Combining excellence in science and societal impact

INVEST has deliberately focused on aligning cutting-edge science with societal needs. By strategically using funding instruments, we have opened up new research avenues that are both scientifically significant and socially relevant.

Our funding portfolio reflects success in highly competitive national and international arenas:

  • European Research Council (ERC):
    • 2 Starting Grants (DWELL, SHADES, 2024)
    • 2 Advanced Grants (CHALLENGE, DIGIPARENT)
    • a Proof-of-Concept grant (2023).
  • EU Horizon Europe: three ongoing projects (Jani Erola, André Sourander, Kirsi Peltonen).
  • EU4H: Let’s Talk about Children (Kirsi Peltonen).
  • NordForsk: two projects (Mia Hakovirta, André Sourander).
  • Rockwool Foundation: NORDPARENT (Jessica Nisén).
  • Research Council of Finland: 10 different grants, including Academy Research Fellows, Academy Projects, Proof-of-Concept and research infrastructure funding.
  • Strategic Research Council (SRC): three projects (FLUX, NetResilience, SustAgeable).
  • Domestic funders: Ministry of Social Affairs and Health, cities and other actors.

In 2024, ERC awarded two new Starting Grants:

  • DWELL (PI Sarah Malamut) explores how young people cope with bullying and how peer support helps.
  • SHADES (PI Tiina Turunen) examines the underlying mechanisms of bullying and how different types of bullies adjust after school.

These projects complement Prof. Christina Salmivalli’s CHALLENGE (ERC Advanced Grant), which has advanced understanding of why some interventions fail and even developed a mobile tool to improve targeted anti-bullying interventions. Prof. André Sourander’s DIGIPARENT is the first population-based study on the long-term effects of digitally-assisted parent training, combining epigenetic data, AI personalisation and register linkages.

The Horizon Europe projects (Jani Erola, André Sourander, Kirsi Peltonen) address inequality and resilience, while NordForsk and Rockwool Foundation support Nordic cooperation in child and family wellbeing research.

The three SRC-funded projects (FLUX, PI Marika Jalovaara; NetResilience, PI Antti O. Tanskanen; SustAgeable, PI Maria Vaalavuo) were renewed in 2024, and INVEST also joined the JUST TRANSITION consortium (Co-PI Elina Kilpi-Jakonen) on sufficiency solutions for a resilient and just green transition.