ACADEMIC RESEARCH POLICY

Principles of the academic research policy pursued by the Finnish Academy of Science and Letters

The Finnish Academy of Science and Letters is an independent organization of academics that embraces all fields of research. In common with most bodies of its kind, its membership is limited, and it elects its new members strictly on the grounds of academic merit. Alongside its other activities, it makes proposals and issues statements on matters concerning science and members of the scientific community.

Since the 1970s, the international contacts of the Finnish Academy of Science and Letters have primarily been the responsibility of the Delegation of Finnish Academies of Science and Letters, although the Academy is also represented in the Federation of Finnish Learned Societies, nominating two members to its board. Recent changes in science policy in Finland and in Europe have increased the need for the Academy to spell out clearly its own science policy.

The principal actors in the Finnish research system are the universities, the state research institutes and other public organizations together with private companies, while the main public organizations supporting research are the Academy of Finland, the Finnish Funding Agency for Technology and Innovation (TEKES), and various government ministries. Most basic research is carried out in the universities, with the Academy of Finland as the chief source of external funds. The responsibility to fund strategic and applied research lies elsewhere. The FinnishAcademy of Science and Letters represents an expert organization that operates from the standpoint of scientific and academic research and emphasizes the importance of basic research. It is also willing to take responsibility for the long-term planning of academic research policy.

General objectives

The aim of the Finnish Academy of Science and Letters is to promote high-quality academic research in Finland, with the view that only multidisciplinary basic research and teaching of science and the arts can create the necessary environment for achieving significant new results. Academic success is dependent on the results gained by scientists and research units of high standard that belong to international networks and possess the ability to generate and maintain creative research traditions and innovative environments. The principal task of Finnish academic science policy is to provide the necessary conditions for basic research in a co-ordinated manner.

The productivity of research and the influence that it is expected of it are based on a successful scientific and academic culture. The applications of basic research in science are part of our scientific and technological way of life, while the results of research in the humanities and social sciences serve our needs for an understanding of changing values and social practices in national and international connections and support the basic structures of human intercourse. Other important aspects of the influence of academic research within society include the development of the necessary scientific vocabulary in the Finnish language and the popularized presentation of research.

Structural changes in the academic community

If we compare academic research between countries, it appears that the leading role of the United States results from targeting public funding at successful basic research units, whereas in Europe public funding tends to be directed more towards strategic and applied research. It has been proposed that to strengthen the position of European research, more competitive funding should be made available for basic research, and interaction between basic research and both applied research and the commercial sector should be strengthened to produce internationally attractive research and innovation environments.

Apart from increased investments in the universities, the strengthening of academic research in Finland would call for increased funding of basic research through the Academy of Finland in a manner that would ensure that it targets competitive research units and networks. The targeting of resources would also necessitate closing the gap between sectoral research and that being done in the universities. One crucial requirement is that the requisite basic infrastructure is in place. This includes research equipment, databases and libraries.

In view of global networking in science, it is obvious that Finnish research should be developed as a part of the international scientific community. This would call for international research collaboration, promoting the mobility of Finnish researchers, and improvements in the conditions for foreign scholars visiting Finland. In decisions on participation in international projects that are particularly expensive, it is important to consider their potential benefits for Finnish science and to relate the choices to the financial and intellectual resources available. We should also be prepared for a future situation in which the dissemination of both printed and unprinted research material as well as publications in freely available electronic form will cause a major shift in research practices in Finland, as elsewhere.

Research staff

Success in academic research calls for long-term commitment by scientists to their projects without the demand for any immediate practical applicability. Other important preconditions are the creation of a research tradition and the provision of adequate research training. Although the education of new generations of scholars is not a significant problem in Finland at present, there are signs in other European countries of potential future difficulties in persuading talented young people to select careers in research. It should be possible to make such a career more predictable and more rewarding than at present.

Representation of academic interests in research policy

Thanks to the active role adopted by the collaborative bodies representing European academies of science and letters, they have been able to make a substantial contribution to discussions on independent basic research in the European Union’s academic policy and on the European Research Council. The Finnish Academy of Science and Letters agrees with this aim of strengthening the representation of the academic community in such connections. The Academy regards it as important that more attention be paid to basic research support in national and international research policy as well as in decisions concerning public-sector research funding.

21st March 2005

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