vaikuttavuussaatio

Jouko Lampinen is Dean of the School of Science at Aalto University and a researcher in artificial intelligence. As a member of the board of the Finnish Research Impact Foundation (FRIF), he brings a perspective that emphazises the long-term role of basic research and reflects on how research impact develops over time through interaction between universities and industry.

Could you briefly introduce yourself and tell us about your career path?

“I am the Dean of the School of Science at Aalto University, and I have worked for many years in leadership and development roles within the university community. My own research field is artificial intelligence, particularly modelling and inference based on neural networks and Bayesian methods.

I completed my doctoral dissertation in the late 1980s, during the first major wave of enthusiasm around neural networks. At that time many of the prerequisites for today’s progress – such as data availability and computing power – were still lacking. It has been fascinating to see how the field has developed and how long-term basic research has ultimately enabled many of the breakthroughs we see today.”

What inspired you to join the Board of FRIF?

“I see impact as a core question for universities and for science more broadly. The significance of science often materialises outside the university – through students, the scientific community and the business sector.

Aalto University was founded to strengthen Finland’s innovation system, and research impact is therefore a central goal for us. FRIF’s mission to promote research-based collaboration aligns well with this. The Foundation operates in the same spirit, exploring ways to ensure that research results can be put to use in ways that strengthen expertise and competitiveness.”

How do you see the role of FRIF in the Finnish research and innovation system?

“Investment in research, development and innovation (RDI) is increasing in Finland, and there are now more funding instruments than before. In such a landscape, the role of a small and agile actor becomes particularly important.

The Foundation has the opportunity to identify situations where collaboration is not yet working smoothly and to respond quickly when the transfer of knowledge or the utilization of research results encounters obstacles.

Rather than duplicating the work of large funders, the Foundation can focus on areas that other instruments do not reach. For example, supporting researchers’ transitions into working life or helping international top talent integrate into Finland are areas where an agile actor can play a meaningful role.”

Where do you see FRIF creating the greatest added value in the coming years?

“Added value emerges particularly in areas where impact chains are long and results become visible only after some time. This is typical of basic research: the benefits may not be immediately apparent, but over the long term the effects can be significant.

International examples show that strong basic research creates a vibrant business ecosystem around it. In environments such as Oxford, Cambridge and Munich, a high level of research has been a key driver for the development of business activity.

In Finland, for example, developments in space and quantum technologies are strongly rooted in universities. In these fields, long-term research and its connection to industry are essential for the emergence of new innovations. In such situations, FRIF can act as an agile partner that identifies friction points in collaboration and helps address them.”

Research also has intrinsic value. How do you see the relationship between basic research and impact?

“The significance of basic research cannot usually be assessed in the short term. History offers numerous examples from mathematics and theoretical research where applications have emerged only decades or even centuries later.

That is why we must maintain a high level of basic research even when its benefits are not immediately visible. Whether we think of it in terms of intrinsic value or long-term benefit, strong basic research is a prerequisite for sustainable impact.”

Looking ahead, what do you hope to achieve during your term on the Board?

“I hope that the Foundation will fully utilise its agility. If we continue doing exactly the same things year after year, we are not making use of that strength.

I see board work as a vantage point on collaboration between the research community and industry. I hope that I can contribute to advancing this collaboration and its conditions so that research and expertise move more smoothly into practice.”

Ismo Kauppinen is an entrepreneur and physicist whose career has taken him from the research laboratory to international technology business. As CEO of Gasera Ltd, he has seen first-hand how long and demanding the journey from research innovation to a commercial product can be – and why collaboration between research and industry is needed from the earliest stages.

Could you briefly introduce yourself and tell us about your career path?

“When I was younger, I also considered a career in music, but I ultimately chose to study physics. During my studies, I was able to combine these two interests: my master’s thesis focused on modelling audio signals, and I developed a method to mathematically restore the sound of, for example, a scratched LP record.

This led to a doctoral dissertation, patents and eventually licensing the technology to an international company. At that point, I realized that I was particularly fascinated by commercialization – how a research result is brought into practical use.

Together with my father, I founded a company to protect and license inventions, and from there the path led to Gasera Ltd. The company originated from university research and has grown over more than twenty years into an international technology company developing and manufacturing gas analysers for environmental and industrial applications.”

What inspired you to join the Board of FRIF?

“Because of my background, I tend to look at things from research towards industry. I have personally experienced the journey of taking an innovation born in research and trying to bring it into societal use.

FRIF’s work resonates with me for this very reason. The Foundation starts from the quality and objectives of research and seeks to build a bridge towards impact. It is not only about funding, but also about systematically reflecting on and measuring impact. Personally, I find this perspective compelling – I want to better understand how the societal impact of research can be assessed and strengthened.”

