Finland's national innovation funding agency, coordinating ERA-NET co-funding in raw materials, energy, circular economy, and battery technologies across 46 countries.
Business Finland is Finland's national innovation funding agency, responsible for coordinating and co-funding transnational research and innovation programmes across Europe. Their core H2020 role is participating in ERA-NET Cofund actions — pooling national funding with other countries to launch joint calls in energy, raw materials, manufacturing, and urban futures. They also support National Contact Point (NCP) networks that help researchers navigate EU funding, and they champion SME access to Horizon programmes including the Seal of Excellence initiative.
10 of 16 projects are ERA-NET Cofund actions spanning energy, raw materials, smart cities, electric mobility, and materials (ENSCC, ERANet SmartGridPlus, ERA-MIN 2, ERA-MIN3, M-ERA.NET3, EnerDigit, etc.).
ERA-MIN 2, ERA-MIN3, and M-ERA.NET3 focus on critical raw materials substitution, recycling, and circular economy — a continuous thread from 2016 through 2026.
ENSCC, ERANet SmartGridPlus, BESTF3, and EnerDigit cover smart grids, bioenergy, energy efficiency, and digitalised energy networks.
NCP Academy (both phases) and Bridge2HE provide training and transnational cooperation infrastructure for NCPs across Horizon programmes.
SME-SEALING piloted the Seal of Excellence at national level; INNOWWIDE assessed collaborative SME business solutions in global markets.
M-ERA.NET3 (2021-2026) explicitly targets battery technologies and advanced materials aligned with the European Green Deal.
In 2014–2018, Business Finland focused heavily on energy technology integration — smart grids, bioenergy, smart cities, electric mobility — alongside building NCP training networks. From 2019 onward, their portfolio shifted decisively toward circular economy, critical raw materials, international cooperation, and funding programme coordination, with new emphasis on policy making and bridging Horizon 2020 to Horizon Europe. The addition of battery technologies and Green Deal alignment in the latest projects signals a strategic pivot toward materials for the energy transition.
Business Finland is consolidating around critical raw materials, battery technologies, and Green Deal-aligned circular economy — expect them to anchor future ERA-NETs in these areas.
Business Finland overwhelmingly operates as a participant (13 of 16 projects), consistent with its role as a national funding body that joins ERA-NET consortia rather than leading them — they coordinated only once, for the ManufFuture 2019 conference tied to Finland's EU presidency. With 138 unique partners across 46 countries, they function as a high-connectivity hub in the European funding coordination network, making them a reliable co-funding partner with broad institutional relationships.
Exceptionally broad network: 138 unique partners across 46 countries, reflecting their role as a national funding agency that co-funds with peer agencies continent-wide. Their reach extends well beyond Europe through international cooperation projects like INNOWWIDE and ERA-MIN3.
Business Finland is not a research performer — it is a national funding orchestrator. Partnering with them means gaining access to Finnish co-funding streams and their extensive network of peer funding agencies across 46 countries. For consortium builders, they are the gateway to aligning EU-level calls with Finnish national priorities and budgets, particularly in raw materials, energy, and manufacturing.
