Societal Solutions in a Just Green Transition (JUST TRANSITION)

Societal Solutions in a Just Green Transition (JUST TRANSITION) is sponsored by Academy of Finland (Strategic Research Council - SRC). This Strategic Research Programme focuses on societal solutions essential for the green transition from the perspective of different institutions and actors.

SRC programme (invited ap - Research Council of Finland 3 May at 16. 15 Finnish time (full application) €27m in total for first 3-year period (distributed between the two programmes open for application) 1 Oct 2023–30 Sep 2026 (1st funding period) and 1 Oct 2026–30 Sep 2029 (2nd funding period) The Finnish Government decided the 2023 themes and priorities for strategic research in its plenary session on 6 October 2022.

The cross-cutting priority is resilience. The SRC programme Societal Solutions in a Just Green Transition focuses on societal solutions essential for the green transition from the perspective of different institutions and actors.

‘Just green transition’ refers to comprehensive, long-term solutions to ecological sustainability crises that also strengthen the stability of society and support the participation of different groups in society.

The major crises at hand, such as climate change and biodiversity loss and their linkages to the use of natural resources, with their various interdependencies, require measures that have a significant impact on our entire operational setting, our economic structure and our lifestyles. The transition concerns the environment and technology, but requires also major societal and cultural changes, both locally and globally.

Of particular interest in the programme are structures and practices that support or prevent a just green transition in different sectors of society and in the everyday lives of people and communities. What structures and practices in society must be changed, and how, in order to achieve a just green transition?

Through multidisciplinary and interactive research, the programme aims to build a wide-ranging knowledge base and expertise to support the green transition of the welfare society. The Strategic Research Council (SRC) established within the Academy of Finland provides funding for long-term, solution-oriented research of a high scientific standard that is aimed at finding solutions to major societal problems and challenges.

SRC funding has the following characteristics: The funding is only granted to consortia. The consortia must follow the consortium structure required by the SRC. Solving societal challenges requires not only research but also interaction aimed at societal impact between researchers and knowledge users throughout the project’s lifecycle.

The activities of the projects and their effects will also be monitored regularly. The funding follows the full cost model, and the SRC’s funding contribution comes to 100%. Funding can be used to cover the salary of the consortium PI for the duration of the funding period.

The SRC requires that consortium PIs commit themselves with a sufficient level of input to heading the consortium. The consortia should work towards a balanced gender composition. The funded projects shall commit to following the principles of responsible science.

The funded consortia form a thematic programme that is coordinated by a programme director separately hired by the SRC. The SRC programme structure is such that each programme also has a part-time programme director, who is employed at their own host organisation, such as a university of research institute. Programme directors are selected through a separate call.

The key tasks of the programme director are to build a coherent programme package in collaboration with the programme’s projects, be responsible for cross-programme cooperation with other programme directors and promote the societal impact of research together with the Division of Strategic Research. Funded consortia shall actively participate in programme activities and cross-programme activities for social impact .

The present SRC call has two stages. The first stage is open to all eligible applicants. SRC consortia shortlisted in the first call stage will be invited to submit full applications.

The SRC decides which consortia are invited. SRC consortium PIs must have a doctoral degree and hold the title of docent or have research experience at the docent level. To be eligible, a consortium must include at least three organisations and at least three research fields .

An SRC consortium must also have an interaction coordinator qualified in their own field. The project duration is 3 + 3 years . In the two programmes open for application (Energy Solutions as Part of a Just Green Transition and Societal Solutions in a Just Green Transition), the SRC is prepared to fund a total of 9–10 projects with 2.

75–3 million euros each during the first funding period. The programmes’ funding budgets for the first three years has been set at a total of some 27 million euros. The cost estimates of the projects must be realistic.

Before you fill in your application in the online services (SARA) , carefully read the call text, especially the funding terms and conditions and the SRC’s funding principles . Also read the section on responsible science available on the Academy of Finland’s website. If the call text and the funding terms and conditions conflict, the terms and conditions should always be considered primary.

If the translated English or Swedish version of the call text is in conflict with the Finnish call text, the Finnish version should always be considered primary. Any changes in the call guidelines between the first and the second call stage will be notified on this page. Read the full call text on this page.

Background and objectives The ‘green transition’ in the strategic research theme adopted by the Government refers to comprehensive, long-term solutions to ecological sustainability crises. The theme is premised on the societal solutions necessary to break current unsustainable trends and respond to major crises.

