Four Million Euros Cut From Rydman’s Social Work Research Budget Will Return to Social Work Research

Four million euros that the government had left unused in social work research funding will now go to the Academy of Finland for social work research, according to Helsingin Sanomat.

The decision came during this week’s budget session. In June, Social Affairs and Health Minister Wille Rydman announced that university-based social work research would receive only 4 million euros instead of the 8 million euros originally budgeted. He justified the reduction by citing the state’s poor finances.

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The unused 4 million euros in social work research funding will be allocated to the Academy of Finland in the 2026 supplementary budget.

The remaining 4 million euros will now be allocated to the Academy of Finland through the 2026 supplementary budget. In practice, money Rydman cut from social work research is being transferred elsewhere for the same purpose. The budget framework entry says the unused funding will be assigned to the Academy of Finland.

Science and Culture Minister Mari-Leena Talvitie decided that the additional Academy funding should target social work research, according to the newspaper. Floora Ruokonen, head of the Academy’s impact and science policy unit, confirmed that the agency had also learned of the funding as news and was awaiting further instructions on how it could be used.

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Undoubtedly, in a manner atypical for a minister, I asked to read the research plans of the projects mentioned and went through them. If I could not be convinced that a research project was justified given the prevailing state of public finances, I decided to reject the funding application.

Rydman’s approach to the original decisions has faced strong opposition in the university community. Several Finnish universities have said they will appeal rejected funding decisions to administrative courts. Rydman selected nine projects in June, although officials and peer reviewers had recommended funding for 18.

Rydman said he personally reviewed the research plans and rejected applications when he was not convinced they were justified under the country’s financial circumstances. Social Democratic? No, Kokoomus ministers criticized the decision. Social Security Minister Karoliina Partanen said the National Coalition Party did not accept Rydman’s reasoning and argued that the research community must remain free and independent. Rydman later said the funding decisions would not change.

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The research community must be free and independent. It now appears that Minister Rydman’s decisions do not follow these principles.