Open Research Information in Finland: Research.fi

Open Research Information in Finland: Research.fi Jukka Haapamäki & Hanna-Mari Puuska From Policy to Practice: Building a National Open Research Information Framework in Switzerland seminar, Zürich, Nov 15, 2025 Content 13.11.20252 •Overview of HE and STI Policy of Finland •Building Research.fi –background •Interlude - Open Science in Finland •Building Research.fi – years 2015-2025 •Impact and challenges •Lessons learned 11/13/20253 | R&D SPENDING EUR 8,9 billion 24,1% 8,0% 67,9% GDP EUR 234 billion 49 777 euros (2023) Higher education Public sector Business sector 14 + 25 + 12 = 1,875 24,615 Universities Universities of Applied Sciences Research Institutes Doctoral 2024 / year Masters 2024 / year Most important export sector: technology industry 50% (& 65% of the business R&D investments) Capital Region 1,250,000 Polar circle R&D/GDP % 3,2 (2024) Higher Education and Science Landscape in Finland 4 |13.11.2025 13 UNIVERSITIES The mission is to conduct scientific research and provide education based on it. •Bachelor's •Master's •Licentiate •Doctoral degrees. •167 000 students 22 UNIVERSITIES OF APPLIED SCIENCES Offers more practical education that aims to respond to the needs of the labour market. •Bachelor's degrees •Master's degrees •169 000 students 5| Aims of Finnish Higher Education and Science Policies towards 2030 50 % 4 % 50 % of young adults will hold a higher education degree. The level of RDI investments is 4 % of GDP. 1/3 of the investments will be public and 2/3 private. 11/13/20256 | •Commitment to a long-term, predictable and internationally competitive level of R&D funding requires common policy principles and actions: •R&D Funding Act (as of 1/2023), united and unanimous Parliamentary mandate •An eight-year plan on R&D funding and other aspects related to RDI policy +National priorities and strategic choices for R&D activities: Finnish Flagship Programme, Challenger companies –programme (VETURI) and research infrastructures •Strengthened Research and Innovation Council, chaired by the Prime Minister •Different types of public-private partnerships supporting long-term RDI cooperation •Permanent and more extensive tax incentive for R&D activities (1.1.2023) •Allocation to universities for piloting new practices in doctoral education in 2024– 2027 for 1,000 doctoral researchers → private sector R&D investment at least 2/3 of R%D intensity Implementation of the Government Programme: towards 4 % of the GDP Steering of Higher Education Institutions •Legislation (universities, UAS, Academy of Finland) •Agreements negotiated between the HEIs and the Ministry (covering 4-year periods –next 2025-2028) •Funding (core funding model, targeted funding for strategic actions and cooperation) –integrated into agreements •Majority of HEI funding from the state budget •HEIs are mainly funded based on output indicators (3-year sliding window average) •Publications are one of the key output indicators 7 |13.11.2025 Building Research.fi – background 8 |13.11.2025 The setup in 2010s •The Finnish funding model for universities is highly indicator based. Performance in research was measured among other things by publications ➢Requirement for data on publications •Good experiences with a data hub that takes data from higher education institutions study registers (study credits etc) •Use as indicators in funding model and other steering statistics •Use as a tool in student selection •Use as a service to transfer data on students (for example to verify a student aid, student discount in collective traffic, etc) 9 |13.11.2025 Aims of the Finnish Research Information Hub Provide landscape of Finnish research ecosystem and basis for science policy Ability to search for Finnish research and researchers Support the reuse of research information in other services and systems Merit researchers and make their research output and activities more visible •R&D analytics •Visualizations •Business Intelligence (BI) •Landscape •Research.fi portal •Semantic search •Linked data •Researcher’s Profiles •Traditional research outputs •Other research activities •APIs •Shared data models •Vocabularies •Reference data •A Universities Universities of applied sciences Research institutes Research funders The Finnish Research Information Hub Researcher’s MyData International connectivity Flows of information Research.fi 18 Organizations Finnish organization registries Data services and repositories Research data Research news Infrastructures Researchers Other research activities Research.fi data sources Research.fi data types Research organizations = HEIs, research institutions, university hospitals etc. Publications ORCID Research funders Finnish funders, EU Cordis registry Research grants Funding calls Research.fi data users Ministry of Education and Culture Insight and science policy Research organizations Research funders Media, business, citizens, students, decision-makers etc. Researchers Act on the Finnish Research Information Hub •Came into force in the beginning of 2022 https://finlex.fi/fi/laki/alkup/2021/20211238 (only in Finnish & Swedish) •For information providers, the Act is enaling, not binding •The Act gives a legal basis for: −Integration of new source systems with light process −Data enrichment from external sources −Reuse of public information through APIs by research actors (= research performing, funding or supporting organizations) −Transfer of information on affiliated researchers from research organizations to the Research Information Hub 19 Steering Group for the National Research Information Hub •The Ministry of Education and Culture has appointed a Steering Group (2017-20, 2021-24, 2025-28) to guide the strategic development and coordination of the national research information ecosystem in Finland. •The group includes representatives from key stakeholders —such as −HEIs −research institutes −funding agencies −Ministry of Education and Culture −other ministries −CSC •It provides direction on priorities, policies, and collaboration related to data collection, interoperability, and service development. •It has, when necessary, established broad-based expert groups to work on specific data areas, (e.g. researcher profiles, research projects…) 13.11.202520 Semantic interoperability The information are transferred to Research.fi from organizations according to commonly agreed schemas based on common data models, code lists, concepts… 21 Common data models such as CERIF have been used, but national requirements, HEIs’ and funders’ own needs and information management processes also had to be considered. This extensive effort requires broad collaboration but ensures interoperability, usability, and high data quality. Current development in Research.fi: Researchers’ Profiles Creating a profile and sharing information How the profile can help a researcher? Visibility in a national service Utilize own information in the services of funders, home organizations and other partners. Highlight entire career in one profile, regardless of employment or title Manage own data and decide what to display or share forward Find partners easier Profile won't be lost even if your employer changes Data is automatically updated when it is changed at the source of the data Impact and challenges •Publication and grant data are part of mandatory administrative processes, making them comprehensive and high quality. •Organizations acknowledge the importance of Research.fi but have yet to realize its full potential. •Consequently, they have not invested enough in developing systems to ensure complete data transfer. •As a result, incomplete data limits the potential benefits. •The researcher’s CV tool aims to serve as a key motivation for researchers to use the service. •As more researchers create and maintain profiles, the service’s value grows—also for external stakeholders such as media, companies, and partners seeking experts or collaborators in Finland. 13.11.202525 A chicken-and-egg problem: benefits won’t appear until enough data exists, and data won’t appear until benefits do.