Adjusting research and development funding
Act amending section 2 of the Act on Central Government Funding for Research and Development Activities in 2024–2030
Annual increases in central government research and development funding will be tied to economic forecasts more frequently than at present, with the adjustment being made every year. At the same time, other innovation aid for companies can also be counted as part of statutory R&D funding.
- Status
- In progress
- Submitted
- 8 Oct 2026
- Latest event
- 21 Oct 2026
- Votes
- 0
- Speeches
- 11
- Source
- eduskunta.fi ↗
What is proposed
The annual increase in statutory R&D funding will be adjusted annually based on the latest economic forecast, instead of the current two-year interval. In addition, up to 50 million euros of innovation funding granted from the budget that does not meet the definition of actual research and development activities may be counted as central government R&D funding. These changes will make it possible to adjust the funding level more accurately to the 2030 gross domestic product target.
What it means
The change will reduce central government expenditure by 10 million euros in 2027, when the statutory increase in funding will be 230 million euros instead of the 240 million euros under the current act. As 50 million euros of existing innovation funding can be counted towards the target, the increase allocated to actual research activities will decrease correspondingly. The change will enter into force on 1 January 2027 and concerns the allocation of central government budget funding to higher education institutions, research institutes, and companies.
How Parliament voted
Consideration is ongoing: Parliament has not yet voted on the bill in plenary.
Debate in the chamber
What was argued and where each group stood, followed by MPs' speeches verbatim from the parliamentary record. Speeches are shown in their original language.
11 speeches · 1 debate
Key points of the debate
The debate addressed adjusting the trajectory of increases in research and development funding annually, as well as counting innovation subsidies as part of this total. The government parties considered the changes necessary due to central government spending cuts and the faster commercialisation of research results. Although there was broad parliamentary consensus on the importance of R&D investments, the opposition raised concerns about the weakened predictability of funding and actual plans to make cuts.
- Does adjusting the funding level every year weaken the long-term predictability of research and development activities?
- Is including innovation funding in the statutory R&D funding allocation a justified way to support the commercialisation of research?
- Is the legislative amendment in reality being used merely as a means to cut R&D appropriations for reasons of fiscal consolidation?
- National Coalition PartyIn favour
Strengthening high technology and product development is essential for Finland's economic growth, and the legislative amendment provides a necessary additional boost to bringing research results to the market and making them available to businesses.
”Meidän kaltainen kehittynyt talous voi kasvaa ainoastaan korkean teknologian ja korkean lisäarvon tuotteilla ja palveluilla.”
— Ville Valkonen - Finns PartyIn favour
The change enables the precise and flexible dimensioning of central government expenditure amid public-finance savings pressures, and including innovation funding accelerates the commercialisation of research results into Finnish jobs.
”Tämä mahdollistaa valtion vuosittaisten rahoituslisäysten mitoittamisen mahdollisimman tarkasti kohti vuoden 2030 tavoitetasoa.”
— Riikka Purra - Social DemocratsIn favour with reservations
Parliamentary consensus on the funding level is important and expanding innovation funding is understandable in order to exploit research, but concerns are raised by lagging private investment and tying expenditure to GDP.
”Siinä mielessä ymmärrän sitä, että sitä viedään, yritetään saada tutkimuksen hedelmiä paremmin käyttöön ja niin poispäin.”
— Lauri Lyly - Centre PartyIn favour with reservations
R&D investments are important for the national economy and export companies, but research funding should not be directed towards environmental research that complicates business, but rather towards tangible export products.
”Toivon, että nämä rahat käytettäisiin aitojen vientituotteiden kehittämiseen.”
— Hannu Hoskonen - Left AllianceAgainst
Repeated legislative amendments and annual adjustments weaken the predictability of research funding, and cutting R&D funding from the previously agreed level is seen as the main impact of the proposal.
”Käsillä oleva esitys joka tapauksessa vähentää rahoituksen ennustettavuutta, kun tasoa tarkastellaan jatkuvasti.”
— Hanna Sarkkinen
This digest was generated by AI from 11 speeches 21 Oct 2026. Group positions are read from the speeches, not from votes; quotations were checked verbatim against the record.
Keskustelu päättyi. Asia lähetettiin valtiovarainvaliokuntaan, jolle sivistysvaliokunnan on annettava lausunto.
Stages of consideration
The bill's path from the preliminary debate to the decision, as recorded by Parliament.
- 8 Oct 2026Eduskuntakäsittelyn vireilletulo · Valtiovarainministeriö
- 20 Oct 2026Lähetekeskustelu · Täysistunto
Decisions by law proposal1
- 1Laki valtion tutkimus- ja kehittämistoiminnan rahoituksesta vuosina 2024–2030 annetun lain 2 §:n muuttamisesta
Proposed law text
The law proposals in the bill as the Government presented them. The final act may differ after committee consideration.
The law text is shown in Finnish or Swedish from Parliament's official documents; it is not translated into English.
Laki valtion tutkimus- ja kehittämistoiminnan rahoituksesta vuosina 2024–2030 annetun lain 2 §:n muuttamisesta
Eduskunnan päätöksen mukaisesti muutetaan valtion tutkimus- ja kehittämistoiminnan rahoituksesta vuosina 2024–2030 annetun lain (1092/2022) 2 §:n 1 momentti, sellaisena kuin se on laissa 1166/2025, seuraavasti:
2 § Tutkimus- ja kehittämistoiminnan rahoitus valtion talousarviossa vuosina 2024–2030
Tutkimus- ja kehittämistoimintaan valtion vuosien 2024–2030 talousarvioissa tarkoitettujen valtuuksien ja sellaisten määrärahojen, joita ei oteta talousarvioon siihen aiemmin otetun valtuuden käytöstä aiheutuvien menojen maksamiseksi, määrää lisätään tasaisesti vuosittain valtiovarainministeriön vuosien 2027–2030 talousarvioesityksiä varten laatimien talousennusteiden perusteella siten, että valtuuksien ja määrärahojen määrä vuonna 2030 vastaa 1,2 prosenttia suhteessa bruttokansantuotteeseen. Määrään voidaan lukea enintään 50 miljoonaa euroa valtion talousarviosta innovaatiotoimintaan osoitettavaa rahoitusta.
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Tämä laki tulee voimaan päivänä kuuta 20 .
Main content of the bill (official)
The summary and title were produced with AI on 21 Oct 2026. They are not official documents – check the details in the original bill. The title and summaries are machine translations of the Finnish AI summaries. Speeches and quotations are always shown in their original language.