Four new Flagships have been selected to the Finnish Flagship Programme of the Research Council of Finland. The University of Helsinki is participating in three of them, namely those focusing on quantum technology, education and competence, and the use of mathematics in imaging and modelling.
The council will fund the new Flagships with a total of almost €90 million over two four-year periods.
New Flagships involving the University of Helsinki
The Education for the Future (EDUCA) Flagship combines expertise in educational science, psychology, learning analytics, sociology and economics with research and development in the education sector. It aims to enhance the skills of teachers and headteachers and strengthen the research basis of education policy decisions and experiments. The Flagship is headed by the University of Jyväskylä, and its participants include the University of Helsinki, Aalto University and the University of Turku.
The Flagship of Advanced Mathematics for Sensing, Imaging and Modelling (FAME) will develop applied mathematics and physics methods for societal needs, including the interpretation of medical imaging and satellite data. This Flagship is headed by the University of Eastern Finland, and its participants include the University of Helsinki, LUT University, Aalto University, the University of Oulu, Tampere University and the Finnish Meteorological Institute.
The Finnish Quantum Flagship merges cutting-edge research in quantum materials, devices and information with leading expertise in applications, technology transfer and market sociology. The Flagship is led by Aalto University, and its participants include the University of Helsinki, the University of Jyväskylä, Tampere University, the University of Oulu, VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland and CSC – IT Centre for Science.
Connecting research and societal impact
The Flagships are high-quality hubs of expertise, combining research, collaboration with businesses and society at large, and societal impact. The Flagships are funded by not only the Research Council of Finland, but also the EU, companies and the organisations involved, such as the University of Helsinki.
At present, the University of Helsinki participates in the following four Flagships: the Digital Precision Cancer Medicine Flagship (iCAN), the Atmosphere and Climate Competence Center (ACCC), the Finnish Centre for Artificial Intelligence (FCAI) and the Gene, Cell and Nano Therapy Competence Cluster for the Treatment of Chronic Diseases (GeneCellNano). The University of Helsinki also heads iCAN and ACCC.