Year 2025 in a Nutshell: Active Development Work and Nearly €40 Million in Grants
In 2025, the Jane and Aatos Erkko Foundation awarded a total of €38.4 million in grants. The quality of applications throughout the year was strong and, overall, well balanced. One key focus was the renewal of science and the arts, which the foundation actively promoted.
In 2025, the Jane and Aatos Erkko Foundation awarded a total of €38.4 million in grants. The quality of applications throughout the year was strong and, overall, well balanced. One key focus was the renewal of science and the arts, which the foundation actively promoted.
In recent years, the foundation has worked systematically to increase the number of applications in technology alongside other fields, and this work has paid off. This year, the largest share of grants went to medicine (40%), but technology has caught up to nearly the same level (38%). Arts and culture accounted for 11%, other sciences for 7%, and other societal activities for 5%.
In 2025, the grant success rate by number of applications was 9%. The success rate was 14% for science, 5% for arts and culture, and 5% for other societal activities.
The largest amounts of funding were awarded to research groups at the University of Helsinki (€11.7 million), Tampere University (€5.9 million), and the University of Eastern Finland (€4.1 million). Grants totaling €9.5 million were awarded outside universities, mainly to arts and cultural institutions and research institutes. Among scientific disciplines, the largest allocations went to medical engineering (€4.3 million), environmental sciences (€3.1 million), and biomedical science (€2.9 million). In arts and culture, dance (€1.7 million) and classical and contemporary music (€1.5 million) received the most support.
The foundation’s goal is to support the renewal of science and to strengthen working conditions for early-career researchers. The share of grants awarded to young group leaders was 18%, which is slightly higher than their share of applications.
During 2025, the foundation completed a review of the state of economics research and the foundation’s role as a supporter of the field. A total of 29 economics experts were interviewed for the review, which included an analysis of research funding in the field as well as examples of inspiring projects from Finland and around the world. Developing the foundation’s grantmaking in economics will be one of the central themes in the foundation’s strategy work starting next year.
Over the past year, the foundation also carried out a stakeholder analysis reflecting applicants’ and other key stakeholders’ perceptions of the foundation. For the analysis, 28 representatives of key stakeholder groups were interviewed. In addition, a survey was conducted among those who had applied for grants from the foundation over the past three years.
Warm thanks to everyone who took part in the stakeholder analysis and the economics review for your time and valuable perspectives!