Academy of Finland Newsletter, January 2011
The Academy of Finland newsletter will keep you updated on high-quality scientific research funded in Finland and on other news from the Finnish world of science and research. In case you wish 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:
Academy of Finland adopts new strategy
A new strategy adopted by the Board of the Academy of Finland underlines the Academy’s role as the leading source of funding for scientific research in Finland. The Academy is committed to maintaining its role as an active and major force in the Finnish research and innovation system and to having a strong voice in influencing international science policy. The new strategy involves three objectives: enhancing the quality and impact of research, strengthening the position of scientific research in the Finnish research and innovation system, and strengthening the international position and impact of Finnish science.
The Academy will reach its objective to enhance the quality and impact of research by promoting research that is both of high international quality and ethically sound, through the establishment of internationally attractive research environments, and the discovery of new scientific breakthroughs, and by supporting research that seeks new multidisciplinary and interdisciplinary subjects and approaches.
To reach its objective to strengthen the position of scientific research in the Finnish research and innovation system, the Academy is committed to enhancing the contribution of high-level scientific research to development aimed at new innovations, and putting to the best possible use, both in public decision-making and in business and industry, the results and expertise from the research it has funded. The Academy is also committed to strengthening welfare, education, culture and economic competitiveness.
The Academy will reach its objective to strengthen the international position and impact of Finnish science by emphasising the role of scientific research in resolving the grand challenges facing humankind and contributing actively to the building of the European Research Area in key areas of research strength. The Academy is also committed to providing opportunities for Finnish researchers to collaborate with international colleagues with a view to enhancing the quality and impact of research.
Academy’s five-country science policy comparison
The Academy of Finland has reviewed the research- and science-policy measures carried out in the 2000s by five countries comparable with Finland: Denmark, Ireland, the Netherlands, Norway and Switzerland. The study shows that these countries have been successful in their research efforts because they have throughout the 2000s actively and consistently developed the preconditions and instruments for their research. Finland has done this but does not play a leading role and is not a model country in this respect.
The basic question explored for the report “Research Policy: Tools and Practices: A Five-Country Comparison” was: What have these five countries done better than Finland, or what key measures with positive impacts on scientific performance has Finland neglected or failed to implement?
The background for the study was the national and international evaluations conducted in the past few years, which have indicated that the relative quality of Finnish scientific research has not improved in the 2000s as expected. Several small European countries – such as Denmark, Ireland and Norway – have outstripped Finland and certain leading-edge countries in science – e.g. the Netherlands and Switzerland – have further increased their lead over Finland. The conclusion of the present report is that Finland has not updated its science policy since the early 2000s, when Finnish science made rapid progress and approached the international forefront. The report also shows that the countries seem to carry out – or at least try out – measures adopted by a forerunner country, even if there is no strong evidence of their impacts.
A press release and a Power Point presentation of the main graphics are available at www.aka.fi/eng > Science in society > Evaluation of research > The state and quality of scientific research in Finland. The report is only in Finnish.
Finnish research infrastructures receive substantial funding
The Academy of Finland has provided some EUR 26 million in funding for Finnish research infrastructures. The projects to be funded are large-scale facilities prioritised and regarded scientifically significant by universities and research institutes. Within the Academy’s 2010 infrastructure call, funding was granted to a total of 26 projects; 17 of these are associated with a European-level survey, the ESFRI roadmap, or with the Finnish roadmap that mapped out the research infrastructure needs vital to Finland.
One of the funded infrastructure projects, the ICOS (Integrated Carbon Observation System) project, is an integrated European research infrastructure that consists of national measurement stations. It will produce long-term, unified, precise and quality-controlled greenhouse gas time series to meet the needs of research and emission monitoring and mitigation. Finland has applied for the establishment of the headquarters of the European ICOS project in Finland.
The Biomedinfra project of the University of Helsinki received funding for building infrastructures focusing on three related pillars: developing improved biobanking infrastructures for biomedical research and discovery; high-performance computing infrastructure for facilitating next-generation biomedical data analysis needs; and translational infrastructure to facilitate future clinical and industrial benefits, focusing on the application of biobanks to advance diagnostics and personalised medicine. Biomedinfra is a consortium of three Finnish organisations included in the ESFRI project and listed in the national roadmap for research infrastructures.
The Finnish Social Science Data Archive (FSD) was granted funding for construction costs. FSD archives and disseminates national and international digital research data for the scientific community. FSD is also involved in ESFRI work.
Furthermore, Micronova, a joint research centre of Aalto University and VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland for R&D on micro- and nanotechnology, was granted funding both for improving electron beam lithography (EBL) and for atomic layer deposition of metals (metal-ALD). EBL is used for a number of cutting-edge research projects, which may lead, or have already led to, scientific breakthroughs such as the quantum metrological triangle and single-electron-based realisation of the unit ampere, graphene as a quantum nanomechanical element, and carbon nanotube memory devices. The ALD reactor is aimed at depositing conductive, metallic thin films by plasma enhanced ALD.
