Open Call: Finnish Centres of Excellence in Research Funding Program

The Finnish Centre of Excellence call has two stages. At the first stage, applicants submit plans of intent. Selections to the second stage are made based on the first-stage review.

A Centre of Excellence (CoE) is a research community that is striving for or already at the international forefront of research in its field. CoEs may consist of one or more research teams working closely together under a joint research plan.

The units granted Centre of Excellence (CoE) funding by the Research Council of Finland are scientifically first-rate research communities that have capacity for renewal and high societal impact. The CoE programmes contribute to the renewal of science by supplying new research topics, new methods and approaches, and new research teams. Thanks to the long-term funding provided in collaboration with CoE host organisations, the funding instrument effectively works as an incentive for risk-taking and new initiatives in research.

The Research Council of Finland selects CoEs based on international reviews and science policy objectives. The CoE term is eight years. In terms of the research plan, there are three primary review criteria: scientific quality, contribution to science renewal and scientific impact. The eight-year CoE term is split into two parts (5 + 3 years).

Funding Information

• The Research Council of Finland is prepared to fund the selected CoEs up to 65M€ in the first five-year period. The funding to be distributed through this call depends on the Finnish Parliament’s decision to allocate the necessary funds to the Research Council.

Who can apply?

• The funding can be applied for by consortia composed of research teams. The consortium parties may represent one or several research organisations.
• A consortium application is an application built around a joint research plan, where each party to the consortium applies for funding. The Research Council treats the consortium application as a single application, although the funding is granted to each subproject separately.

Ineligible

• In the 2024 CoE call, applications by a project PI, deputy PI or research team leader of the 2022–2029 CoE programme will not be considered, nor will applications by a project PI of an ongoing Finnish Flagship project.
• An application by a principal investigator of an SRC consortium can be considered if the PI will no longer have overlapping SRC consortium funding after 31 December 2025.

For more information, visit Research Council of Finland.