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Business Finland, which starts at the beginning of 2018, wants to promote equal cooperation and interaction between companies and researchers, to reinforce the use of research within companies and to strengthen the impact of research in society.
 

The most significant reforms in research funding

• Research organisations and companies will be challenged to closer cooperation
• Future funding instruments will be three:
  1. Co-Creation - Develop business idea, build cooperation
  2. Co-Innovation - Find solutions from the research, create new products for export through cooperation
  3. New Business from Research Ideas (TUTLI)
• The top-down theme calls will be ended
• No application deadlines for Co-Creation and Co-Innovation funding
• Tekes sparring service available already before submitting the application, in order to strengthen the development work of research institutions and companies while working in parallel instead of sequentially.

Unchanged funding instruments: New Business from Research Ideas (TUTLI), ERDF-funding and some international calls (Eureka).
 

Business Finland instruments

1. Co-Creation funding

To whom

• This funding instrument targets research organisations aiming to carry out, later on, a Co-Innovation project with companies.
  • Possibly, companies may also receive funding under this instrument together with research organisations (more detailed information later).
  • Co-Creation funding is not mandatory to obtain Co-Innovation funding and existing consortia can straight apply for Co-Innovation funding.

The aim: Thisfunding is meant to investigate the suitability of a research idea for companies and to build a cooperation network for the future Co-Innovation project. In this project, research organizations and companies develop the research idea jointly.

Application period: No application deadlines, so continuous call.

Funding

• Project duration from 4 to 6 months
• Size of the project: max 100 000 €
• Tekes funding: 60% of the project’s total costs
• Fixed coefficients: overhead 20% and personnel side costs 50%

Funding criteria

• Project relevance and need
• Plan for the project cooperation and for forming a consortium
• Novelty value and business potential of the idea
   

 2. Co-Innovation funding

To whom: Joint projects between research organisations and companies

The aim is to speed up the utilization of the research results, the development of Finnish exports as well as to strengthen the ecosystem networks.

Application period: No application deadlines, so continuous call

Funding

• Project duration max 2 years
• Tekes funding for research organisations 60-70% of the total project costs
  • Funding for companies complies with normal funding levels for companies.
  • Tekes requires that also the companies in the consortium commit to the Co-Innovation project. At least two companies must conduct parallel R&D projects to this research project. In addition, the in-kind or financial contribution of at least one company is needed (i.e. in total, at least 3 companies participate in the project).

Funding criteria

• Project relevance and need
• The plausibility of the consortium in terms of commercialization
• Novelty and competitive edge of the project approach, market potential, societal influence and international cooperation
   

 3. New Business from Research Ideas (TUTLI)

To whom: Research organisations

The aim

• The preparation of the commercialization of the research idea, e.g. by novelty research, determination of customer value and/ or by other investigations as well as the contribution to the applied research part of the project.
• The project must have several commercialisation options. The actual commercialisation of the idea will occur either within a new funded company, or as a new business activity in an existing company.

Application period: Application deadlines twice a year

Funding

• Tekes funding max 70% of the total project costs  
• At least 40% of the project costs must account for the preparation of commercialization

Funding criteria

• The novelty value and the difficulty of the technology or of the competence to be developed in the research project.
• The project's impacts on the development of international business and on society
• The role of companies in the implementation, steering and utilization of the results of the project
• The project resources, competence level, international cooperation and especially the commercialisation skills of the research team.
   

More information coming during the fall. Additional material: and (only in Finnish).

Read also about Tekes Challenge Finland competition decisions .