The major crises at hand, such as climate change and biodiversity loss and their linkages to the use of natural resources, with their various interdependencies, require measures that have a significant impact on our entire operational setting, our economic structure and our lifestyles. The transition concerns the environment and technology, but requires also major societal and cultural changes, both locally and globally.

The changes will highlight issues relating to the stability and security of society, and the need for foresight will increase. With change also come new opportunities. In Finland, the green transition can contribute to promoting resource and energy security and strengthening societal and economic resilience, that is, the ability to adapt to change.

However, solutions can also increase inequality and conflicts. How can we identify sustainable pathways of change that reduce inequality and support the participation and inclusion of different societal groups? How do we support the fair implementation and democratic legitimacy of the green transition?

Both programmes to be launched under this theme seek new research-based solutions and perspectives for a just green transition and for strengthening societal resilience. The programmes will contribute to reinforcing our capacity to make long-term decisions leading to a just green transition and to anticipate the challenges and opportunities this development will bring about.

The research should analyse the links between local and national solutions and the global environment. The solutions must comply with the ‘Do No Significant Harm’ principle. The programmes will also support the renewal of various sectors of society and the economy as part of a just green transition.

In the research to be conducted under the programmes, it is essential to examine resilience and ways of reducing the vulnerabilities of different actors in society, as actions taken to move towards a green transition may cause or exacerbate social tensions.

The SRC programme Societal Solutions in a Just Green Transition focuses on societal solutions essential for the green transition from the perspective of different institutions and actors. Of particular interest in the research to be conducted in the programme are structures and practices that support or prevent a just green transition in different sectors of society and in the everyday lives of people and communities.

The challenges the changes bring concern, for instance, livelihoods and employment, the welfare society, the activities of businesses and communities, households, technologies and political decision-making, and their relationships. What structures and practices in society must be changed, and how, in order to achieve a just green transition? How can we assess the sustainability and fairness of different solutions?

How can we ensure the resilience of societal actors in circumstances where challenges to justice arise? How are the decisions made in Finland linked to the global transformation, and how can we take advantage of the opportunities created by the transformation?

The programme invites consortia that form diverse combinations of expertise and strengthen interdisciplinary research cooperation and researcher collaboration with private, public and third-sector actors. Through multidisciplinary and interactive research, the programme aims to build a wide-ranging knowledge base and expertise to support the green transition of the welfare society.

The cross-cutting priority of the 2023 strategic research theme is resilience. It refers to an ability to adapt to changes and crises affecting society in a humane and socially, economically, technologically and ecologically sustainable manner.

It is essential to reinforce the capacity of individuals, communities, institutions and society to adapt to changes, to recover from adversity and to discover new opportunities – to safeguard the stability and functional capacity of society in changing circumstances. The perspective on resilience may extend from a conceptual examination to concrete analyses.

The objective is to include resilience in all stages of the research to be carried out in the 2023 strategic research programmes, from planning to implementation. On what challenges will the project be focused, and what kind of combination will they form?

How will the proposed research and interaction increase understanding of societal solutions essential for a just green transition and their promotion, and which institutions or actors will the solutions primarily concern? How will the proposed research and interaction improve in concrete terms the conditions for implementing structural and operational solutions that support a just green transition in our society?

How does the proposed combination of research fields and the network of interaction partners support the achievement of the solutions pursued by the programme? How will resilience be integrated as a cross-cutting priority into the research and interaction of the entire consortium, starting from project planning and target setting? Strategic research funding may only be applied for by consortia.

The consortia funded by the Strategic Research Council – SRC consortia – are structurally different from consortia funded by the Academy of Finland, for example, under the Academy Project and Academy Programme funding schemes. The consortium’s research and interaction activities are distributed appropriately between work packages (WPs). Each consortium must have a PI, WP leaders and an interaction coordinator.

In the full application, each subproject must have a named subproject PI at the site of research, who is responsible for the subproject’s use of funding and for submitting the application. SRC consortium PIs and WP leaders must have other significant scientific merits in addition to a doctoral degree. Usually the PI is a researcher at the professor or docent (adjunct professor) level.

The interaction coordinator must be qualified in their own field, but they are not required to have a doctoral degree. Read the guidelines for SRC consortium applications . An example of a possible structure for an SRC consortium: SRC consortia must be based on true collaboration.

The research work must not rely too heavily on a single site of research, research team or scientific discipline. This will require sufficient resources for managing and coordinating the consortium operations and for carrying out the consortium’s interaction activities. The consortia should work towards a balanced gender composition.

A subproject PI must be competent to lead the subproject. As a rule, they also should hold a doctoral degree. The application must describe how the salary of the subproject PI will be arranged during the funding period.

