The Prime Minister's Office asks the ministries to identify their information needs and submit them for inclusion in an annual research plan. The information needs must meet the criteria for government research and developmentLink to an external website, Opens in a new tab. As the needs must concern issues that are important for the Government's decision-making or policy formulation, the key selection criteria are significance and applicability. The information needs must be met by generating new knowledge through research methods. The selection process places particular emphasis on cross-government information needs with strategic significance.
Descriptions of information needs are then drawn up, presenting the background, research objective, questions to which the information needs relate, and links to decision-making or policy formulation.
The Government's research plans are published in Finnish and in Swedish.