Internationalizing Finnish Science: Building Sustainable Bridges to Europe, Africa, Asia and Latin America and the Caribbean (BRIDGES)
Research summary
The FinCEAL Plus BRIDGES project (2019-2020) supports the development of partnerships and collaborative research activities between the Finnish research community and those in Africa, Asia, and Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC). In addition, the project facilitates connections with European partners, whenever the cooperation also includes partners from the target regions. The project is an extension of the FinCEAL (2013-2014), FinCEAL Plus (2015-2016) and FinCEAL Plus Continuation initiatives, all financed by the Finnish Ministry of Education and Culture. Previously, the focus of FinCEAL has been on supporting research collaboration in the thematic areas determined by the EU's bi-regional science, technology and innovation (STI) policy dialogues with Africa, Asia and LAC. FinCEAL BRIDGES will continue to contribute towards strengthening bi-regional cooperation, while expanding the thematic focus to the Agenda 2030 for Sustainable Development and the 17 Sustainable Development Goals, particularly Global Partnerships for Sustainable Development (Goal 17). On a national level, BRIDGES also supports the International Strategy for Higher Education and Research 2017-2025. The Ministry has mandated the UniPID network to coordinate the initiative.
Description
The BRIDGES project aims to maintain and enhance cooperation between research actors and science policy communities in Finland, Africa, Asia, and Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC). The specific objectives are to:
1. Support Finnish participation in research collaboration with partners from the target
regions;
2. Strengthen Finnish participation in and understanding of key national and international
science, technology, and innovation (STI) policies and dialogues with the regions,
specifically those related to the Sustainable Development Goals, the European Union’s STI
policy dialogues with the target regions, and the Finnish Ministry of Education and Culture’s
International Strategy for Higher Education and Research 2017-2025; and
3. Gather, disseminate, and promote awareness of Finnish expertise, cooperation, and know-
how in the target regions and in Finland.
The main activities of the project are:
- Partnership Support Instrument including the following modalities: Open Travel Grants, Research Visit Grants and Event Grants;
- Targeted Travel Grants support researchers' participation in policy events relevant for the Sustainable Development Goals and EU's science, technology and innovation policy dialogues with Africa, Asia and Latin America and the Caribbean;
- Thematic Networking Events - Organizing and co-organizing national and international events related to the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development;
- Policy Contact Point between the Finnish research community and policy makers in Finnish ministries
- Infobank database on experts and projects in Africa, Asia and Latin America and the Caribbean
- Communication activities to inform about cooperation possibilities with the target regions, relevant events and policy processes of interest to the research community
More information
Research info
Research title
Internationalizing Finnish Science: Building Sustainable Bridges to Europe, Africa, Asia and Latin America and the Caribbean (BRIDGES)
Research timeline
1.1.2019 - 1.6.2020
Keywords
african union ASEAN asem bi-regional celac collaboration cooperation EU european union innovation policy science technology
Region
Africa Asia Caribbean Latin America
Countries
Array
Institution
Finnish University Partnership for International Development (UniPID)
University of Jyväskylä
Jyväskylä, Finland
Funding instrument
Other
Project budget
500,000 - 1 million euros
Head of research
Timo Tokola, Kaisa Korhonen-Kurki, Tiina Kontinen
Research team
Jarkko Mutanen, Melissa Plath, Quivine Ndomo
Partners
University of Helsinki, University of Eastern Finland
Contact information
Kajsa Ekroos
+358 50 448 6185
kajsa.ekroos@helsinki.fi
Open link
Record last updated
8.3.2019