Changes to funding services to take place at the turn of the year
In its draft budget, the Government has decided to increase Business Finland’s R&D funding authorization significantly from 2025 onwards. At the same time, cuts will be made to non-R&D funding authorizations. The budget will be ratified by Parliament in December 2024. The decision will cause changes to many of Business Finland’s funding services.
“Sufficient long-term public funding to promote the growth and renewal of companies is definitely a positive thing for Finland and the future of Finns. In order to effectively use the increased R&D funding authorization, we need to look at our operations as a whole: what to focus on and what to reduce. This is in the interest of both our customers and all taxpayers,” says Timo Metsä-Tokila, Executive Director of Funding Services at Business Finland.
Please see below for information about new initiatives, simplifications, stricter criteria, and suspension of calls to be implemented in our funding services at the turn of the year.
New initiatives in r&d funding services
Funding for R&D activities in the creative industries and industries that leverage the creative industries
The Government has decided to allocate EUR 9 million of Business Finland’s funding authorization to support the research and development activities in the creative industries in 2025.
By providing funding to companies in the creative industries and encouraging other growth sectors to leverage creative know-how in their R&D activities, we are helping the creative industry to reform. The purpose of R&D funding for the creative industries is to share risks with a company in ambitious projects that develop competencies to gain a competitive advantage in international markets. In addition, funding is provided for joint projects between companies and research organizations that jointly generate new knowledge and innovations to renew the creative sector.
More information about the funding will be available on Business Finland’s web page on research and development funding services on December 16, 2024. The page will also contain information about funding calls and an info session.
We will open two funding calls: one for companies’ R&D projects and one for joint Co-Innovation projects between companies and research organizations. The funding calls will open on January 22, 2025. An info session for applicants will be held on January 29, 2025.
Funding for the R&D activities of university hospitals
In its budget session, the Government decided that Business Finland’s R&D funding may also be granted to the R&D activities of university hospitals in wellbeing services counties. The projects must be implemented in cooperation with companies and research organizations as Co-Innovation joint projects. Wellbeing services counties and HUS can apply for the funding, and the projects will be implemented in university hospitals.
In January 2025, we will open the possibility for wellbeing services counties to apply for Co-Innovation R&D funding together with companies and research organizations. More information about the funding service will be available on Business Finland’s website in early January.
Simpler funding services
Funding for research organizations to become more straightforward
The funding services for research organizations have relied on different funding levels depending on factors such as the nature of the service and the amount of international cooperation. From the beginning of 2025, Business Finland’s funding in public research projects will be 80 % of the project’s eligible costs. This change will facilitate the work of both customers and Business Finland. The change will apply to Co-Creation, Co-Innovation, Co-Research and Research to Business funding services.
From the beginning of the year, the maximum share of public sector funding in Co-innovation joint projects will also change, decreasing from 70 % to 60 %.
For more information about the changes, see our research funding services pages from January 1, 2025 onwards.
Little-used funding services to be discontinued
The Into and Ecosystem Integrator funding services will be discontinued due to low demand. The last date for submitting new applications is December 15, 2024.
Stricter funding criteria
The criteria for Exhibition Explorer funding to be tightened
The government decree on the Exhibition Explorer funding service will be amended, and the changes will enter into force on January 1, 2025, if the decree is adopted in December. In connection with this, we will also revise the criteria for granting the funding.
The maximum funding granted for a single trade fair project will be reduced from EUR 15,000 to EUR 10,000.
The rule of thumb for a positive funding decision will continue to be that at least four Finnish SMEs or midcaps apply for Exhibition Explorer funding for the same exhibition.
The wording of the degree has been proposed to be clarified in line with the Commission's interpretation and therefore the applicant will have to describe the new market or customer segment the company is aiming for by participating in the trade fair and how does the participation in the fair promote the export of new or existing products of the company to new markets. Funding may continue to be granted for the same exhibition event on several times. A new market refers to a market area or customer segment to which the company does not yet have established export operations. Individual completed export deliveries are not considered established export operations.
In the future, freight costs will no longer be accepted as direct purchased service costs, but they will be included in Other costs of the project.
Decision-making for applications related to exhibition events to be held in 2025 will not begin until early January, and the applications will be subject to the decree entering into force on January 1, 2025 and the new funding criteria, regardless of when the application was received. Exhibition events will be processed in chronological order when we have received at least four applications for the same exhibition event.
Changes to the minimum costs and terms and conditions of the Production incentive for the audiovisual industry
The funding terms and conditions of the Production incentive for the audiovisual industry have been amended with regard to minimum costs as well as foreign beneficiaries and production coordinator companies.
The 2025 call with the new criteria and terms and conditions will open at 8:15 am on January 2, 2025.
For more information, see the Production incentive for the audiovisual industry page.
Calls to be suspended
Market Explorer, Tempo, and Talent calls will be suspended
Calls for the Market Explorer, Tempo, and Talent funding services will close on December 15, 2024 at 11:59 pm. The calls will reopen on January 7, 2025, at 00:00 am. The Talent funding service will not be opened in January; instead, the call break will be extended.
Once a call is closed, you cannot open new applications in the online service or submit incomplete applications that were created before the call was closed.
Updated on 18.12.2024 with information on the extension of the Talent funding service call break
