Description of Organisation
The Academy of Finland (AKA) is a research-funding agency, which operates within the administrative sector of the Ministry of Education. It is funded through the state budget. AKA promotes high-level basic research in all scientific disciplines. The AKA’s highest executive organ is its Board, which is responsible for the AKA’s science policy line and the allocation of research appropriations to the four Research Councils (Natural Sciences and Engineering, Culture and Society, Biosciences and Environment, Health). The Councils decide on research funding within their respective fields. The Academy provides funding for research mainly at universities and research institutes. Each year it allocates funding worth around €200 million, in 2006 €239 million which represents 15% of governmental R&D investment.
Each year, Academy-funded projects benefi t more than 5,000 people. The AKA has several different types of research funding. Among the instruments available for project funding are research grants, research posts, centre of excellence programmes, and research programmes. In 2007 the Academy is running 15 research programmes.
The AKA is committed to promoting the best interest of science and research. All its operations are characterised by expertise, reliability, impartiality, openness, interactivity, networking, and internationalism. All AKA funding decisions are based upon scientific reviews of the applicants and their research plans.
The AKA's science policy objectives are to improve the career opportunities of
professional researchers, to develop high quality research environments, and to
make the best possible use of global opportunities for cooperation in all areas
of research, research funding, and science policy.
Marine RTD Programme:
Baltic Sea Research Programme
MarinERA contact person:
Dr Tuula Aarnio, Programme Manager - Academy of Finland, Programme Unit
P.O.Box 99, 00501 Helsinki, Finland
tuula.aarnio@aka.fi
