The Science and Technology Policy Council of Finland issued in 1994 a recommendation urging the ministries to carry out international evaluations of all State research bodies within their respective branch of administration. Evaluations would serve to further improve the operational capacities of the institutes. The Ministry invited Professor Henry A. Regier from Canada, PHD Stellan F. Hamrin from Sweden, Professor Jon Swenson from Norway and Professor Ossi V. Lindqvist from Finland to carry out the evaluation. The Ministry also appointed a national support group, consisting of representatives from the principal client and reference groups of the Finnish Game and Fisheries Research Institute to assist the evaluation panel in its work.

This report is the result of the evaluation panel’s assignment. The Ministry wishes to express its gratitude to the evaluators for their work, which provides an excellent basis for the further development of the FGFRI, and which lays out a range of options for the future of the Institute. The possibilities of implementing the panel’s recommendations will be further examined. The Ministry also wishes to thank the members of the national support group and others who have helped the evaluation process. Finally, the Ministry wishes to extend its appreciation to the management and staff of the Finnish Game and Fisheries Research Institute for their efforts throughout the course of the evaluation.