Sitra, the Finnish Innovation Fund, is a public foundation and future-oriented think tank based in Helsinki. It operates under the supervision of the Finnish Parliament and has a mandate set in law: to promote Finland’s stable and balanced development, economic growth, education and research, and international competitiveness. In practice, Sitra combines analysis, pilot projects, funding, and policy work.
Its mission today is framed around improving wellbeing and supporting economic growth within the limits of the planet’s carrying capacity. That broad mandate is reflected in a portfolio that spans circular economy, data policy, public-sector renewal, democratic resilience, climate and low-carbon solutions, and foresight. Sitra does not limit itself to reports: it also runs experiments, funds testbeds, develops tools, organises training, and convenes public and private actors around national reform.
The organisation has become particularly visible in Finland’s circular economy work, where it helped shape a national roadmap process that has been presented internationally as a policy model. More recently, its work has included the Roadmap for a Fair Data Economy, the Virtual Finland testbed, Gaia-X Suomi coordination, and the Green to Scale approach for scaling proven low-carbon solutions. On its current agenda, Sitra is also supporting Finland’s growth conditions through Kasvuatlas 2026, and it is running initiatives on trust and societal security, democratic innovation, and the use of artificial intelligence in public administration.
Sitra’s geographic focus is primarily national, but its activities connect Finland to wider European debates and initiatives, especially in digital policy, competitiveness, and public-sector reform.