Finnish rectors call on "long-term public R&D funding" for doctorates to align with national strategy

The Finnish Universities Rectors' Council (UNIFI) has said that Finland will need thousands of new doctorates in the coming years to achieve its national research, development and innovation (RDI) goals.

"Sustainable growth in the number of degrees and maintenance of the high quality of education must continue to be ensured through long-term public R&D funding for researcher training," UNIFI said in a statement on 19/03/2026.

Finland has a long-term target to raise R&D investment to 4% of GDP by 2030 (it was 3.22% in 2024). This is supported by the 2024 Act on Government Research and Development Funding, which mandates significant annual increases in government R&D spending until 2030, expecting complementary investment from the private sector.

Quoting the R&D funding monitoring and evaluation report of the Secretariat of the Research and Innovation Council from February 2026, UNIFI said that Finland's challenge was "the sufficiency of experts".

Finnish universities have increased the number of doctorates to 2,126 doctorates graduated in 2025, 13% more than in 2024, partly with the…