INVEST will continue as permanent University department after flagship funding period

INVEST Research Flagship Centre will continue as a permanent department in the Faculty of Social Sciences of the University of Turku after 2026. The solution will allow for the development and expansion of INVEST also in the future.

“INVEST conducts top research with great societal impact. It is important that the continuation of its operations is ensured by permanent institutional structures,” says Rector Marjo Kaartinen of the University of Turku.

INVEST is the joint research flagship centre of the University of Turku and the Finnish Institute for Health and Welfare. It started its operations in 2019 with flagship funding from the Research Council of Finland, which continues until the end of 2026. At the University of Turku, INVEST operates in the Faculty of Social Sciences and the Faculty of Medicine. The co-operation will continue beyond 2026.

“The decision to consolidate the operations benefits both INVEST and the host organisations. It will enable the development and growth of research activities also in the future,” says the Director of the INVEST Flagship, Professor Jani Erola from the University of Turku.

“We have become one of the global leaders in the research field, and our reputation is excellent. These are strengths we need to utilise also in the future,” says Erola.

Dean of the Faculty of Social Sciences Elina Mainela-Arnold is also pleased with the decision.

“INVEST brings high quality research and teaching to the Faculty as well as strong expertise in promoting the societal impact of research. It will also strengthen the Faculty’s finances in a situation where the pressure to obtain external funding is constantly increasing.”

INVEST aims for economically and socially sustainable welfare state

INVEST Research Flagship Centre for Inequalities, Interventions and New Welfare State aims to provide a more equal, anticipatory and economically and socially sustainable welfare state model for Finland and other countries.

INVEST is funded by the flagship programme of the Research Council of Finland (€17.3 million in 2019–2026), the host organisations University of Turku and Finnish Institute for Health and Welfare, and many other external research funders, such as the European Research Council (ERC) and the US National Institutes of Health (NIH).

 

More information:
INVEST Director, Professor Jani Erola, University of Turku | +358 40 512 5286, jani.erola@utu.fi
Rector Marjo Kaartinen, University of Turku | +358 40 523 4722, marjo.kaartinen@utu.fi
Dean Elina Mainela-Arnold, Faculty of Social Sciences, University of Turku | +358 50 463 5719, elina.mainela-arnold@utu.fi