Preparations for the joint Baltic Sea research programme concluded in Finland
Earlier this month, more than 90 leading actors of Finnish marine and maritime research endorsed a set of key Baltic Sea research and development activities for the coming years. These will be considered in the development of the Strategic Research Agenda of BONUS. The BONUS research programme of EUR 100 million will generate practical solutions, specifically tailor-made for the Baltic Sea, for the protection of the Sea and proposals for steering measures.
The key research priorities emerging from the Finnish contribution include maritime security and safety; political and social interaction; sustainable spatial planning; the function and structure of ecosystems, and clean shipping; and marine and coastal ecosystem good and services. Three competitive BONUS calls will take place during 2012–2016 with each call covering 2–3 themes that will serve as a basis for multidisciplinary, multinational research consortia and their projects.
In March 2011, representatives of all Baltic Sea countries will convene to continue the country-specific preparations at regional level. After this workshop, a more detailed programme will be approved in summer 2011. The first BONUS call will be launched in winter 2012. Results from the BONUS+ pilot projects are expected in late 2011.
Academy Professor Ilkka Hanski receives the Crafoord Prize
Academy Professor Ilkka Hanski from the University of Helsinki, Faculty of Biological and Environmental Sciences, has been awarded the ‘mini’ Nobel, the Crafoord Prize of the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences. The prize worth SEK 4 million is one of the largest scientific prizes in the world. This is the first time the prize is awarded to a researcher from a Nordic country.
“The Crafoord Prize shows the high international level of Finnish research in ecology and environmental science. I hope this recognition will inspire all researchers in Finland and promote the continuous development of both basic and applied research in the field,” says Hanski. The prize was granted for developing approaches, concepts and methods facilitating ecology research. Ecologists throughout the world utilise models developed by Hanski when they study how life forms survive in fragmented habitats.
Academy Professor Hanski leads the Finnish Centre of Excellence (CoE) in Metapopulation Research, which is concerned to research both empirically and theoretically the ecological and evolutionary consequences of fragmentation from molecular level to landscape level. Habitat fragmentation is often caused by human activity and therefore research results are also needed in regional land use planning and nature conservation. The CoE is a multidisciplinary group involving researchers from the fields of molecular biology, mathematics and computer science. The unit was appointed as an Academy of Finland Centre of Excellence in Research for the period 2000–2005 and again from 2006 to 2011.
Finns appointed to prominent science positions
Professor Marja Makarow, Chief Executive of the European Science Foundation (ESF), has been appointed Vice Chair of the European Research Area Board (ERAB). ERAB assists the European Commission in developing, promoting and evaluating policy initiatives and actions to meet the goals of the European Research Area (ERA). ERAB consists of 22 high-level experts from academia, business and industry.
According to Makarow, the most topical task for ERAB is to influence the content of the next EU Framework Programme for research, to increase the FP budget from the current EUR 50 billion and to cut down on the bureaucracy associated with the programme.
Academy Professor Mart Saarma from the University of Helsinki has been appointed a member of the Scientific Council of the European Research Council (ERC). His term of office runs from 2 February 2011 to the end of 2013. ERC plays a key role in funding researcher-driven cutting-edge research and implementing a new Innovation Union on the basis of the initiative launched by the European Commission. By developing knowledge-based investments and promoting the application of research knowledge, the Innovation Union initiative is aimed at breaking new ground for growth in Europe.
Professor Aila Lauha awarded Honorary Doctorate by Lund University
Professor Aila Lauha has been invited as Honorary Doctor by Lund University, Sweden. Professor Lauha is Chair of the Academy of Finland’s Research Council for Culture and Society and member of the Academy Board. The selection was based on Professor Lauha’s merits as a scholar of Nordic and European church history, as a supervisor and driving force of research and her long-term collaboration with the Faculty of Theology at Lund University.
Search on for the winner of the Millennium Technology Prize 2012
Awarded every second year, the Millennium Technology Prize is given to a technological innovation that significantly improves the quality of human life and supports sustainable development. Nominations will be accepted until 31 July 2011. The Prize will be awarded for the fifth time in summer 2012. Finnish awards of distinction to innovators in the technology sector will be presented to a research team or to one, two or three people whose work has played a decisive role in the development of a new technological innovation. Nominations can be made by scientific societies, universities, research institutes, companies and associations. Potential candidates cannot nominate themselves.
Eligible nominations will be examined by the International Selection Committee (ISC), a distinguished network of leading Finnish and international scientists and technologists. Innovations selected for the final part of the selection process will be announced in spring 2012. The final decision regarding the awards is made by the Board of Technology Academy Finland on the basis of the ISC’s proposal. The Millennium Technology Prize is awarded by Technology Academy Finland. The awards for the laureates and the grand prize winner will be presented in Helsinki in June 2012. The President of the Republic of Finland is patron of the Millennium Technology Prize.
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 makes decisions on research funding worth EUR 340 million. Each year about 5,000 people benefit from Academy research funding. For more information, go to www.aka.fi/eng or send a message to maj-lis.tanner@aka.fi.