Sitra opens a funding call to accelerate the use of AI in social and health care services

AI offers new opportunities that free up social and health care professionals’ time from administrative and repetitive tasks for more important duties, such as seeing people face-to-face. AI has been helping to automate patient data entry and interpret meetings. Moreover, AI can be used to assist in guiding clients to the right services.

In 2024, Sitra funded several AI pilots implemented in cooperation between wellbeing services counties and businesses. The pilots produced good results: for instance, AI-assisted logging of patient data helped to speed up professionals’ work and freed time for interaction with the patient.

There is already plenty of experience in using AI as part of social and health care services. AI has been tested in over 200 projects in the wellbeing services counties.

With the funding call now opened (in Finnish), Sitra wants to accelerate the transition from individual pilots to scaling AI solutions.

“After valuable pilots, a determined transition is needed from successful trials to production and wider dissemination – both within and between wellbeing services counties. Scaling solutions is a significant, a separate investment where the focus shifts from technical development to changing operating models. It requires training, communication, integration, implementation support and impact assessment, as well as close cooperation with suppliers,” emphasises Sasa Kivisaari, Senior Lead at Sitra.

When new technology is smartly adopted on a large scale, the productivity of social and health care services can be improved. In practice, this means services can be organised cost-effectively while simultaneously improving care quality and citizens’ well-being.

Scalability and ability to renew operational models are key

The funding call is targeted at projects that expand the use of AI solutions already proven to work in social and health care services.

Sitra requires that the solution has been piloted in at least one organisation, and its benefits – such as working time savings or cost-efficiency – have been verified.

Central to this is the scalability of the solution and the ability to renew operational models in the long term. Projects are required to have a clear plan for embedding the solution into daily life and measuring the impact on productivity. The goal is to automate routines and free up professionals’ time for actual client work.

One million euros available for projects demonstrating impact

The funding call is aimed at consortia formed by wellbeing services counties, the HUS Group and the City of Helsinki or one of these organisations scaling solutions internally.

A total of approximately 1,000,000 euros is available in the call. Funding can be granted to a maximum of five projects. One project can receive up to one million euros. Sitra’s funding share is at most 50 percent of the total costs of the project.

Sitra requires funded projects to have a clear plan on how the solution changes current processes and procedures and how it remains part of normal operations after the funding period.

More detailed information on the funding call and application instructions are gathered on the funding call page (in Finnish). Applications must be submitted to Sitra’s electronic service by 27 February 2026.

The funding call is part of Sitra’s broader effort aiming, together with partners, for a significant improvement in public sector productivity using data and AI.

In addition to the funding call now opened, Sitra has launched a long-term call seeking breakthrough reforms that significantly improve public sector productivity. These refer to reforms that utilise data and AI, with immediate productivity benefits of at least 10 million euros and benefits scalable to at least ten times that amount.