New funding roles for the Academy

This evaluation of the Academy of Finland was commissioned by the Ministry of Education and Culture (MEC), based on an open competition. It was done by members of the Technopolis Group and 4Front OY, supported by a panel of experts in research policy, funding and evaluation.

The Academy of Finland has taken on new funding roles; the former generous funding from Tekes for applied and collaborative research has been greatly reduced, opening up a technology funding gap; the effectiveness of national research and innovation (R&I) policy governance via the Research and Innovation Council has been reduce; and at the same time both societal pressures and the direction of international R&I policy has shifted towards the societal challenges.

Recognising the role of research funders as change agents, the evaluation needs to pay special attention to changes in both the external and the internal drivers of change, in the Academy’s behaviour and performance, and in its impacts. This evaluation therefore uses a framework spanning organisational performance and impact evaluation.

The methodology involved an inception phase, where we reviewed available documents, conducted pilot interviews with people from the Academy, the MEC and the stakeholder organisations, met with the panel of experts and a support group organised by the MEC. The Academy produced a self-evaluation report, which provided useful information and data and was a basis for several of the discussions with the Academy. Technopolis identified and reviewed further documents, collected, and analysed data from the Academy on its activities and other aspects, did a bibliometric analysis of the research areas the Academy funds, held in-depth interviews with a wider range of stakeholders and workshops with leading researchers in order to understand their experience and perceptions of the Academy.

Team:

• Dr. Dorothea Sturn

Section: Research Policy & Development