Year 2024: Sitra underwent a major reform – focus returns to accelerating Finland’s sustainable growth

Sitra’s mission is to help Finland renew itself, promote well-being and accelerate sustainable economic growth. These goals are outlined in Sitra’s new strategy confirmed in June 2024.

“The pursuit of sustainable economic growth was reinstated as Sitra’s core mission and placed at the centre of all our activities. We immediately began to prepare significant new initiatives to understand and influence Finland’s long-term growth prospects,” says Sitra’s President Atte Jääskeläinen.

In 2024, Sitra returned to research and development topics. Our experts coordinated dialogue on the development of Finland’s national research, development and innovation system, and on the country’s strategic choices in collaboration with the Research and Innovation Council.

Meanwhile, pilot projects carried out with ministries and wellbeing services counties demonstrated that the productivity of public administration can be improved using artificial intelligence. Three ministries tested AI tools to support legislative drafting, and three wellbeing services counties piloted AI-assisted patient documentation in social welfare and healthcare – a task that may currently take up more than three hours of a physician’s working day. The results were promising, and the projects will continue in wellbeing services counties in 2025 with further funding from the Ministry of Social Affairs and Health.

In autumn 2024, Sitra launched a new project to fund AI-driven measures to improve public sector productivity, with the aim of identifying key development needs and enabling rapid action in collaboration with partners.

A study commissioned by Sitra also revealed that nearby nature provides potential annual benefits worth hundreds of millions of euros – an opportunity that should be harnessed for a public good. The study was carried out by the Natural Resources Institute Finland (Luke) and the Finnish Institute for Health and Welfare (THL). Among nature’s benefits is its important role in preventing and treating depression and type 2 diabetes.

“In collaboration with others, we are seeking bold and forward-looking solutions to serious challenges facing Finland. When such solutions are found, we will focus on scaling them into significant societal changes,” Jääskeläinen describes Sitra’s goals after the reform.

In the autumn of 2024, Sitra prepared several funding calls which were launched in early 2025. The aim of the funding calls is to support pilot projects, innovations and research conducted by other actors, thus helping Finland reform.

Focusing on the future, acting here and now

Sitra strengthened its internationally recognised foresight team, which will play a greater role in developing the national foresight network. The goal is to provide future knowledge to all Finns and support its practical use – particularly in decision-making. In 2024, Sitra’s foresight experts focused on broad security issues, alternative economic scenarios and challenges related to the well-being of children and young people.

In collaboration with municipalities and wellbeing services counties, Sitra promoted promising democratic innovations. In 2023 and 2024, a total of 14 citizen panels and 32 constructive online discussions were held across Finland. The discussion were held via the Polis platform, and around 12,000 residents have already contributed their views to decision-making in their wellbeing services county. 

As part of the strategic reform, Sitra’s international activities were organised in a separate unit aiming to secure the majority of its funding from abroad. These widely respected international efforts continue to focus on Sitra’s areas of expertise, such as sustainability and the use of health data at the European level.

One example is the EU Circular Economy Resource Centre (EU CERC), coordinated by Sitra and launched in early 2025. The centre provides circular economy expertise to countries in the Global South and creates new opportunities for Finnish companies developing circular economy solutions and technologies. This work is closely linked to the World Circular Economy Forum (WCEF) initiated by Sitra.

Independent assessment of Sitra’s work – findings reflected in the new strategy

In 2024, two independent consulting firms, 4Front and Owal Group, conducted an assessment of Sitra’s role and strategic position. The evaluation concluded that the need for Sitra’s future-focused work is greater than it has been in a long time. Areas for development included the ability to drive fundamental societal change and enhance agility. The recommendations have been largely incorporated in Sitra’s new strategy.

Sitra’s annual report and financial statements for 2024 are published in Finnish, Swedish and English. In connection with them, Sitra is publishing its purchase invoices and project expenditure for the past three years (2022–2024).