective. The goal is to update the roadmap every five years.

The projects selected to the roadmap are expected to further increase the international integration of Finnish research, reinforce networks of top-level expertise and create new business ideas and jobs.

In order to fulfil the vision set out in the strategy, Finland will need to invest in the long-term development of all research infrastructures, improve the openness and collaborative use of research infrastructures, and shore up the funding base. The roadmap will provide a solid foundation for this systematic development of research infrastructures.