The Academy of Finland has published Finland’s roadmap for research infrastructures 2021–2024. The roadmap describes the research infrastructure services that are strategically important to Finland's research, education and innovation activities and which will be needed in the next 10–15 years. The new roadmap for 2021–2024 describes for the first time the national and international research infrastructure landscape that is important from Finland’s perspective. The University of Turku is involved in 13 of the 29 listed research infrastructures.
According to data from roadmap applications, the 29 research infrastructures selected for the roadmap received 1 billion euros in funding between 2015 and 2019. Research organisations accounted for 64 percent and the Academy of Finland for 9 percent of that funding. The total estimated funding needed by the roadmap research infrastructures in 2020–2030 comes to 2.7 billion euros.
The roadmap for 2021–2024 is part of the measures outlined in Finland’s National Roadmap for Research, Development and Innovation and is also one of the measures mentioned in the Strategy for National Research Infrastructures in Finland 2020–2030. The vision stated in the strategy is that high-class research infrastructure services increase the impact and international attraction of the Finnish research, education and innovation system.
Finland’s research infrastructure landscape is diverse and has been formed largely based on the needs of high-quality research. Research infrastructures have a long lifecycle. Sufficient resources are therefore needed to construct, upgrade, use and dismantle them, throughout their lifecycles. Resources should be allocated to the construction and operation of the highest-quality and most effective research infrastructures in order to maximise the benefits of the available funding.
“The Strategy of the University of Turku highlights the development of research environments, and research infrastructures have an important role in this endeavour. Therefore, the University has invested a great deal in research equipment and materials as well as in the related services. In addition, we should not forget the role of the University Library as a research infrastructure. Good infrastructure that is also preferably unique helps us in the international competition for top talents and drives the collaboration between the universities as well as with companies,” says Vice Rector responsible for research Kalle-Antti Suominen.
The University of Turku is involved in 13 research infrastructures listed in the roadmap for research infrastructures and is the responsible organisation in one of them.
- European Social Survey ESS Finland (UTU is the responsible organisation)
- EU-OPENSCREEN Finland (European Infrastructure of Screening Platforms for Chemical Biology)
- Biocenter Finland BF
- Euro-BioImaging Finland (European Research Infrastructure for Imaging Technologies in Biological and Biomedical Sciences)
- BBMRI.fi (Biobanking and Biomolecular Resources Research Infrastructure of Finland)
- FINStruct (Integrated Structural Biology Infrastructure Instruct-ERIC Centre Finland)
- FCCI (Finnish Computing Competence Infrastructure)
- FIN-CLARIAH (Common Language Resources and Technology Infrastructure)
- FIRI-PBS (Finnish Research Infrastructure on Population Based Surveys)
- FIRIPO (The Finnish Research Infrastructure for Public Opinion)
- FinBIF (Finnish Biodiversity Information Facility)
- FINMARI (Finnish Marine Research Infrastructure)
- INAR RI (Integrated Atmospheric and Earth System Research Infrastructure)
In addition to the national roadmap, the University of Turku has its own local research infrastructure roadmap. In 2021 and 2022, altogether 24 significant research infrastructures have been selected to the University's roadmap. The next application round to the local roadmap is planned for spring 2023.