The SRC’s funding for strategic research benefits the scientific community in Finland as well as Finnish society at large. SRC consortia may also include foreign sites of research , but their proportions of the total funding must not be significant. The funding is not granted to support economic activity (i.e. activity where goods or services are offered on an open market).

If the funding is applied for by an organisation other than a university, a university of applied sciences or a research institute, the applicant must confirm their eligibility and the funding conditions from the programme’s contact person in good time before submitting the application. Failure to do so will jeopardise the processing of the entire consortium application.

Strategic research funding is not granted to sole-proprietor businesses. The consortium PI is responsible for ensuring that the consortium parties are eligible to apply for and receive funding. Special terms and restrictions PIs of SRC consortia can act as PIs only in one consortium funded by the SRC.

An exception to this rule is the programmes that will be completed in 2023, Adaptation and Resilience for Sustainable Growth (ADAPT) and Keys to Sustainable Growth (GROWTH), since the funding periods would overlap only very slightly. The same person may be a consortium PI, subproject PI or WP leader in only one application per each SRC programme open for application.

In other words, an application can only be submitted to one SRC call, and the applicant can only hold such management positions in one application. Consortium PIs must check the eligibility of these persons and that they are participating in only one application. If a person holds one of the roles mentioned above in more than one application, that person will be removed from all applications before the review.

In such cases, the applications concerned will proceed to the review without the person’s details, CV and list of publications. As the SRC consortia are expansive, leading one requires a considerable amount of work. The SRC requires that consortium PIs commit themselves with a sufficient level of input to heading the consortium.

Directors of the Academy of Finland’s Centres of Excellence cannot therefore act as PIs for SRC consortia. Members of the Academy Board, research councils or the Strategic Research Council will not be granted Academy funding during their terms. Nor can a member of the Academy Board, an Academy research council or the SRC be a WP leader in an SRC-funded consortium.

Funding cannot be granted to a person who has participated in the planning of the call to an extent likely to give them a comparative advantage over other applicants. We will not process an application if the applicant has been found guilty of research misconduct in the three years preceding the year of the call. SRC consortium PIs or WP leaders named in the letter of intent may be changed only for very compelling reasons.

The contents of the research and interaction plan must remain essentially unchanged. Consortium parties cannot be removed. Any changes to consortium compositions made for the above reasons must be justified in the research and interaction plan of the full application.

In addition, in such cases, applicants must get in touch with the programme’s contact person before they submit their full application . Funding to be applied for and funding period The project duration in the programme is six years . The research and interaction plan included in the application must be drafted to cover the entire six-year period.

However, the funding will be granted in two parts (3 + 3 years). The consortium PI must have a close connection with Finland to support the implementation of a multi-year project. In the two programmes open for application, the SRC is prepared to fund a total of 9–10 projects with 2.

75–3 million euros each during the first funding period. The programmes’ funding budgets for the first three years has been set at a total of 27 million euros. The cost estimates of the projects must be realistic.

The first funding decision will cover the period 1 October 2023–30 September 2026. The progress of the projects will be reviewed at the end of the first funding period, and a possible extension will be granted for the period 1 October 2026–30 September 2029. It is not possible to transfer funding from one funding period to another.

The cost estimate for an SRC consortium’s six-year term must be drafted so that the funding for the second funding period comes to no more than 100% of the funding for the first period. The SRC requires that consortium PIs commit themselves with a sufficient level of input to heading the consortium.

Funding awarded for strategic research can also be used to cover the salaries of consortium PIs and possible coordinators for the entire duration of the funding period. However, the salary funding must not overlap with salary paid from other funding by the Academy of Finland. Staff to be hired with SRC funding must have an employment relationship with their site of research.

With regard to research personnel, the funding is primarily intended for the salaries of researchers with doctoral degrees . As a rule, staff hired with Academy research funding must have an employment relationship. We recommend that they be hired for a period of employment no shorter than the funding period, unless a shorter contract is necessary for special reasons dictated by the implementation of the research project.

Short-term research, studies or other assignments (max. duration six months) may also be carried out in the form of outsourced services. SRC funding is granted for research and related interaction activities.

The funding is not granted to support economic activity. In SRC calls, funding can be applied for to cover the salary and other costs arising from the implementation of the research and interaction plans.

Other eligible costs include the following: costs of implementing the interaction plan costs of collaboration and mobility in Finland and abroad (of key significance to the goals of the project) costs of preparing international projects SRC funding cannot be used to pay for acquisition of significant infrastructures. All acquisitions must be made in accordance with the Finnish Act on Public Contracts.

