Our leading research into the essence and evolution of humans, cultures and societies advances knowledge and benefits society, helping us respond to change.
We combine leading research across the human, life and natural sciences in exploring humans, learning and societies. Robust research infrastructures and extensive, diverse datasets enable pioneering research that extends from learning and brain function to societal structures and change.
The Research Council of Finland is among the key research funders in Finland. The Council grants funding broadly in all fields on the basis of open competition and independent assessment. Success in its funding calls is evidence of distinguished scholarly efforts.
The Flagships funded by the Council combine world-class research and a diverse range of collaboration with businesses and the wider society. In contrast, profile-building areas funded by the Council must be strategically significant elements of research conducted at the University to be further advanced. The Centres of Excellence funded by the Council bring together the best research groups in specific fields, representing the top internationally.
Our top research area learning and evolving societies is a prominent part of both the University’s profile-building areas and Centres of Excellence.
The Finnish Flagships successfully combine close collaboration with businesses and society, adaptability, and a strong commitment from host organisations. All Flagships are composed of researchers and research groups from several Finnish universities.
Why are learning outcomes decreasing? Why are dropouts from education increasing? How is technology used in teaching? The University of Helsinki is helping to answer these questions in
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Profile-building areas can constitute a research field or a research module focused on a specific theme. Some profile-building areas continue their operations after the actual Council funding period ends.
The profile-building areas associated with the Learning and Evolving Societies area have explored the causes and consequences of inequality, tackled challenges related to societal diversity, and developed digital research methods in support of research in the humanities and social sciences.
Helsingin yliopiston humanistis-yhteiskuntatieteellisen instituutti keskittyy monitieteiseen tutkimukseen ja menetelmiin humanistisissa ja yhteiskuntatieteissä.
Monitieteinen terveyden ja hyvinvoinnin tutkimuksen profiloitumisalueella yhdistämme tosielämän kontekstissa tehtyä terveyteen liittyvää tutkimustamme globaalien ja paikallisten terveyshaasteiden ratkaisuiksi.
Resilient and Just Systems (RESET) profiloitumisalue yhdistää elämän- ja yhteiskuntatieteitä ja tarjoaa kestäviä ja oikeudenmukaisia ratkaisuja systeemisen palautumiskyvyn vahvistamiseksi.
Humanististen ja yhteiskuntatieteellisten alojen johtama
The aim of the Research Council of Finland's Centres of Excellence is to carry out innovative research, develop creative research environments and train new talented researchers, responding to society’s needs.
Learning and evolving socities is at the centre of the following Centres of Excellence.
The Centre of Excellence in Meliorist Philosophy of Suffering places the problem ofsuffering – both human and non-human – at the center of philosophy. It deepens our understanding of the nature of suffering and develops our ethical stance to affliction.
The aim of the Centre of Excellence in Nationalism Research in the Humanities, led by Finnish Literature Society, is to explain how nationalism works in practice, how it influences the lives of different groups of people, and to expand our understanding of nationalism’s various manifestations and functions.
The Centre of Excellence Towards Multibeing Justice: Humanity and human responsibility in Indigenous Societies, led by University of Lapland, examines humans’ ultimate responsibility for ensuring a good and just life for all life forms.
Academy Professors are internationally recognised leaders in their fields. Academy Professors are expected to produce significant research results and advance research in their field. The Research Council of Finland appoints new Academy Professors each year for a fixed term of five years.
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The European Research Council (ERC) is among the most respected research funders. With a multidisciplinary approach, it promotes top-level research by awarding long-term research grants. The European Union also directly supports research through various funding schemes.
Funded by the Ministry of Education and Culture, the doctoral education pilot aims to ensure the completion of doctoral theses over a three-year term of employment. To begin with, the new doctoral researchers will study both researcher and career skills. Another goal of the doctoral education pilot is to increase doctoral graduates’ diverse employment in various sectors of society.
Launched in 2024 at the University of Helsinki, the doctoral education pilot offered 236 positions in 11 programmes.