Academy of Finland Newsletter, December 2011
13.12.11
The Academy of Finland newsletter keeps you updated on leading-edge scientific research funded in Finland and on other news from the Finnish world of science and research. If you want us to send this to someone else in your organisation or if you do not want to receive these newsletters in the future, please let us know at viestinta@aka.fi.
Features:
Finland to draft science policy action programme
The Ministry of Education, Science and Culture is starting work to prepare an action programme for science policy in Finland. A programme for innovation policy will be drafted in parallel with this programme, under the Ministry of Employment and the Economy. Both programmes are expected to be completed by the end of 2012. At present, the Academy o f Finland is working on the next review of the state of science in Finland, which will also be completed in 2012. The results of the review will also benefit the action programmes and be used in updating the education, research and innovation policy and development proposals for the Government’s midterm review in 2013.
Finland and China scale up scientific collaboration
Finland and China have entered an agreement to strengthen their science collaboration. Signed on 30 November 2011 by the Chinese Minister of Science and Technology, Mr Wan Gang, and the Finnish Minister of Education and Science, Mr Jukka Gustafsson, the agreement is aimed at promoting the cooperation between Finnish and Chinese institutes of science and higher education, coordinating national collaboration in Finland, and establishing a firmer Finnish presence in China. At present, Finnish research, science and higher education institutes have active cooperation with Chinese partners. As defined by the new agreement, the next step is to establish a bilateral working group to draft a mutually beneficial roadmap on the various areas in which Finnish-Chinese science collaboration can be expanded.
Finnish-Indian projects in food biotechnology and nanomaterials given boost
Research collaboration between Finland and India will further strengthen in food biotechnology and nanomaterials research. The Academy of Finland and two Indian research funding organisations, the Department of Biotechnology (DBT) and the Department of Science and Technology (DST), have decided to fund three projects in food biotechnology and six projects in nanomaterials research. The projects to be funded are researching topics such as the origins and process of microbiota development, allergenic food ingredients, bioactive glasses and solar cell applications.
The Academy will fund joint projects in food biotechnology with a total of EUR 1.3 million and projects in nanomaterials research with some EUR 3 million. The Academy will fund the Finnish researchers and the DBT and the DST the Indian researchers within the projects. The aim is to support Finnish-Indian collaboration in food biotechnology and nanomaterials research. Another aim is to support researcher mobility and the creation and strengthening of research collaboration networks between Finland and India.
Academy of Finland joins Science Europe
The Board of the Academy of Finland has decided that the Academy will join Science Europe. The Academy has been an active member of the European Science Foundation (ESF) and will continue its active role in Science Europe. Founded in Berlin on 21 October 2011, Science Europe is an association of European research performing organisations and research funding organisations. Its first Board was elected for a two-year term.
Academy, Tekes and NSF invest EUR 3.7 million in wireless networks research
The Academy of Finland, Tekes – the Finnish Funding Agency for Technology and Innovation, and the US National Science Foundation (NSF) have made the decisions concerning a joint call in the field of wireless networks research. The total funding for research projects comes to EUR 3.7 million, of which the Academy’s contribution is EUR 950,000. With the exponential growth of wireless communication, existing telecommunication networks are unable to handle the increasing traffic. The funding is granted with a view to supporting the creation of renewed and more efficient networks.
The Academy’s funding goes to projects at Aalto University and the University of Oulu. Funding was awarded to a joint project between Aalto University and the University of California researching the design and optimisation of dynamic resource allocation and interference management strategies for efficient wireless networks. Another project to be funded is a joint venture between the University of Oulu and the University of Florida. The project is researching so-called Cognitive Capacity Harvesting networks, which can intelligently harvest network resources and enable or enhance user services with better quality. The University of Oulu also received funding for a joint project with the University of Maryland and Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute. The project investigates green wireless communication systems and spectrum efficiency. In addition, funding was awarded to a collaborative project between the University of Oulu, Aalto University, the University of Maryland and Northwestern University. The project focuses on fundamental principles of robust and secure secondary user communication in cognitive radio systems.
Tekes has made its own funding decisions.
EUR 40 million call to support Baltic Sea research
The joint Baltic Sea Research and Development Programme BONUS will open a call for proposals in the first half of 2012 worth EUR 40 million to support top Baltic Sea research and the pivotal role it can play in ensuring a better future for the region. The final call budget will depend on the outcome of the international evaluation of proposals. Half of the funding comes from national funding agencies of the Baltic Sea countries and the other half from the EU Seventh Framework Programme. The Academy of Finland is the Finnish funding agency participating in the call. The BONUS programme is set to open four other calls in 2012–2013, worth a maximum of EUR 60 million in total.
BONUS aims to improve and develop policy instruments through a multidisciplinary (incl. natural sciences, economics and social sciences) and multinational research programme for the entire Baltic Sea region. The underlying drivers include the sustainable development and resource management of European regional seas. The work is carried out in support of the implementation of the Baltic Marine Environment Protection Commission’s (known as the Helsinki Commission, or HELCOM) Baltic Sea Action Plan and integrated policy approaches adopted by the European Union, such as the Integrated Maritime Policy and the Marine Strategy Framework Directive.
Increased infrastructure funding
In 2012, the Academy of Finland will provide some EUR 6.5 million to projects included in the national research infrastructure roadmap. Four projects have been selected to receive funding: the Integrated Carbon Observation System (ICOS), the European Advanced Translational Research Infrastructure (EATRIS), the Biobanking and Biomolecular Resources Research Infrastructure (BBMRI) and the European Life Science Infrastructure for Biological Information (ELIXIR). In addition, the State Budget includes a total of EUR 4 million that has been set aside for RI funding. This money will also be distributed by the Academy. According to Markku Mattila, President of the Academy of Finland, this is evidence that the concerns voiced by the Finnish scientific community about the future state of Finnish RIs have been heard.
Obituary: Academician of Science P. Helena Mäkelä
Finnish Academician of Science, Professor Emerita P. Helena Mäkelä has died. Professor Mäkelä was awarded the honorary title of Academician of Science in 2003, and she was then the first Finnish woman to receive the title. At present, there are eleven Academicians of Science in Finland.
Academician Mäkelä began her research work in 1952 at the University of Helsinki Department of Serobacteriology. In 1959–1961, she studied at Stanford University under the supervision of Nobel-Prize winning geneticist Joshua Lederberg. When she returned to Finland from Stanford, she brought with her a new research field, microbial genetics, from which modern genetic engineering has emerged.
Academician Mäkelä’s position within the research in infectious diseases and clinical microbiology became significant not only in Finland but also internationally. In her research, Mäkelä combined methods from molecular biology and clinical and epidemiological research. The work that earned Academician Mäkelä and her research team most recognition and has had the greatest impact on public health is a series of clinical investigations that led to the development of new vaccines to prevent serious bacterial diseases.
Thank you for another year of successful collaboration
The Academy of Finland wants to offer its sincere thanks to its partners for active collaboration during the past year. 2011 has been a year full of intense cooperation with our key partner countries and organisations, but it has also involved many successful initiatives with new partners.
Our next newsletter will come out in January 2012.
Academy of Finland at a glance
The Academy’s objective is to promote scientific research of a high standard through long-term quality-based research funding, research and science-policy expertise, and efforts to strengthen the position of science and scientific research. In 2011, the Academy made decisions on research funding worth EUR 340 million. For more information, go to www.aka.fi/eng or send a message to maj-lis.tanner@aka.fi.
Photos: Academy of Finland, Pixmac.fi