24 Nov 2025
Finland and EC launch Enhanced Dialogue
Finland and the European Commission held an Enhanced Dialogue 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, accompanied by Jean-David Malo, Éva-Mária Szávuj, Magda de Carli, András Inotai, Liviu Stirbat and Matteo Brizzi from the Directorate-General for Research and Innovation. Representatives from all other Finnish ministries, the EU Affairs Department at the Prime Minister's Office, as well as stakeholders Business Finland, Confederation of Finnish industries, Research Council of Finland, and the Council of Rectors of Finnish Universities UNIFI were also present.
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 FP10. The 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.
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.
For more information: