Kone Foundation’s support for BIOS continues: industrial policy for the sustainability transition will be a priority in the next funding period

Kone Foundation has awarded funding for 2026–30 to the BIOS research unit for research-driven promotion of the sustainability transition.

The €2 million funding consists of salary funding for eight BIOS researchers and other research expenses. 

“We will continue institutional experiments focusing on research-driven planning, and in particular on industrial policy for the sustainability transition,” says Paavo Järvensivu, PhD, Associate Professor of Environmental and Social Policy, researcher at BIOS. 

“The international security environment and the shift in political ideas require a renewal of environmental thinking, industry and consumption systems, and this renewal needs to be well coordinated,” Järvensivu outlines the priorities for the coming funding period.  

Founded in 2015, BIOS is an independent multidisciplinary research unit that studies the impact of environmental and resource factors on Finnish society – economy, politics, culture – and develops the anticipatory skills of citizens and decision-makers.

Kone Foundation has supported BIOS since its inception, and the research unit has also received project-specific funding from a variety of other sources. In addition to the Finnish academic community, it collaborates with international research institutions.  

In ten years, BIOS has established itself as a body that carries forward research-based knowledge on socio-ecological developments across quarter years and electoral terms.  
 
“BIOS’ work shows the benefits of combining expertise from the social sciences, environmental studies and the humanities. At the same time, BIOS’ ability to share research information with decision-makers and the rest of Finnish society has become increasingly important in the midst of a serious environmental crisis,” says Kalle Korhonen , Director of Funding at Kone Foundation.