Finnish institutes abroad

Finland has 16 cultural and scientific institutes abroad. The institutes are independent and mostly run by foundations and financed with discretionary state subsidies.

The foremost mission for the institutes is cultural exchange and cultural exports. Their aim is to promote Finnish culture, art and science in their target countries as widely as possible, especially among experts, and to promote cultural exchange and collaboration between Finland and the countries concerned, as well as research and education relating to their fields. Scientific institutes naturally emphasise research and science, but also organise cultural activities.

The Finnish cultural institutes are situated in Paris (est. 1990), London (1991), Copenhagen (1992), Antwerp (1993), St. Petersburg (1993), Tallinn (1994), Berlin (1994), Stockholm (1995), Madrid (1996), Oslo (1996) and Budapest (FinnAgora, 2003).

The scientific institutes are situated in Rome (est. 1954), Athens (1984), Tokyo (1998) and the Middle East (1994). The Middle Eastern institute has its office in Damascus.

The Foundation for the Finnish Cultural Institute in New York (previously the Finnish Foundation for the Visual Arts in the United States, est. 1989) promotes knowledge of Finnish culture, especially visual arts, in the United States.

In addition to the institutes abroad, there is a Swedish-Finnish Cultural Centre (est. 1975) in Hanasaari, Espoo, Finland, promoting cultural interaction between Finland and Sweden.