Strategic Research Council (SRC)
Runs Strategic Research Council through national calls for large multidisciplinary consortia and societal-impact research programmes.
The Strategic Research Council is an independent body within the Research Council of Finland, responsible for long-term, programme-based research on major societal challenges. Its annual budget is about €55 million, and the Government sets the themes while the council selects the consortia and follows impact.
Funding goes only to multidisciplinary consortia under the full-cost model, with the council covering 100% of eligible costs. Programme size is typically €3-5 million per project over a six-year cycle, and the council also supports programme directors at 40% FTE. Current programme themes span climate, literacy, demography, biodiversity, youth, security and trust, energy, transition, water, democracy, economy and welfare, skills, public mental health, and the changing Arctic, alongside the 2027 common safety and security and strategic resources tracks. Individual researchers and companies are not eligible.
The council looks for scientific quality, societal relevance, and impact through the whole project. It suits large Finnish consortia that can bring knowledge users into the work, keep gender balance in mind, and manage a two-stage call with a letter of intent followed by full proposal.