Where necessary, the acquisitions must be put out to tender in compliance with the practices stipulated in the Act. Only for compelling reasons can government grants be awarded to cover salary costs in cases where the applicant has obstacles related to illegal employment, as referred to in section 7(2) of the Finnish Act on Discretionary Government Transfers. What is required from the site of research?

We require that the site of research (e.g. university) provides the research project with all necessary basic facilities. These are determined based on the nature of the research and are the same as those available to other research staff at the site: office and laboratory premises, equipment (incl. computer equipment), and telecommunications, telephone, mailing, copying and library services.

When accepting the funding, the site of research is responsible for ensuring that necessary statements and permits from ethics committees have been obtained before the start of the project. The application must also include the overheads percentage, indirect employee costs and coefficient for effective working hours of the site of research.

The site of research maintains these percentages in the online services under the site’s details. The information is provided as percentages. In the letter of intent , the consortium PI shall present the cost estimate for the first funding period as estimated total costs (all subprojects combined) per year .

The estimate is entered in the online services on the tab ‘Funding for the project’ under ‘Other costs’. Thus, the types of expenditure should not be itemised (salaries, indirect costs, overheads, travel, etc.). The cost estimate must be realistic.

In the full application , each subproject will draft its own cost estimate, itemised by type of expenditure. The full application must include (under the tab ‘Funding for the project’) a cost estimate for the first funding period , showing an estimate of the annual amount of funding needed by the SRC consortium. The cost estimate must be realistic.

Changes in the funding plan between the letter of intent stage and the full application stage will only be approved in exceptional cases. The cost estimate must be justified in the full application’s research and interaction plan , which also includes a cost estimate for the entire duration of the project (first and second funding period) .

The cost estimate for the entire project is drawn up so that the costs of the second funding period may come to no more than 100% of the cost estimate for the first period. In the full application, all research costs must be justified in the free-text field in the online services on the tab ‘Funding for the project’.

Account of salary when PI does not have an employment relationship If the PI does not have an employment relationship with, for example, a university or research institute for the duration of the funding period, they must explain in the free-text fields (the tab ‘Funding for the project’) how their salary will be covered during the funding period.

Retired researchers can be granted funding on the same grounds as other researchers. Mobility aid in research projects The researcher mobility carried out in SRC-funded projects must be goal-oriented. It should support project implementation, reinforce the international networks of the researchers involved, and create new knowledge and know-how.

Mobility plans are not necessary in the letters of intent. In the full application, the applicant must enter their subproject’s mobility plan on the application form in the online services. Mobility aid is applied for as research costs related to the implementation of the research plan.

The aid is applied for in accordance with the practices of the site of research. In order to obtain further information, you should contact the personnel and financial administration of the site of research. How applications are submitted and become pending, publicity of applications How to submit and supplement the application The deadline is non-negotiable.

The first call stage (letters of intent) closes on 11 January 2023 at 16. 15 Finnish time. The second call stage (full applications) closes on 3 May 2023 at 16.

15 Finnish time. Make sure to submit the application in good time before the deadline. The system will only accept applications that contain all obligatory information.

The joint letter of intent for the SRC consortium is submitted only by the PI. The joint full application for the SRC consortium is submitted by the consortium PI. The PI can submit the consortium application only after all subprojects have tagged their applications as complete.

You can edit and supplement the application until the deadline. You can make changes to a submitted application (e.g. change appendices), but you must make them before the deadline. If you notice that your application lacks important information after the deadline, immediately get in touch with the call’s contact person, so that they can reopen the application for you.

Make sure to re-submit the application after you have supplemented it. We will consider the supplemented information insofar as it is possible in view of the review and decision-making process. We may ask you to supplement the application.

If you do not supplement the application by the given deadline, we may decide not to process it. You must make sure that your contact details (email address) are up to date.

How the application becomes pending According to section 17 of the Finnish Administrative Procedure Act and section 8 of the Act on Electronic Services and Communication in the Public Sector, the sender is responsible for the application arriving by the set deadline. An application becomes pending when the online application and the obligatory appendices have been submitted in the online services.

The system will confirm a successful submission by sending an email to the address you have provided. If you have not submitted a final report on a completed Academy-funded project by the set deadline, we may decide not to process your application.

Publicity and data protection Letter of intent parts and guidelines (first call stage) The letter of intent submitted at the first call stage consists of forms completed in the Academy’s online services as well as PDF appendices. As an applicant, you have the right to submit your application in Finnish or Swedish, but we ask that you to submit it in English to facilitate the international review.

