ILMATIETEEN LAITOS

Their core work

The Finnish Meteorological Institute (FMI) is Finland's national authority for weather, climate, and atmospheric sciences, operating extensive observation networks across the Arctic and Northern Europe. They produce weather forecasts, climate projections, air quality monitoring, and space weather services used by aviation, shipping, emergency management, and environmental policy. In H2020, FMI contributes atmospheric modelling, Earth observation expertise, and research infrastructure development — translating raw environmental data into actionable climate services for governments, industry, and civil protection agencies.

What they specialise in

How they've shifted over time

In the early H2020 period (2014–2018), FMI focused heavily on climate services market development, space weather prediction, and building core atmospheric observation capabilities through ESFRI-linked infrastructure projects. From 2018 onward, their portfolio shifted toward climate adaptation, FAIR data compliance, co-design methodologies with end-users, and applied domains like shipping emissions and air pollution monitoring. The recent emphasis on interoperability, sustainability of research infrastructures, and Earth observation integration signals a move from building observation systems to making their data widely usable and actionable.

FMI is evolving from a data producer toward a data interoperability and climate adaptation services provider, making them an increasingly valuable partner for projects that need environmental data ready for decision-making.

How they like to work

FMI operates primarily as a strong participant in large European consortia (69 of 83 projects), bringing specialized atmospheric and climate expertise rather than leading the overall effort. With 1,020 unique partners across 65 countries, they function as a well-connected hub in the European environmental research landscape — rarely working with the same small group repeatedly but instead bridging many networks. When they do coordinate (9 projects), it is typically in their core strengths: atmospheric observation infrastructure and climate services.

FMI has collaborated with over 1,020 unique partners across 65 countries, making them one of the most broadly connected environmental research organizations in H2020. Their network spans all of Europe with strong Arctic and Nordic ties, plus significant global reach through Earth observation and climate research communities.

What sets them apart

FMI combines national meteorological authority status with deep involvement in pan-European research infrastructure (ACTRIS, ESFRI networks), giving them both operational service delivery and frontier research capabilities — a combination few partners offer. Their Arctic location and expertise make them indispensable for any consortium needing polar or boreal environmental data. For industry partners in aviation, shipping, or energy, FMI brings weather and climate risk assessment grounded in real operational forecasting, not just academic modelling.

Highlights from their portfolio

• ECLAIR
  Largest single grant (EUR 2M, ERC Consolidator), coordinated by FMI — advanced aerosol-cloud interaction modelling in climate systems, demonstrating deep in-house scientific leadership.
• ACTRIS PPP
  FMI coordinated the preparatory phase for ACTRIS, a major ESFRI research infrastructure for atmospheric observation — positioning them at the centre of Europe's aerosol and cloud monitoring network.
• EU-MACS
  FMI-coordinated project specifically analysing the European market for climate services — rare combination of scientific authority with market and business analysis for climate data.