VTT was ranked fourth in the latest statistics by European Research Ranking. The assessment examines how well various organisations have succeeded in the world's largest research funding programme, the EU's Horizon 2020. VTT rose to fourth place, from 21st in the previous comparison.
"I am proud of how well we have done in an extremely tough field of competitors. The ranking shows that our expertise and research are having an impact on society and our customers. In line with our strategy, we focus on tackling global challenges and finding solutions to them based on our customers' needs. When we solve global problems, international markets and networks open up for our customers," says Antti Vasara, President & CEO of VTT.
The whole of Finland benefits from VTT's research networks
The parameters used in the European Research Ranking evaluate the organisation as a research partner in H2020 joint projects (the share of top-level research partners in the organisation's research projects), the number of EU-funded projects, and the diversity of the organisation's research activities.
VTT works within networks in which it brings together players in various EU projects. Our goal is to createsustainable growth by leading and mentoring projects in order to achieve an efficient and effective end result, and to help our partners achieve their goals.
"VTT has a reputation as a strong innovator in Europe. We are a sought-after partner in the EU research ecosystem. The survey will help to strengthen our position as the leader in our innovation ecosystem, raising interest among international companies in working alongside Finnish partners and collaborating in VTT's research networks. This will benefit the whole of Finland," says Antti Vasara.
Long-term cooperation helps Finland to attract EU funding
VTT has won EUR 123 million in research funding from the H2020 programme, representing around 17% of all EU Horizon funding brought into Finland. VTT's participation in EU cooperation is enabled by the fact that the framework programme's structure fosters a tight-knit innovation process between research communities and enterprises. VTT's EU projects are implemented as joint ventures involving a range of actors from several countries.
"Success in the ranking is based on long-term research, advocacy and competence development. VTT's research strategy plays a key role in the identification of programmes, calls for applications, projects and partnerships. We have effective project management capabilities and strong internal support services for EU projects. Networks also play a key role in building common viewpoints with other European research organisations and partners. The participation and success of Finns in the H2020 programme is important to all of us," says Vasara.
The survey was conducted by the European Research Ranking. The assessment compares the funding of research institutes and universities, their success and performance in projects, and networking and cooperation. The results enable conclusions to be drawn on the impact of research on society and businesses. The objective of the European Research Ranking is to increase the transparency of research funding.
For more information on the European Research Ranking contact:
http://www.researchranking.org/index.php?action=about
The European Research Ranking differs from other research organisation comparisons by focusing primarily on success in funding applications and the ability to function successfully in joint EU research projects. With regard to research projects, the emphasis is on projects involving leading organisations within the sector. Better-known comparisons, such as the Shanghai and Leiden rankings, focus on the number of references to publications, the share of articles published in top journals, and the Nobel and Fields Awards won by the university (Shanghai ranking). A third well-known comparison, the World University Rankings, is much broader in scope but includes only universities. On the other hand, the European Research Ranking does not differentiate between universities and research institutes – all research organisations are ranked in the same manner.
For more information on the EU Horizon 2020 programme: https://ec.europa.eu/programmes/horizon2020/what-horizon-2020