The consortium PI is responsible for drafting and submitting the letter of intent in the Academy’s online services. To minimise the administrative burden on the process, the letter of intent is drafted as an individual application . Consortium PIs must check the eligibility of each WP leader and that they are participating in only one application per SRC programme.

The WP leaders and interaction coordinators must be named in the application. Most of the links below take you to the A–Z index of application guidelines . The letter of intent contains the following parts Degrees (most recent one first); parental leaves etc. may be filled in under ‘Additional information’ Titles of docent and professorships Draft the CV following the template.

Details on the site of research Title of research project in English and Finnish/Swedish Research fields (at least three, no more than five). See the research field classification.

Keywords in English and Finnish/Swedish Maximum length 2,500 characters including spaces Brief overview of scientific and societal objectives, research methods and data as well as expected research results and impact SRC consortium composition Information on the WP leaders and interaction coordinator (name, email, organisation and country) Choose the person’s role from the drop-down menu.

In the case of WP leaders, add the WP number in the accompanying text field. A WP may have only one leader. Read the guidelines for SRC consortium applications .

Submit the research plan as a PDF appendix on a separate tab in the online services. See the guidelines on the structure of the research pla n. You must follow the given structure.

Please use the headings provided. The application cannot be submitted if the system detects an error in the page configuration or the structure. See the how-to guides for the online services .

Most relevant publications and other key outputs The consortium PI enters a total of up to ten jointly agreed most important project-relevant publications by the consortium members and a total of up to ten of the consortium’s most relevant own research outputs, with justifications. You can retrieve publication details from the VIRTA publication information service . Also see the How-to guides for the online services .

There are separate fields for selected publications and other research outputs. If the desired output type is not listed, select ‘Other, what? ’ and enter the name of the output.

Details on publications may also be entered manually. Obligatory information: author(s), title, year of publication, name of series/journal, type of publication (the type will not show in the PDF version of the application) The information is used to assess the competence of the applicant or consortium to carry out the project.

Preliminary ethical review for project and/or animal testing permit (yes/no) Found guilty of research misconduct (yes/no). We will not process a funding application if the applicant has been found guilty of research misconduct in the three years preceding the year of the call.

Guilty of illegal employment within the meaning referred to in section 7(2) of the Act on Discretionary Government Transfers (yes/no) The research-ethical issues are described in the research plan as part of the implementation. See the ethical guidelines. The project’s funding follows the full cost model .

The Academy’s funding contribution to the research costs comes to 100%. Enter the funding period as it is given in the call text (1 Oct 2023–30 Sep 2026). In the first call stage, the estimated total costs of the project are entered only as an annual total (incl.

all costs of all subprojects, incl. salaries) under ‘Other costs’. The estimate must be realistic and based on the implementation of the research and interaction plan.

Changes in the cost estimate between the letter of intent stage and the full application stage will only be approved in exceptional cases. The consortium PI is responsible for ensuring that all consortium parties are eligible to apply for and receive funding.

Public project description Maximum length 1,000 characters including spaces Popular and reader-friendly description of the research project in English and Finnish/Swedish We will use the project description in our communications on the research project. It is important that the public description is written for a general audience.

The project description is also stored at fi , a service that makes available information on research conducted in Finland. Read the guidelines on the public project description . You can authorise another person to supplement or view your application.

Start by entering the person’s name in the field. The person must have set up an account in the Academy’s online services (SARA). You cannot authorise more than one person at a time to edit a field in your application, and you cannot edit that same field while the authorisation is active.

Do not authorise yourself. See technical instructions on the authorisation process in the how-to guides for the online services . Append only the requested appendices to the application and make sure to draft them in line with our guidelines.

Also make sure not to exceed the maximum lengths indicated in the call text. Please name each document or part of a document clearly (e.g. CV [name], Publications [N. N.])

, as this will make the reviewers’ work easier. Draft the appendices in English and append them to the application in PDF format . List the ten most important publications by the consortium PI , no more than one page (may include a link to a longer list of publications).

Follow the instructions on the list of publications . Name the appendix following the format [consortium abbreviation]_PI_[surname]. Please give the document a clear title.

CVs for the WP leaders and the interaction coordinator (max. two pages each) and a list of ten most important, project-relevant publications in the same document. Name the three-page appendices following the format [consortium abbreviation]_WP[no]_[surname].

Please give a clear title to each page of the document. The lists may be combined into a single file. Please make sure that each page of the document is clearly titled so that it may be easily read.

Only one CV and one list of publications should be submitted for each person, even if they hold several positions in