The Finnish Research Impact Foundation has awarded funding to support four professors’ research projects that tap into the data and expertise of their corporate partners. The grant recipients include both established professors and newcomers to the Finnish research funding system. The idea behind the new TIA Seed funding initiative is to facilitate the integration of new talent arriving from abroad into the Finnish business community.
In the image, Jenni Ervasti, Chief Researcher at the Finnish Institute of Occupational Health. Photo credit: Nina Karlsson.
The Finnish Research Impact Foundation’s Tandem Industry Academia (TIA) funding programme is intended to support collaborative research projects with corporate partners. companies. The TIA Professor and TIA Seed projects funded in the 2024 round are based around the professors’ own research ideas, giving them the opportunity to pursue their research interests and at the same time to make good use of industry data and expertise.
Funding was granted to four applicants:
- Cecilia Nauclér, Professor, University of Turku (TIA Seed)
- Anton Zasedatelev, Assistant Professor, Aalto University (TIA Seed)
- Jenni Ervasti, Chief Researcher, Finnish Institute of Occupational Health (TIA Professor)
- Ismo Strandén, Research Professor, Natural Resources Institute Finland (TIA Professor)
The projects funded in the 2024 call are concerned with energy-efficient data transfer (TIA Seed, Zasedatelev); crop plant breeding models adapted to climate change (TIA Professor, Strandén); strategic work ability management (TIA Professor, Ervasti); and cellular metabolism (TIA Seed, Nauclér).
The corporate partners involved in the various projects are the Finnish pension insurance company Ilmarinen; Boreal Plant Breeding Ltd; NADMED and Faron Pharmaceuticals; and Picophotonics, Reflekron, and Microsoft.
Since the launch of the programme in 2022, TIA Professor funding has now been awarded in all to 11 professors. During the funding period the TIA Professor spends the equivalent of one year in premises provided by the corporate project partner.
Jenni Ervasti, Chief Researcher at the Finnish Institute of Occupational Health and one of this year’s recipients of TIA Professor funding, says collaboration with a business partner provides an opportunity to develop new research questions: “Business cooperation opens up new research avenues but also offers new perspectives on studying work ability and disability. And new research questions can also pave the way to new research projects.”
Read more about TIA Professor projects here.
TIA Seed funding aims to support the integration of researchers in Finland
One key requirement for strengthening Finland’s international competitiveness is the ability to attract and integrate top-level research talent into the Finnish academic and corporate communities.
The TIA Seed funding initiative piloted in 2024 by the Finnish Research Impact Foundation is intended for researchers who have recently joined the Finnish research funding system, are early in their careers in Finland, and are progressing on the professorial career path.
“It’s important that researchers who are entering the Finnish research and funding system have the opportunity from early on to build up cooperation with companies. This funding programme is intended to support researchers in developing their networks and expertise so that their work is effectively integrated into the Finnish business field,” says FRIF Board Member Keijo Hämäläinen.
Professor Cecilia Nauclér, who previously worked at Karolinska Institutet in Sweden, says the funding she received will allow her to build long-term relations, which in turn will support her further research. “It is very important for me as a new professor in Finland to gain from the expertise within our industry collaborations and to build new competence and networks that can impact on the future development of our projects,” she says.
TIA Seed funding is open to researchers who have been employed at a Finnish university or research institute for no more than three years and who have resided outside of the country for at least five consecutive years before moving to Finland. Applicants must be pursuing a professorial career and may not have received any significant research funding from Finland.
“TIA Seed funding provides a strong foundation for creating ecosystems between research organisations and public actors, which are crucial to promoting the impact of research,” Keijo Hämäläinen says.
Read more about TIA Seed projects here.