How do you see the role of FRIF in the Finnish research and innovation system, particularly from the perspective of technology and growth companies?

“I see the Foundation as a long-term developer of the ecosystem. Finland produces a great deal of high-quality research, but especially at an early stage there are not enough funding instruments that enable close collaboration with companies.

Private capital typically does not flow into very early-stage research, as the risks are high and the return uncertain. FRIF helps to bridge this gap and brings research and industry together from the outset.

In research-based entrepreneurship, technology often comes first and applications are identified only afterwards. This is a more challenging path than market-driven development, but it can also create entirely new markets. For this reason, early dialogue between researchers and companies is critical. When both parties are involved from the beginning, the path from innovation to practical application becomes shorter.

In addition to funding instruments, FRIF can support this development by fostering a culture in which collaboration is seen as a natural part of research.”

Where do you see FRIF creating the greatest added value in the coming years?

“One important role is to act as a pathfinder within the broader funding system. The Foundation was created to address funding gaps, but at its best the models it develops can spread more widely.

I also consider it important that FRIF has opened up research–industry collaboration beyond technical disciplines. In the deep tech field, collaboration is often more natural, but in areas such as the humanities this way of thinking is still relatively new. The Foundation can act as an enabler and encourager in these fields as well.”

Looking ahead, what do you hope to achieve during your term on the Board?

“I hope that we can develop new funding instruments and further strengthen the Foundation’s impact. It is encouraging that FRIF does not settle for a single model but is willing to continuously experiment and develop new approaches.

Personally, I am particularly interested in the work of the investment committee and in how the Foundation’s capital can be managed in a way that allows its activities to scale and its impact to grow. I also look forward to strategic discussions within the Board. There is a great deal of expertise and experience in this group.

I have seen how long the journey can be from research innovation to real societal impact. That is why this theme is close to my heart. If I can contribute to ensuring that strong research ideas find their way into practice, I consider the Board work meaningful.”

The 7th round of the Finnish Research Impact Foundation’s Tandem Industry Academia Postdoc (TIA Postdoc) call opens on 2 March 2026. The application period runs from 2 March to 10 April 2026. Applications must be submitted through the Foundation’s grant management system by 10 April 2026 at 23:59.

Updates to the call and conditions in 2026

The application form and the funding conditions have been updated for 2026. The updated funding call and application guidelines have been published, and applicants are encouraged to review them carefully before submitting an application.

Further details on the updates will also be presented in the call information session on 2 March, which applicants and partner organisations are strongly encouraged to attend.

Call information session

The Foundation will host a call information session on 2 March 2026 at 9:30.
Please register for the online event via the registration link. You will receive the participation link by email prior to the event. After the event, you can watch the recording of the call information session here.

The session will present the key principles of the call, outline the 2026 updates, and provide an opportunity to ask questions. The information section of the event will also be available afterwards as a recording.

Use this link to book a 30-minute sparring session with a foundation expert to support your application preparation and discuss your questions.

TIA Postdoc funding in brief

TIA Postdoc funding is intended to support joint research between research organisations and companies. The funding targets ambitious, pre-competitive collaborative research projects with high impact potential that advance both top-level research and business objectives.

In a TIA Postdoc project, the postdoctoral researcher works for half of the project duration with the academic partner and for the other half with the industry partner, in close collaboration.

The project led by Yagut Allahverdiyeva-Rinne identified microalgae that can be utilised in purifying greenhouse wastewater. The findings of the joint project between the University of Turku and Oksasen puutarha support the circular economy and sustainable food and agrichemicals production in greenhouse cultivation. The funding from the FRIF enabled cooperation, where academic expertise was taken outside the research bubble to solve practical problems.

Project title: Integration of greenhouse farming and microalgae bioproduction for a sustainable circular agriculture approach (AgriAlga)

Principal investigator of the project: Yagut Allahverdiyeva-Rinne, University of Turku

Project partners: University of Turku & Oksasen puutarha

FRIF funding awarded: €214,326

Climate change challenges food production both in Finland and globally. At the same time, the need for resource-wise production methods is growing. The joint AgriAlga project between the University of Turku and Oksasen puutarha investigated how microalgae can be utilised in greenhouse cultivation and the treatment of its side streams.

“The aim of the project was to upgrade nutrient rich, drain water from a greenhouse by using a nutrient source to produce the algae biomass. The resulting biomass can be further processed and used as a novel agrichemical or fertilizer for different purposes in the greenhouse. Like this, we could create a circular sustainable system for greenhouse producers”, says Yagut Allahverdiyeva-Rinne, Professor of Molecular Plant Biology at the University of Turku and Principal Investigator of the AgriAlga project.

