Catch the Carbon R&I programme's projects
A total of EUR 16 million has been granted to 15 research and innovation projects. This funding is part of the government programme’s climate action package for the land use sector. It is a significant public investment in the sector’s climate objectives, including agriculture and forestry.
The chosen projects will conduct scientific research to produce solutions that can reduce carbon emissions from land use, as well as maintain and supplement carbon sinks and reservoirs. In addition, the projects will support the use of renewable natural resources and the overall sustainability of agriculture, forestry and other forms of land use.
The chosen projects are interdisciplinary consortiums formed by multiple organisations. The projects involve close cooperation, joint development, and pilots between different research organisations, field operators and businesses. This ensures that the innovative solutions can be converted into actual measures as quickly as possible.
Applications were open in late 2020, with 50 funding applications received, requesting EUR 51 million in total. The applications were reviewed in January by a broad panel of ten experts. The primary selection criteria were the projects’ scientific quality and potential for producing effective solutions to support the objective of carbon neutrality. As originally specified, all chosen projects will include researchers who are at the start of their careers.
Supplementary applications for the Catch the Carbon research and innovation programme will be open later this year for a further EUR 5 million in funding.
Programme was prepared together with scientific community and stakeholders
The aim of the Hiilestä kiinni – Catch the carbon research and innovation programme is to produce information that anticipates changes in the operating environment on how agriculture, forestry and other land use can be targeted in a more climate-smart manner, both in the short and long term. The aim is also to strengthen the sustainable use of renewable natural resources and comprehensive sustainability. The programme was prepared in cooperation with the scientific community and stakeholders.
New information on impact chains
Fulfilling the objectives of the Hiilestä kiinni – Catch the carbon programme requires an interdisciplinary approach and cooperation between different stakeholders. The new programme will significantly strengthen the research related to agriculture, forestry and other land use and provide excellent opportunities to researchers from different fields of science to deepen and diversify the knowledge and competence. The programme will also link earlier research results and current and future international and national research on these topics more strongly to support decision-making. Besides natural sciences, research is needed on people’s behaviour and attitudes to achieve true changes in the way we act. Agriculture and forestry will not become climate-smart without climate-smart farmers and forest owners.
The Research and Innovation programme contains four main themes
The themes are cross-cutting: from large systemic change (change is in the air) towards targeted regional and local changes and solutions (nudging in land use) and further by providing innovative solutions from land use processes (wisdom from soil). Cross-cutting foresight and new research on policy instruments and incentives are also required.
Second call for applications was open in fall 2021
Press release 11.2.2022: Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry provides EUR five million in funding for research and innovation projects that promote climate change resilience in agriculture, forestry and other types of land use
The first call for applicaions was open in December 2020
Call for applications (version 2, the previous one had errors with links)
Note! This is an unofficial translation. In case of any discrepancies with the original Finnish call for applications text, the original one overrides this translation.
Materials from the webinar (Finnish only)
Muualla palvelussamme
Application system (Finnish only)
Research and development in the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry
Press release 23.2.2021: First projects chosen for the Catch the Carbon R&I programme – ten projects to receive EUR 10.7m
Press release 9.11.2020: Hiilestä kiinni – Catch the carbon research and innovation programme to produce climate-sustainable land use solutions, extensive call for applications now open
Press release 6.10.2020: New research and innovation programme creates solutions to climate-wise land use