HiLIFE Grand Challenge call attracts 279 applicants
The goal is to form collaborative platforms enabling collaboration across boundaries in a mission-oriented way. Applicants come from 9 international and 12 national organizations in addition to the University of Helsinki.

The Call for Letters of Intent has ended, and resulted in 23 Grand Challenge proposals with teams at this point varying from 4 to 56 Principal Investigators. They come from the Faculties of Agriculture and Forestry, Biological and Environmantal Sciences, Medicine, Pharmacy, Science, and Veterinary Medicine and from HiLIFE at the University of Helsinki and from many partner organizations with largest participation from Aalto University, Helsinki University Hospital HUS, and Natural Resources Institute Finland Luke. 

The next step is an evaluation and recommendations by the HiLIFE Scientific Council on May 29. The HiLIFE Board makes the final decisions on 5-8 Grand Challenges.  Committed funding for the Grand Challenge program is 0,6 M€ with additional support to be included in a Life Science PROFI 5 proposal. The total anticipated funding for the three-year program is 6 M€.