Algae offer solutions to many challenges

Allahverdiyeva-Rinne is a photosynthesis researcher by background. Her research group investigates how plants and photosynthetic microbes – such as algae and bacteria – harvest solar energy to fix CO2 into biomass, and how this knowledge can be utilised in new bioproduction technologies.

In the North, algae production throughout the year is challenging due to low temperature and limited daylight during autumn and winter. However, both of these are found in greenhouses all year round. One of Allahverdiyeva-Rinne’s research lines is therefore the utilisation of algae in greenhouses.

“Algae don’t need land, they only need some nutrients, light, water and that water doesn’t need to be fresh water, it can be seawater or it can be suitable wastewater streams,” explains Allahverdiyeva-Rinne.

Growing algae in greenhouses also helps with another problem, namely greenhouse wastewater, the nutrients of which, carried along with the water, eutrophicate water bodies. This also made Oksasen puutarha interested in the possibilities of algae.

Oksasen puutarha is a family business that grows salads and herbs in Turku, Oripää and Hamina. The company needed to understand how it could purify the circulating water in the greenhouses and potentially reuse it.

“Before this project, we knew nothing about growing algae,” laughs Juha Oksanen, Chair of the Board of Oksasen puutarha.

Project results accelerate the circular economy

Researchers examined the properties of dozens of different algae types and identified a couple of algae that thrive in greenhouse conditions. After this, the researchers grew algae cultures, using a nutrient-rich side stream from the Oksasen puutarha greenhouse as their nutrient source.

The most promising culture was successfully scaled up to a 50-litre bioreactor. The researchers also tested how the biomass produced in the process is suitable for agricultural use.

“Microalgae cultivation provides an efficient and scalable solution for treating side streams from horticultural greenhouses, enabling nutrient recovery while complying with EU discharge limits. The process is highly adaptable, allowing the operational strategy to be tailored for hydroponic or soil-based systems and adjusted according to the nutrient load of the effluent,” says Allahverdiyeva-Rinne.

“For example, a 1000 liter photobioreactor can effectively treat about 300 liters of typical effluent containing 100 milligrams of nitrogen per liter daily. This capacity enables a small commercial greenhouse to manage and treat a substantial portion — if not all — of its daily nutrient-rich drainage. The resulting algal biomass is a valuable product that supports circular use of resources.”

The results of the project’s invention disclosures have not yet been confirmed, so the more precise final results of the studies are still confidential. However, Allahverdiyeva-Rinne is convinced that the project results will accelerate both the circular economy and sustainable development.

“From our point of view, the project gave positive results. Related to social or broader impact, I think what we are doing directly contributes to several Sustainable Development Goals. It also promotes more sustainable bioproduction, and the best use of the resources.”

Funding from the FRIF offered a route outside the research bubble

Allahverdiyeva-Rinne thanks the Finnish Research Foundation’s (FRIF) TIA Postdoc funding for offering researchers a route outside the university walls.

“For us, I believe that this funding opportunity has been extremely important because it really gave us the possibility to work in close collaboration with the industrial partner. This allowed us to align not only our scientific curiosity, but also the needs and the priorities of the industrial sector,” she says.

Oksasen puutarha, in turn, gained new knowledge through the cooperation on how to solve the problems arising from their wastewater. Generally, the cooperation brought a new way of thinking to the company.

“This very benefit for us from being in this project is that now we think about things a little bit differently. We know what are the key points that we have to solve and can concentrate on the things that we can do,” says Oksanen.

The journey towards an algae-based circular economy continues

The cooperation between Allahverdiyeva-Rinne’s research group and Oksasen puutarha will continue in the future. The broader AlgaCircle consortium coordinated by Allahverdiyeva-Rinne received over a million euros in funding from Business Finland’s Veturi program in 2024. 

The goal of the consortium is to create a broader circular economy model in which microalgae are used to produce food, feed, and agricultural chemicals. Oksasen puutarha is one of the consortium’s corporate partners.

The heart of AlgaCircle is the AlgaTech algae production facility, which was opened in 2024 at the Ruissalo Botanical Garden in Turku. The facility has excellent frameworks for the production and research of microalgae cultures – the facility’s largest bioreactor has a capacity of a thousand litres.

AgriAlga was thus just the beginning. The journey towards an algae-based circular economy is in full swing in Turku!

FRIF’s TIA Postdoc grants can be applied for again in spring 2026. Read more about upcoming grant calls.