Kvantum Institute
The main tasks of the institute are to support high-level research at the University of Oulu and to promote a multidisciplinary approach. Research projects for the Kvantum Institute are selected through international evaluation every four years. These projects and their staff form the research and expertise community of the Kvantum Institute. Additionally, the institute has a coordination office that promotes internal collaboration within the project portfolio, assesses research needs using various foresight methods, and organises scientific and collaborative meetings with different stakeholders in the field.
The Kvantum Institute works with its doctoral researchers and, more broadly, with doctoral researchers in technology and natural sciences, developing and supporting doctoral training in collaboration with the university's graduate school.
The Kvantum Institute enhances the multidisciplinary and interdisciplinary research profile of the University of Oulu through close collaboration with various faculties, including foresight work. The institute's mission is to promote, coordinate, and strengthen multidisciplinary research that addresses global challenges. By fostering collaboration across different faculties and research groups, the Kvantum Institute aims to generate innovative solutions that contribute to sustainable development.
The institute's research activities are supported by strategic university funding, allocated to 15-20 projects over four years. These projects involve around 15 post-doctoral researchers and 25 PhD students. They are designed to enhance the university's research profile, create new research opportunities, and strengthen international networking and doctoral training.
Kvantum Institute's research is characterised by its multidisciplinary approach, integrating expertise from various fields to address complex global issues. The institute's projects cover a wide range of topics, including the impact of climate change on the Northern environment, the development of sustainable materials and systems, the sustainable use of natural resources, and the circular economy. By promoting research collaboration across projects and faculty boundaries, the Kvantum Institute aims to strengthen the university's research capabilities and contribute to the advancement of knowledge in key areas of science and technology.
Research projects
Kvantum Institute contributes to solving global challenges in the thematic area "Mitigating climate change and safeguarding biodiversity" by strategic research projects. University of Oulu’s strategic research funding is directed for these multidisciplinary, internationally reviewed projects for the period 2021 - 2024. Kvantum also supports Emerging projects that have been selected for the period 2023-2026.
New spearhead projects for the 2025-2028 period have been chosen through an international evaluation process. Based on the recommendations given by the evaluation panel, the Rector of the University of Oulu has appointed 15 research projects to the Kvantum Institute for this period. The projects will commence on January 1, 2025.
Research outputs
Kvantum Institute is driving a process called “Foresight based identification of interdisciplinary research themes”. This process supports strategic profiling of the university and identifies new multidisciplinary and interdisciplinary research openings. The objective is to outline a number of possible interdisciplinary research themes for 2024-2040. For this purpose a customised future radar was implemented. The time horizon on the future radar is set at 2040 and its sectors reflect the research at the University of Oulu and the Kvantum Institute.
Research is made to mitigate the effects of climate change and promote the sustainable use of natural resources. The necessary conditions of life require research and actions to protect ecosystems, halt soil degradation, and safeguard biodiversity. Researchers involved in the process identified approx. 30 multidisciplinary future research themes which will be promoted actively by the Kvantum Institute. The shared view of the future themes will be passed on both to national and EU level research programmes. Foresight work is a continuous activity and research themes are reviewed and updated from time to time.
More information: Research director Jussi Paakkari
Kvantum Institute develops doctoral training and coordinates Technology and Natural Sciences Doctoral Programme (TNS-DP) in cooperation with University of Oulu Graduate School (UniOGS). TNS-DP is especially related to the thematic area "Mitigating climate change and safeguarding biodiversity", coordinated by Kvantum Institute, and it offers doctoral training to its doctoral researchers by organizing courses and other activities and events.
