The two-year FinCEAL pilot project aimed to enhance cooperation between research and science policy communities in Finland, Europe, Africa, and Latin America and the Caribbean by networking the Finnish research community and by supporting their participation in bi-regional research projects and science policy processes. FinCEAL was an initiative funded by the Finnish Ministry of Education and Culture and implemented by UniPID, the Finnish University Partnership for International Development. FinCEAL activities were focused on the following thematic areas, derived from the European Union's bi-regional science, technology and innovation policy processes: Africa – Food Security, Information Society, Health, Climate Change and Renewable Energy; LAC – ICT for Societal Challenges, Bioeconomy, Biodiversity and Climate Change, Renewable Energy and Health.

Team

Eva Kagiri, Kajsa Ekroos, Melissa Plath

The PRASDES Project develops sustainable services in the four participating National Meteorological and Hydrological Services (NMHSs) in the following five areas: 1. Weather, climate and hydrology data management systems 2. Climate and Water services production systems 3. Hydrological services production systems 4. Information and Communication systems 5. Financial sustainability of services

Team

In this project, we aim at developing a new theory for the new generation of electric power systems, also known as smart grids. Such a technology uses the information and communication technologies to exchange data within the grid, allowing for interactions between its elements as well as the humans who also play an important role. These interactions form a network structure among the diverse system elements based on fixed rules (e.g. physical laws) and adaptive relation rules guided by the available (estimated, filtered and/or processed) information (e.g. human behavior). Therefore, we need to go further than the simple analysis of the technology and thus we should include the human interactions with the power grid to have a proper picture of its dynamics.

Team

Pedro Nardelli, Florian Kühnlenz

The project between University of La Molina and University of Turku, Finland aims to improve the higher education on Food Sciences and to strengthen the research, development and innovation environment concerning sustainable utilization of indigenous food crops in Peru.

Team

Jaakko Korpela, Jukka-Pekka Suomela

Our work is related to the use of macroalgae as a renewable feedstock for the production of valuable chemicals and/or biofuels. Our goal is to select optimal processes in order to add value to marine biomass, which can lead the production of valuable chemicals and/or biofuels. In Finland we are focused on chemical treatments for algae, that mainly stand for deconstruction of the biomass matrix which can selectively separate carbohydrates, which consequently can be further processed for biofuels production. Chilean collaborators are mainly focused on biotechnological processes, on the development of new enzymes for degradation of algae carbohydrates and new microorganisms capable to ferment particular monomers into bioethanol.

Team

Ricardo Pezoa, Päivi Mäki-Arvela, Jyri-Pekka Mikkola

The HEI-ICI project (between Pontificia Universidad Católica del Perú and University of Helsinki) aims at developing a national systematic and validated quality model for teacher's in-service training in Higher Education Institutions in Peru. The second aim of the project is to enhance the network of universities in Peru (RPU) in educational development and in providing in-service training for teachers and pedagogical teaching companions (acompañantes pedagógicos) to finally empower educators of all levels with a special attention to the children among indigenous people.

Team

Dr Jari Lavonen, Dr Heidi Krzywacki, MA Päivi Virtanen, Dr Arja Haapakorpi, Dr Juan Carlos Llorente, MA Patricia Escobar Cáceres, Dr Carmen Diaz Bazo

The present ALCUE NET proposal (Latin America, Caribbean and European Union Network on Research and Innovation) outlines a Research and Innovation policy support project aimed at supporting the international Science, Technology and Innovation (STI) dimension of the Europe 2020 Strategy and Innovation Union Flagship Initiative. It will do so by promoting bi-regional and bilateral partnerships for jointly societal challenges, working to develop the attractiveness of Europe in the world, and by promoting the establishment of a level-playing field in Research and Innovation. Additionally it will also work to reinforce the external dimension of the European Research Area (ERA), enhance the cooperation of EU Member States and Associated Countries with third countries in the Framework Programme, contribute to the implementation of the Strategic European Framework for International STI Cooperation and of the initiatives of the Strategic Forum for International Cooperation (SFIC).

Team

Maria Lima Toivanen

BRASINOEU is a Marie Curie Action inside the IRSES program (International Research Staff Exchange Scheme). The scope of this project is to address issues related to the safety of engineered nanomaterials (ENM) and nanotechnologies, and to assure the implementation of safety in ENM design and the development of applications incorporating ENM. The goals are reached through joint activities of an international team with a proven expertise in material science and toxicology and capable of facing the complex issues of toxicity of ENM. Through the exchange of Early and Experienced Researchers from Europe and Brazil and China we can reach a global approach, also highly important when aiming at achieving international standards on safety of ENM. The complementarity of the groups involved in the project will help to develop new professional and scientific horizontal connections through the global exchange of researchers, who will be trained in complementary disciplines and learn a variety of techniques necessary to address the complex issues of the interaction of ENM with biological matter and tools for the design of ENM and devices incorporating them

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Kai Savolainen, Harri Alenius, Hannu Norppa, Julia Catalan (and other researches from the Nanosafety Research Centre at FIOH).

This project will reinforce the Finnish development objectives of evolving towards a more inclusive green economy and sustainability. Also in line with the objectives of Finnish development cooperation, our project will directly contribute to the achievement of some of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), which are strongly supported by the Government of Venezuela. In case of environmental sustainability (MDG 7), this project will support the improvement in the competencies of future foresters, as well as the raised awareness on environmental issues among people. This will have an impact on a better management of forests and therefore a possible reduction of deforestation rates.

Team

Sari Pitkänen, Osvaldo Encinas, Javier Arevalo Pardo de Donlebun, Calkin Suero Montero, Jarkko Suhonen