TYÖ- JA ELINKEINOMINISTERIÖ

Their core work

The Finnish Ministry of Economic Affairs and Employment (TEM) is Finland's central government body responsible for energy policy, innovation policy, and industrial regulation. In H2020, TEM has focused on shaping EU-wide energy and innovation governance — coordinating the SET-Plan Conference in Helsinki, advancing the Innovation Principle in EU legislation, and supporting the transposition of the Renewable Energy Directive across member states. Their role is policy design and cross-country coordination rather than technical research.

What they specialise in

How they've shifted over time

TEM's early H2020 involvement (2016-2017) centered on environmental resource policy (MIN-GUIDE on minerals) and renewable energy directive transposition (CA-RES3). From 2019 onward, their focus shifted clearly toward innovation governance and clean energy strategy — coordinating both the Innovation Principle project and the SET-Plan Helsinki conference. Their most recent project (CA-RES4, starting 2021) shows continued commitment to renewable energy directive implementation, now under the updated 2018 Directive.

TEM is moving from passive directive transposition toward actively shaping how innovation and clean energy policy are designed at the EU level.

How they like to work

TEM operates as both a coordinator and a participant, with a roughly even split (2 coordinated, 3 as partner). All five projects are Coordination and Support Actions (CSA), which reflects their policy-coordination role rather than technical R&D. With 44 unique partners across 30 countries, they function as a broad network connector — typical of a national ministry facilitating pan-European policy dialogue.

TEM has worked with 44 distinct partners across 30 countries, giving them one of the broadest geographic networks relative to their project count. This reach reflects the nature of Concerted Action projects, which typically involve representatives from every EU member state.

What sets them apart

As a national ministry rather than a research institution, TEM brings direct policy authority and regulatory insight that academic or industry partners cannot. They are one of the few H2020 participants that can both shape and implement EU energy and innovation directives at the national level. For consortium builders, TEM offers a direct link to Finnish government priorities and access to cross-ministerial policy networks across Europe.

Highlights from their portfolio

• SET-Plan Helsinki
  Coordinated by TEM with the highest single-project funding (EUR 114,750), this conference brought together EU energy technology policy actors in Helsinki.
• Innovation Principle
  TEM led a project to embed innovation-friendly principles into EU regulatory culture — a rare policy-design initiative rather than typical research.
• CA-RES4
  Running until 2026, this is TEM's most recent and longest-running project, supporting all EU member states in implementing the updated Renewable Energy Directive.