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The goal of the Urban Impact project is to support the development of the Helsinki Capital region in strategically significant themes, to produce research-based information and evaluations for use in urban decision-making, and to utilize data produced by cities themselves where possible, while also developing structures for research collaboration. 

This goal is advanced through annually funded research projects focusing on the Helsinki Capital region. The Urban Impact funding can be granted for research projects carried out at Aalto University or the University of Helsinki for up to two years. The cities are particularly interested in supporting new and experimental research approaches. Additionally, the cities wish for research projects to use the various types of numerical data produced by cities in their own activities. 

A total of around €400,000 is distributed each year. Decisions on funding allocation are made by a steering group consisting of representatives from the cities and universities, as well as urban research professionals. There are no restrictions on academic disciplines, but the Urban Impact funding emphasizes empirical policy evaluation, causal inference, and research conducted through randomized trials. 

Call for proposals

The research project call is organized annually in the autumn. The current call is now open for funding for the years 2026–2028. 

Funded themes

In the 2025 call for proposals, the Urban Impact project will allocate funding to two topical and significant thematic areas from the perspective of cities in the Helsinki metropolitan area: 

1. Urban Development Research 

Possible perspectives within the theme of urban development include, for example: 

• Development of residential areas: the impacts of urban renewal or other regional urban development policies.
• Effects of housing policy measures.
• Methods and impacts of infill development.
• Allocation and impacts of grants or project-based funding provided by cities.
• Impact assessment of the built environment. 
   

2. Employment Research 

Possible perspectives within the theme of employment include, for example: 

• Impacts of employment or retraining services.
• Impacts of services for clients in need of support.
• Impacts of work ability-enhancing services and related funding models.
• Impacts of immigration and integration policies or services. 

More information

Jari Järvenpää 
Secretary General 
+358 403 557 304 
jari.p.jarvenpaa@hel.fi 

Elli Luoma 
Planner
+358 401 869 392 
elli.luoma@hel.fi