Funding call for high-growth companies to leverage cutting-edge AI

Funding call for high-growth companies to leverage cutting-edge AI is sponsored by Business Finland. This funding call from Business Finland targets high-growth companies looking to leverage cutting-edge AI technologies.

Funding call for high-growth companies to leverage cutting‑edge AI Companies in the tourism industry Companies in the tourism industry Funding call for high-growth companies to leverage cutting‑edge AI If you think your company and project fit this call, first answer the questions in the call notice and submit your answers via email to Business Finland. We will contact you. Coaching discussions are ongoing.

bfgenai (at) businessfinland. fi The aim of the call is to initiate forward-looking AI projects that enable companies to achieve significant leaps in productivity, competitiveness, and capability to create customer value. The aim of the call is to initiate forward-looking AI projects that enable companies to achieve significant leaps in productivity, competitiveness, and capability to create customer value.

Artificial intelligence has entered a phase defined by agentic AI, multimodal AI, and physical AI. At the same time, new AI-native business models are emerging and changing the global business landscape. These trends offer opportunities for Finnish growth companies to build scalable, globally competitive offerings where intelligence, automation, and data-driven services form the core of growth and monetization.

Funding call for ambitious R&D projects Business Finland's Generative AI program is launching a funding call for ambitious R&D projects focusing on cutting edge AI. The aim of the call is to initiate forward-looking AI projects that enable companies to achieve significant leaps in productivity, competitiveness, and capability to create customer value.

BF wants to fund bold and ambitious projects that aim to transform the company’s operations and products and challenge the business logic of its industry. In accordance with Business Finland strategy 2030, Business Finland wants to leverage the desire for growth and raise the level of ambition.

We want our customers' projects to be even more ambitious, and for our customers to boldly seek greater growth opportunities in innovation. The target group of the call are strongly growth-oriented companies, i.e. fast-growing, innovative growth companies seeking rapid growth and a significant international market position.

The call is aimed at growth companies characterized by the following indicators: annual revenue at minimum of 2 million euros (estimate for 2025) personnel of at least 10 persons (at the time of applying) annual revenue growth at least 20% during 2023-2025 The high-growth company term refers to a group of rapidly expanding companies which account for an above-average proportion of the economic growth.

The high-growth companies are companies growing from 10 to 5. 000 employees and beyond, having specific requirements for management, skills, capital and organizational processes.

The project must primarily address one of the following: Increasing significantly the value of an existing product, service or business model, or Developing a completely new product, service concept or business model, or Conducting industrial research related to such products, service concepts or business models.

The solution must have a clear and significant positive impact on your company’s international competitiveness and exports. The project must involve researching, developing, or using modern AI technologies. Funding can be provided either as a grant or as a loan, depending on the nature of the project.

Normal Business Finland R&D funding criteria apply. Grants can be awarded for industrial research that aims to acquire new information for the industry sector and that create capabilities for later development work, but which does not yet result in a finished product or service. R&D loan is intended for your company's development and piloting projects.

For SMEs, the grant is typically 50% of the total eligible project costs. For midcap companies, the grant is 40%. The loan can cover 50% of the total eligible costs of the project.

For a justified reason, the loan can cover 70% of the costs. Business Finland funding is competitive and discretionary. Before submitting an application Before applying, your company must contact Business Finland.

Before you do so, please answer the questions below: 1. The project idea and plan What problem will the project solve? What is the proposed solution?

What are the concrete, measurable goals of the R&D project? What work packages or phases does the project consist of? Which AI technologies will be used?

What data and/or language models will be used to train the AI? How will the results be tested? What competing solutions exist or are being developed globally?

Briefly describe how the competitive landscape has been evaluated, for example by referring to relevant prior art studies, market or technology scans, or other background work that demonstrates the state of the art in the market. How will the results be used and monetized? How will the project improve your company’s competitive advantage in global markets?

What is the estimated revenue (€) the project aims to generate? Current state of the company (brief description). Annual revenue in the last three years (based on the latest approved financial statements).

Confirmation that the company is eligible for funding. * When submitting an application, the company must have a good understanding of the problem and customer needs as well as the necessary data available. The data can be company's own or the company can use data produced by others for which the company holds the commercial rights.

Schedule of the funding call The funding call will be open from February 2, 2026 to April 15, 2026 . We will process applications and make decisions continuously while the funding call is open. If necessary, the application period can be extended.

If you think your company and project fits the aforementioned description, first answer the questions above and submit your answers via email to Business Finland to: bfgenai (at) businessfinland. fi . We will contact you.

Coaching discussions are ongoing. *Basic eligibility requirements for Business Finland funding: adequate competences and resources (self-financing); the novelty value of the project, the impact on international competitive edge and international growth. What is a high-growth company?

Definition of a high-growth company What is a high-growth company? A high-growth company is characterized by its rapid pace in expanding its revenues, market share, and overall business operations on global markets compared to the average in its industry. The high-growth companies have successfully navigated the initial challenges of starting a business and are now positioned for significant growth.

They have secured significant funding, demonstrated strong market traction, and shown clear potential for expansion into new markets or segments. These transformative business ventures typically drive innovation, disrupt traditional industries, and create new market segments.

Their significance lies not only in the potential financial rewards but also in their contribution to economic development, job creation, and the advancement of technology. Characteristics of Growth Companies High Revenue Growth Rates Growth companies exhibit high revenue growth rates that significantly exceed industry averages.

This rapid increase is typically fueled by innovative products or services that meet unmet needs in the marketplace. Strong Market Position or Potential A defining trait of growth companies is their strong market position or the potential to achieve it. Innovation and Technological Advancements Innovation is the backbone of growth companies, driving their expansion and market penetration.

By leveraging technological advancements, these companies disrupt traditional business models and set new industry standards. Scalability of Business Model The scalability of business models is crucial for growth companies. Such scalability is typically achieved through innovative use of technologies.

Access to Capital for Expansion For growth companies, access to capital is essential for fueling research and development, expansion and market penetration strategies. Find the materials and recording for Info webinar on a funding call for cutting edge AI projects Info webinar was organized on Tuesday 3 March 2026 at 8:30-9:30 (Finnish time). You can find the presentation materials and recording from the link below.

Info Webinar Website (Materials) How easy was it to assess the suitability of the funding? Did you find the information you were looking for? How easy was it to find the information?