Finland engages with the Commission on research and innovation policies to strengthen its position as innovation leader

The Enhanced Dialogue took place on 19-20 November 2025 in Helsinki, marking a significant milestone in the collaboration between Finland and the European Commission in the field of research and innovation (R&I).  

The event was hosted by Timo Jaatinen, Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Employment, Sirkku Linna, Director General for Higher Education and Science Policy, and Juhapekka Ristola, Director General for Innovation and Enterprise Financing, with participation of a European Commission delegation led by Marc Lemaître, Director-General for Research and Innovation.  

The meetings centered around the consolidation of Finnish position as an innovation leader in the European Union. The discussions covered the European Research Area (ERA) and the freedom of scientific research, the Start-up and Scale-up Strategy, AI in Science and the preparation of the next framework programme (FP10). European Quantum Strategy and the European Research and Technology Infrastructure Act are particularly relevant for Finland, so they also received attention. 

The Enhanced Dialogue was also an occasion to reflect on the follow-up of the Policy Support Facility Finland exercise, which provided an independent expert review assessing the barriers hindering public-private collaboration within Finland’s R&I ecosystem. 

Wide participation among stakeholders enriched the talks. Beyond the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Employment, and the Ministry of Education and Culture, representatives from all the other ministries, the Government EU Affairs Department at the Prime Minister's Office, Business Finland, Confederation of Finnish industries, Research Council of Finland, and the Council of Rectors of Finnish Universities UNIFI were also present.  

Jean-David Malo, Éva-Mária Szávuj, Magda de Carli, András Inotai, Liviu Stirbat and Matteo Brizzi from the Directorate-General for Research and Innovation also joined Marc Lemaître in the meetings. 

The European Commission delegation met several stakeholders, including Riikka Pakarinen, CEO of Finnish Startup Community, and learnt about her experience as a representative of the startup community. They also visited SLUSH, one of the world’s premier startup and technology events — a global meeting point for founders, investors, researchers, and policymakers who work to shape the future of innovation. 

Background 

Enhanced dialogues with EU countries are a new, bottom-up channel of cooperation with the European Commission. These dialogues aim at creating a country-tailored approach to foster Research and Innovation in the participating EU country. They are organised on a voluntary basis and built around topics matching the interests of the country. Finland is the 17^th country having an enhanced dialogue with DG research & Innovation.

More information

Enhanced dialogue with EU countries