The right funding and the right partners, faster
The RDI funding landscape is broad and fragmented. Business Finland, the Regional Vitality Centres, Horizon Europe and other EU programmes, as well as the ecosystems of Veturi companies, all offer opportunities, but finding the right instrument and the right partner takes time. SMEs in particular often lack the resources to follow funding calls on a continuous basis.
EVE brings this information together and makes it organisation-specific. The platform identifies each organisation’s expertise and goals and suggests funding calls and partners that match them.
Sitra’s RDI collaboration pilot in Vaasa
EnergyVaasa Excellence is a pilot funded by Sitra and carried out by Technology Centre Merinova within the EnergyVaasa energy cluster. The platform has been developed in three cycles together with pilot users. Feedback from each cycle has guided development in the next.
Participants include SMEs, Veturi companies, higher education institutions and third-sector organisations. Using the platform, those testing it find new funding opportunities, potential partners and university researchers who can help solve specific challenges.
AI suggests, experts verify
At the core of the platform is AI-assisted matching that compares an organisation’s profile with funding instruments and potential partners. Users can see why a particular call or partner is a good fit for them.
AI speeds up the work but does not replace the expert. Funding terms and aid intensities vary by type of organisation. That is why Merinova’s funding experts verify the recommendations before a company makes decisions based on them.
Bringing SMEs into the Veturi ecosystems
In Business Finland’s Veturi programmes, large companies build extensive research and development ecosystems together with smaller companies and research organisations. In the EVE project, Merinova brings the expertise of SMEs in Ostrobothnia to the attention of these ecosystems.
EVE helps organisations to:
- find national and EU funding instruments suited to their own situation
- identify partners among companies, universities and research institutes
- reach the ecosystems of Veturi companies and their partner searches
The platform is available to EnergyVaasa actors
The platform has been tested in the project among organisations in the EnergyVaasa cluster since May 2026. Since September, it has been used in a broader pilot.
Would you like your organisation to join the pilot?
Get in touch if you’d like to take part!
Project partners
