The Finnish Science and Technology Policy Council, chaired by Prime Minister Matti Vanhanen, adopted a new strategy review of Finland's education, science, technology and innovation policy in early December.
The review sets out an ambitious goal of increasing the country's R&D funding to 4% of GDP by 2011, with around 1.2% coming from the public sector. In 2007, overall spending reached 3.47% (€6.24 billion), with 30% coming from the public sector.
The overall EU goal is to increase research investment throughout the bloc to 3% of total GDP by 2010, with two-thirds coming from the private and one third from the public sector. But the EU 27 average has been stagnating at around 1.9% since the mid-1990s and has even decreased since 2000.
To pave the way for the 4% target to be achieved, the Finnish strategic review proposes an overall funding hike of €760 million by 2011.
The plan is to increase university funding by €330 million to boost basic funding and support local research infrastructure and researchers' career development.
The country's main funding agency for technology and innovation (Tekes) will also be given an extra €220m to help increase the number of R&D companies, support innovative SMEs and to boost business R&D in general amid economic recession.
The Finnish Academy will get an extra €80m to support its excellence units and, for the first time ever, the development of a horizontal programme for sectoral R&D will be supported by €45m. Another novelty is proposed systemic funding for the development of a true research infrastructure policy in Finland, the lack of which has been identified as a hindrance to research performance.
Amid economic slowdown, it is increasingly important to emphasise knowledge, while the government needs to implement the plan more quickly, commented Finnish Education Minister Sari Sarkomaa.
Finland quickly got out of recession in the 1990s primarily due to heavy support for R&D. "We need the same courage now", Sarkomaa said.
