Research grants to FIIA
FIIA has been granted external research funding while the Finnish Journal of Foreign Affairs wins an award.
A research project on critical global and regional trends that may affect Finland’s international position in the next few years has been granted €260,000. The project is led by Director Teija Tiilikainen and coordinated by Eeva Innola.
FIIA will cooperate with University of Lapland and SYKE (the Finnish Environment Institute) on another research project focusing on the Finnish chairmanship of the Arctic Council. FIIA’s share of the €180,000 grant is €55,000. Harri Mikkola and Juha Käpylä will be participating in the project.
Both projects are funded by the Government’s Analysis, Assessment and Research Activities and will last until the end of 2018.
Activities in 2015
In her opening remarks at the annual FIIA Day seminar on March 3, Director Teija Tiilikainen summarised FIIA activities in 2015. FIIA organised almost 90 seminars last year either alone or in cooperation with international or national partners. For instance, FIIA continued to cooperate with the Office of the President of the Republic of Finland in organising Kultaranta Talks in June last year.
A record number of 58 publications were released in the FIIA publication series in 2015. In addition, FIIA researchers continued to publish widely in different national and international outlets. Among well over 150 external publications were 32 peer-reviewed academic articles, 6 books (published by Ashgate and Rowman & Littlefield, for example) and two PhD dissertations.
NATO evaluation
In accordance with the Government Programme, the effects of Finland’s possible NATO membership will be assessed in connection with the preparation of a Report on Finnish Foreign and Security Policy. Director Teija Tiilikainen and member of the FIIA Board René Nyberg take part in preparing the evaluation which is expected to be completed in May. Other experts appointed by the Ministry for Foreign Affairs are Ambassador (ret.) Mats Bergqvist and François Heisbourg, Chairman of the International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS) and of the Geneva Centre for Security Policy.
Upcoming vacancies
As the three-year research programme period is coming to an end this year, the majority of programme director and researcher positions will be declared open later this spring. Programme director positions will be declared open on 22 April and the deadline for applications will be 6 May. Researcher positions will be open from 29 April until 20 May.
Staff News
Senior Research Fellow Sinikukka Saari is on a leave of absence until January 2019. During this period, she will be working at the Unit for Policy Planning and Research at the Ministry for Foreign Affairs of Finland.
Michael Haltzel will return to FIIA’s Center on US Politics and Power in late April for a few weeks.
Programme Director Arkady Moshes was on a month-long visit at the Elliot School of International Relations, George Washington University, in Washington, D.C. He returned in mid-April.