Materials Research and Structures Research, MATRA (1994-2000)

Objectives
Materials research and structural research are crucially important to the process of re-industrialisation. The objective of the research programme was to bring together the efforts and the expertise of research teams working in different fields and in this way to take advantage of the resulting synergy benefits in what has become a rapidly expanding field of study.

Themes
The projects in this programme were concerned in studying biomaterials, new materials, information processing methods, polymers, macromolecules, metals, wood and paper, nanostructures, thin films, surface processes and semiconductors.

The programme had a wide field of applications. On the basis of its findings new materials can be developed for use in medicine, electronics, the process industry and polymer technology. Examples are provided by biodegradable materials that are used in the treatment of bone fractures and tissue damage as well as new catalyst materials used in the production of polymers. The electronics industry was expected to benefit from the work that was done to develop production methods for microelectronics and nanotechnology materials.

Extent
The programme comprised a total of 33 projects involving several research teams. The organisations involved included virtually all the country's universities with research in mathematics and the natural sciences, medicine and technology, as well as the Technical Research Centre VTT.

Funding
Academy of Finland funding for the programmes totaled around EUR 20.2 million. The National Technology Agency supported the programme's nanotechnology component.

Duration
1994-2000

Evaluation
MATRA_Materials and Structure Research Evaluation.pdf