ELINKEINOELAMAN TUTKIMUSLAITOKSEN KANNATUSYHDISTYS RY

Their core work

ETLA — the Research Institute of the Finnish Economy — is Finland's leading independent think tank for applied economic and policy research. In H2020, they contributed macroeconomic expertise in fiscal rules design under uncertainty (leading FIRSTRUN) and analytical capacity on global governance trends and the regulation of emerging technologies (as a partner in TRIGGER). Their real-world work sits at the intersection of economic modeling, policy evaluation, and governance analysis, making them a credible voice for EU-level policy discussions rather than a lab-based research group. They translate complex economic and regulatory dynamics into evidence for policymakers and public audiences.

What they specialise in

How they've shifted over time

ETLA's earliest H2020 work (FIRSTRUN, 2015–2018) was squarely in macroeconomic territory — fiscal rules, budgetary strategies, and economic uncertainty modeling. In the subsequent project (TRIGGER, 2018–2022) the emphasis shifted toward broader governance questions: how EU and non-state actors regulate transnational processes, and how emerging technologies fit into global governance frameworks. This suggests a deliberate broadening from pure economic analysis toward the governance of technological and regulatory change — a direction that aligns with growing EU policy interest in digital regulation, AI governance, and the societal dimensions of innovation.

ETLA appears to be repositioning from classical macroeconomic research toward policy analysis of emerging technology governance — making them a relevant partner for future projects on AI regulation, digital economy, or EU institutional design.

How they like to work

ETLA has taken both a leadership role (coordinating FIRSTRUN) and a supporting analytical role (participating in TRIGGER), showing flexibility across consortium positions. Their relatively high partner count — 18 unique partners across just two projects — suggests they operate in medium-to-large international consortia rather than tight bilateral arrangements. As a think tank, they likely contribute policy analysis, evaluation frameworks, and dissemination capacity rather than technical lab work, which makes them a useful complement to technology-heavy research teams.

ETLA has worked with 18 unique consortium partners spread across 12 countries — a notably wide network for an organization with only 2 H2020 projects, suggesting strong pre-existing European connections in economics and policy research. Their network likely spans academic economics departments, policy institutes, and social science research centers across the EU.

What sets them apart

ETLA is one of very few Nordic economics think tanks with direct H2020 project coordination experience, giving them credibility that university departments and pure consultancies often lack. Their dual expertise in fiscal economics and governance of emerging technologies bridges two communities — macroeconomists and technology policy researchers — that rarely collaborate in the same consortium. For a consortium building a project on EU digital regulation, AI governance, or economic resilience policy, ETLA brings both analytical rigor and a track record of managing EU-funded social science research.

Highlights from their portfolio

• FIRSTRUN
  ETLA's flagship H2020 project — coordinated with the largest budget (EUR 529K), focused on fiscal rules under uncertainty, demonstrating their capacity to lead complex multi-partner economic research at EU scale.
• TRIGGER
  Signals ETLA's strategic pivot toward governance of emerging technologies and non-state regulatory actors, connecting them to a fast-growing EU policy research agenda beyond traditional economics.