Aalto University secures significant funding for critical green transition research

The Research Council of Finland has granted Aalto University funding to strengthen its research profile in a field of pressing global concern – the transition towards a greener future.

Aalto’s Profi-8 funding application Driving green transition focused on three research strongholds within the university’s key research areas: Future electric energy systems, Sustainable microelectronic systems and Transformation of urban systems.

The three research themes complement each other and bring forward Aalto’s strengths in building a sustainable future. They stem from the university’s excellence in  sustainable energy technology, ICT, material sciences, economics and finance and urban planning and design. The 25.67 million euros in funding will support Aalto University’s role as a valuable research contributor in these fields.

‘We already have a strong track record in each of the three themes, and we now bring together complementary expertise from several fields to solve grand societal challenges. Furthermore, these themes form a coherent whole with the university’s earlier profiling areas,’ says Jyri Hämäläinen, Vice President for Research. 

Future electric energy systems

Research focuses on microeconomics, energy systems, data analysis, and artificial intelligence to support the redesign of electricity markets and the sustainable electrification of our society.

An increasing share of the energy consumed in Finland is in the form of electricity, and this will pose new requirements for both the technology and the markets. Analysis will focus on predicting the behaviour of the electric energy system and on electricity markets as new production and storage methods come into play.

Sustainable microelectronic systems

Researchers aim to develop complex electronic devices and their architectures to enhance energy efficiency, durability and recycling rates.

Microelectronics has revolutionised computing and mobile communications, and it is a critical enabler of artificial intelligence. However, the production and use of current microelectronic systems incur significant environmental costs, calling for new design and manufacturing methods and end-of life disposal. 

Transformation of urban systems

Research in the field creates solutions and tools for enabling the transformation towards reaching zero carbon, sustainable and just cities.

Cities play a pivotal role in achieving global climate neutrality. New indicators and models for monitoring the impacts of urban systems on planetary and social boundaries are needed. Collaboration with the public sector and industry will ensure that Finnish cities remain frontrunners in climate actions, while promoting the wellbeing of people and the planet.

Additionally, two embedded topics, risk-informed resilience and finance strengthen all three thematic areas. Risk-informed resilience provides enhanced capabilities for anticipating, withstanding and recovering from severe disruptions within complex and interconnected systems such as electricity networks, microchip production or urban systems. Finance focuses on financial decision-making and its implications for value creation, financial markets and society. 

The aim of the Research Council of Finland’s University Profiling funding is to support and develop the strategic profiling of Finnish universities. This was the eighth funding round issued by the RCF, in total allocating 100 million euros. The RCF made its funding decisions based on reviews performed by an international panel of experts. Aalto University has been very successful in all of the research profile funding rounds. Again, the share of funding received by Aalto is larger than Aalto’s nominal size compared to all universities in Finland. Aalto University will use the funding to hire professors, postdoctoral researchers and doctoral students working in the theme areas.

Photo: Mikko Raskinen, Aalto University