Funding from the Research Council of Finland for developing sustainable energy solutions and conducting clinical research at Tampere University
The Research Council of Finland’s Subcommittee for Thematic Research has made funding decisions on four thematically targeted funding calls.
Professor Pertti Järventausta, Professor Leena Mikkola and Professor Kaisa Väänänen from Tampere University received grants totalling €666,464 for projects exploring sustainable energy solutions.
The project titled “Citizens’ behaviour change towards sustainable energy transition through social interactions” (CETSI), led by Professor Järventausta, aims to promote fair and effective energy transition by empowering citizens to assume an active role within the energy system. This project examines how motivation, social interaction and digital tools can advance sustainable energy behaviours and build trust in the energy market.
CETSI combines expertise in energy systems, communication and digital design to develop transparent pricing models, inclusive digital applications and communicative practices that support citizens’ energy literacy and resilience. The findings will enhance our society’s ability to meet defined climate targets through citizen-centred and socially sustainable innovations. The project partner is the VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland.
In the clinical research category, Professor Heikki Hyöty and Professor Katri Lindfors received €504,753 for their project “Reducing Type 1 Diabetes and Celiac Disease Burden through Screening and Early Prevention” (RESET Autoimmunity). This project aims to reduce type 1 diabetes and celiac disease through improved screening and early prevention strategies.
Type 1 diabetes and celiac disease are common autoimmune diseases that can be detected by a blood test. The RESET Autoimmunity project will develop and validate models for predicting the risk of developing these diseases. In addition, the project participants will aim to identify effective prevention strategies, develop individualised risk profiles and pilot population-based screening. The project will support the ongoing shift from reactive diagnosis to proactive, improved risk-based care.
The RESET Autoimmunity project is coordinated by the Wellbeing Services County of Pirkanmaa (PIRHA) and involves Tampere University and Helsinki University Hospital.
Funding to strengthen R&D in wellbeing services counties
In addition, the Research Council of Finland awarded funding for research on forest biomass and for promoting R&D activities and collaboration among the wellbeing services counties in Finland. In the latter category, researchers from Tampere University will participate in two projects.
The FRAIL-CARE project aims to improve the identification of frailty by validating an AI-based electronic frailty index (eFI) to enable automated frailty screening to support risk stratification and care planning in older adults undergoing oncological and surgical care.
The second project, titled “PRIMA P4 Center: A paradigm shift towards predictive and personalised prevention in Finnish healthcare”, will introduce a new, groundbreaking approach to health and wellbeing in Finland.
A list of all the funded projects is available on the Research Council of Finland’s website
