Research projects 18

  • Head of research Professor Sari Havu-Nuutinen
  • Language n/a

This was an education programme where we trained Namibian students to master-level in primary education.

Team

  • Head of research Saila Saaristo
  • Language n/a

This study explores inequalities in access to housing. In the light of the premise "Leave no one behind", the case study on occupations and struggle against evictions in social housing estates of Lisbon metropolitan area (LMA) draws the attention to the groups of population that are excluded from access to housing. In particular, gendered and racialised aspects of housing exclusions are examined. In addition, the role of civil society in contesting housing exclusion is analysed.

Team

Saila-Maria Saaristo

The CRECE project, coordinated by the Finland Futures Research Centre, supports Cuba in the provision of regionally relevant multidisciplinary education in sustainable energy engineering and renewable energy development. This is done in order to ensure that Cuban higher education institutions (HEIs) are better equipped and able to provide high-quality experts for the ever-growing societal and energy sector development needs. The Cuban energy sector is undergoing a state-led transformation. So far, this “Energy Revolution” has improved energy efficiency but harnessing renewable energy (RE) resources is still lagging far behind. In order to attract investors, meet the government's RE targets, and reduce CO2 emissions and environmental pollution from fossil fuels, Cuba needs national expertise and experts in RE development. CRECE answers this call by training skilled experts and enabling cross-sectoral and regional cooperation possibilities. Cuban partners will be better equipped to conduct international-level energy related research and provide sustainable energy experts to the growing labour market needs.

Team

Noora Vähäkari, Mika Korkeakoski, Osku Haapasaari, Jyrki Luukkanen

In this project, solar concentrating power production systems and technologies are developed. The focus is on new innovations to bring this solar technology closer to commercialisation. A new type of concentrator, the so-called beam-down 2-stage concentrator, has been developed. It can be equipped with an integrated thermal (high-temperature) storage to provide dispatchable power operation. Up to 40% solar conversion efficiency can be reached.

Team

Wang Jun, Song Yang, Wang Jiangping

Mainstreaming Populism in the 21st Century is a research consortium funded by the Academy of Finland. It is based on collaboration between media and communication studies, as well as political science and political theory researchers at the universities of Helsinki, Jyväskylä and Turku. The research consortium explores different forms of mainstreaming of populism in Europe and the Americas in the 21st century. The project will analyse how populist parties have become part of the mainstream, how other parties have coloured their policies increasingly with a populist streak and how different mainstreaming forms of populism have transformed public debate, the media and democracy in various polities. One of the country case studies in the project focuses on Venezuela. This sub project is conducted by Salojärvi.

Team

The project seeks to increase Mozambican research capacity on forestry, sustainable natural resource and land-use planning considering different aspects of impacts (ecological, social and economic). In addition to joint teaching activities, it includes collaborative research on environmental and socio-economic aspects of forestry and natural resources management. The fieldwork activities take place in Manica and Zambézia Provinces.

Team

Almeida Sitoe, Valério Macandza, Ana Monteiro, Luis Cristovão, Elisa Vallius, Anssi Lensu, Irmeli Mustalahti

Building on the successes and outcomes of the previous FinCEAL and FinCEAL Plus projects, the FinCEAL Plus Continuation project aimed to provide strategic support to enhance the cooperation between research and science policy communities in Finland, Europe, Africa, Asia, and Latin America and the Caribbean. The specific objectives of the project were to: 1. Strengthen Finnish participation in the EU STI policy dialogues with the target regions; 2. Support Finnish participation in joint research projects with partners from the target regions; 3. Enable Finnish expertise and know-how to be better known in the target regions; and 4. Gather and disseminate information on Finnish cooperation towards the regions within Finland as well as new cooperation possibilities with the target regions.

Team

Eva Kagiri, Kajsa Ekroos, Jarkko Mutanen, Melissa Plath

LEAP-Agri is a joint Europe Africa Research and Innovation (R&I) initiative related to Food and Nutrition Security and Sustainable Agriculture (FNSSA). 30 partners, including 24 Ministries and Funding Agencies (Group of Funders) from 18 European and African countries decide to join their forces and funding to build an ERA-Net Cofund project with a financial support of the European Commission. The project has two pillars, (i) funding R&I projects on FNSSA, and (ii) Feeding the long-term EU- AU partnership on FNSSA.

Team

Melissa Plath

The objective of Finland's national bioeconomy strategy is to facilitate economic growth and to create new jobs in bioeconomy-based business. Next to technological knowhow and willingness to innovate, firms aspiring to transition to more sustainable materials and technologies need the ability to identify new business opportunities. Courage and commitment to persevere in seizing these uncertain opportunities, and tolerating the uncertainty and the possibility of failure in pursuing them, are equally important. Therefore, the decision to transition to the bioeconomy involves both rational and emotional elements.

Team

Teemu Kautonen Aalto University, Henri Hakala, University of Vaasa, Katariina Salmela-Aro, University of Jyväskylä

The aim of the BIOBM project is to investigate the transition to the bioeconomy as a profound change in production and usage, as well as in doing business and consumption. The study is driven by the social, ecological and economic considerations of a sustainable bioeconomy which call for rethinking how we define and utilize resources, how value is created in a networked world and how the circular processes of bio-based and other material flows connect in novel ways. Our aim is to identify the characteristics of successful business models of born globals for a sustainable bioeconomy.

Team

Mika Gabrielsson, Saara Julkunen, Emma Incze, Sara Fraccastoro, Jouni Pykäläinen, Päivi Pelli, Anu Laakkonen