University of Eastern Finland to appeal funding decision if ministry does not reverse it

The University of Eastern Finland will take its rejected funding application to the administrative court unless the Ministry of Social Affairs and Health reverses a decision by Minister Wille Rydman (Finns Party) to deny grants to nine research projects, the university announced. The University of Turku is also considering legal action.

Rydman’s June decision contradicted expert recommendations. In an email to Yle on Thursday, he stated he had not seen the peer-review scores for the applications.

The affected universities have filed requests for rectification with the ministry. Rector Tapio Määttä of the University of Eastern Finland stressed that under the Social Welfare Act, funding decisions must be based on expert peer review.

“Top-tier projects have been left unfunded. This clearly contradicts the intent of the Social Welfare Act,” Määttä said.

He added that the Chancellor of Justice should also examine the legality of the decision-making process. Yle has learned that nine complaints have been submitted to the Chancellor of Justice.

Antti Pajala, chair of the Finnish Union of University Researchers and Professors, said Rydman’s actions could be explained in one of two ways: either the minister attempted to assess complex research plans without sufficient expertise, or the move was a deliberate political provocation to gain visibility.

“If this had involved, say, bridge load calculations, would Rydman have gone public to say he wasn’t convinced by them?” Pajala asked.

He argued that while Rydman’s actions may be politically permissible under Finland’s parliamentary system, they represent an attempt to interfere with academic freedom—a trend seen internationally, with the US as an extreme example.

“The scientific community must react allergically whenever there is an attempt to interfere with the freedom of science. If you don’t stand up for your own cause, no one else will,” Pajala said.

The Ministry of Social Affairs and Health told Yle on Thursday that it will prioritise the rectification requests, though the summer holidays may delay decisions until August.