EU assessment to explore bottlenecks in RDI cooperation between research institutions and the private sector

The Research and Innovation Council has agreed with the European Commission to take part in an EU assessment to identify and analyse barriers and bottlenecks in RDI cooperation between public research institutions and businesses.

Strengthening cooperation between higher education institutions, public research institutions and businesses is one of the main objectives of Finland’s research and development policy. Public-private cooperation was once a key strength of the Finnish research and innovation ecosystem, but it has decreased significantly over the years.  

The amount of cooperation has a crucial impact on the flow of expertise and innovation between research institutions and businesses. The Research and Innovation Council considers it very important to assess the challenges and barriers to public-private cooperation at a time when significant public investments are being made to revitalise it. This work plays a key role in ensuring that public RDI investments have the desired impact. 

The goal of the EU Policy Support Facility (PSF) Country Finland assessment is to identify areas for development and provide concrete recommendations on how to enhance cooperation. 

The PSF assessment will focus on the following questions: 

• What kinds of barriers can be identified in terms of RDI cooperation between higher education institutions, the public sector, public research institutions and businesses in Finland? 
• What would be the most effective ways to encourage public-private RDI cooperation through public R&D funding and other policy measures? 
• Are there any obstacles to increasing cooperation? 
• What forms of cooperation should be enhanced in order to promote productivity growth, business and industry renewal and the development of Finnish society? 

The assessment will be carried out from October 2024 to June 2025. The goal is to publish the report and its recommendations in mid-June 2025. 

The international assessment team appointed by the European Commission is led by Professor Luke Georghiou from the University of Manchester, and its members have strong expertise in RDI policy and activities across Europe both in the private and public sectors. As part of the assessment, extensive stakeholder interviews will be held in November–December, with additional interviews in 2025 if necessary. The assessment team will select the interviewees, who will be contacted separately. Funding for the project comes from the Horizon Europe programme.  

Inquiries: Johanna Moisio, Secretary-General of the Research and Innovation Council, +358 295 160 625, Prime Minister’s Office, Harri Länsipuro, Chief Specialist, +358 295 047 305, Ministry of Economic Affairs and Employment.