PROFILATION 7 research programmes launched at Agora

The Academy of Finland and the University of Oulu funded PROFI7 research programmes started at the beginning of this year: Hydrogen Future as a Climate Change Solution (H2FUTURE), Hybrid Intelligence: Human-AI co-evolution and learning in multirealities (HI) and Frontiers of Arctic and Global Resilience (FRONT) programmes presented themselves in a launching event organized on March 21st in Agora at the Linnanmaa campus. In addition to the presentations, greetings from the University of Oulu’s Vice Rector for Research Taina Pihlajaniemi were heard. At the end of the event, a panel discussion was held about the new opportunities that the research programmes will offer to the university’s scientific community.
A photo of the PROFI7 launching event at the University of Oulu.

The new research programs strengthen the already existing profiling themes of the university and link them to new interdisciplinary topics. There are currently 12 new researcher positions open, and more recruitments are also coming.

At the beginning of the event, Vice Rector for Research Taina Pihlajaniemi offered thanks to everyone who participated in the preparation of the PROFI7 application via video. The University of Oulu’s application was successful, receiving 12 million euros of funding and being ranked the third among all universities by external international evaluators. Together with the University of Oulu’s 100 % matching funding, the total programme budget amounts to 24 million euros.

The leaders of the research programmes took turns introducing each programme and told the audience about the global problems research they are trying to solve. Professor Marko Huttula, director of the H2FUTURE research programme, was the first to take the stage. H2FUTURE aims to provide solutions to the challenges of increasing energy needs, energy storage and reducing CO2 emissions. The research focuses on energy-efficient hydrogen production and steel suitable for transporting and storing hydrogen.

The HI research programme was presented by Professor Sanna Järvelä. Traditionally, artificial intelligence is designed to independently perform tasks that require human intelligence, but HI programme aims to combine the strengths of humans and artificial intelligence into hybrid intelligence by emphasizing mutual understanding and learning. HI strives to respond to the challenges posed by ever-increasing AI technology, global population changes and crises, aging and healthcare, and future working life.

Before the panel discussion, Professor Jarkko Saarinen presented the FRONT research programme. FRONT searches for solutions to global sustainability challenges and offers research data to support adaptation to inevitable changes. FRONT aims to increase understanding of the systemic changes that are necessary to increase resilience.

At the end of the event, vice leaders of the research programmes Professor Elina Lehtomäki (FRONT), Academy Professor Guoying Zhao (HI) and Professor Timo Fabritius (H2FUTURE) attended a panel discussion and answered questions from the audience. In a lively discussion, the benefits and challenges of interdisciplinary cooperation, the main goals of the research programmes and the societal effects of research were discussed. All the panelists agreed that the new research programmes will offer new perspectives, know-how and resources for solving future challenges.

Do you want to join and keep up with us? Read more and join the mailing list at the research programme’s website:

H2FUTURE website

HI website

FRONT website

Leaders of the research programmes:

H2FUTURE

Professor Marko Huttula

050 3502942, marko.huttula@oulu.fi

HI

Professor Sanna Järvelä

040 5777164, sanna.jarvela@oulu.fi

FRONT

Professor Jarkko Saarinen

040 4840777, jarkko.saarinen@oulu.fi

Last updated: 27.3.2023