Research infrastructures are entities that support the conduct of research. Their typical elements include equipment, research and measuring stations, research vessels, special laboratories, research data collections and databases, archives and libraries.
The infrastructures of our University provide broad opportunities to carry out both discipline-specific research projects and those that combine multiple disciplines and research methods. These infrastructures are available to our researchers and external operators under certain conditions. At the University of Helsinki, the allocation of resources to research infrastructures and their development takes place through faculties and independent institutes. In this context, they are called research infrastructure host units.
The University of Helsinki contributes to the development and implementation of the principles of open science, including in terms of its research infrastructures. Openness and accessibility are important for the functioning of the University’s research infrastructures. A central criterion in defining infrastructures is access to them. In addition to national and University-level guidelines, infrastructures have their individual terms of use. Further information on the use of RIs and the terms of access can be obtained from the RIs' contact persons and from the host units.
Research infrastructures are listed in the University of Helsinki’s Research Portal.
The link takes you to the Research Portal’s hierarchical view, listing the University’s research infrastructures classified by host unit and infrastructures accessible though the University. Research Portal includes equipment for shared use designated by the host units.
You can locate specific research infrastructures and equipment using the search feature. When you know the kind of equipment or research infrastructure you need, switching to grid view enables you to filter the results for example by equipment type. Clicking open the equipment details allows you to see among other things the contact person, the building where the device is located and the parent research infrastructure to which the equipment belongs.
Some host units maintain websites for their research infrastructures, listed in the menu below.
The research infrastructures of the University of Helsinki constitute a vital part of Finland’s research capacity. In the roadmap of the European Strategy Forum for Research Infrastructures (ESFRI), the University of Helsinki contributes to 19 research infrastructures. The corresponding figure for national infrastructures is 24. Many of the research infrastructures listed by ESFRI are directly linked to research infrastructures included in the Research Council of Finland’s roadmap.
The roadmap for Finnish research infrastructures of the Research Council of Finland encompasses 21 infrastructures, of which the University of Helsinki participates in 12 and nationally coordinates eight. The Lighthouse category in the roadmap for the most advanced infrastructures includes six entities, of which the University of Helsinki is participating in four and coordinating three. This is clearly the highest ratio among Finnish research organisations.
In addition to these, the University of Helsinki contributes to several other major international research infrastructures.
Every year, the University of Helsinki allocates a substantial amount of funding, human resources and facilities to research infrastructures. Before committing to major research infrastructure projects on the national and international levels, the University carefully considers whether they are in line with its strategic plan and the objectives set in its research infrastructure programme. The research infrastructure programme outlines the principles for the administration and development of research infrastructures. In addition to the University’s programme, important documents include the roadmap for Finnish research infrastructures (Research Council of Finland) as well as corresponding Europe-wide roadmaps drawn up by the European Strategy Forum on Research Infrastructures (ESFRI).
As host units, faculties and independent institutes are responsible for developing and supporting their own research infrastructures.
University- and campus-specific prioritisations are made by the University’s research infrastructure committee and campus-specific research infrastructure working groups. These bodies also prepare more general guidelines and decisions pertaining to infrastructures, alongside contributing to development efforts. The University’s research infrastructure committee represents the University’scampuses and broad thematic research areas (humanities and social sciences, natural sciences, life sciences). The committee is chaired by the vice-rector for research infrastructures.
The rector decides on the University’s commitment to research infrastructures as an organisation.
University-wide assessment processes for national funding calls are announced well in advance. In the funding of research infrastructures, the commitment of the host unit (faculties or independent institutes) or units to the upkeep is crucial.