Projects
News
Past projects & news
PROJECTS
Japan-Finland Programme 2007-2011 started
This year The Finnish Institute in Japan started “Japan-Finland Programme 2007-2011” to strengthen and widen the existing research collaboration between two countries. This programme is consisted of 4 main targets:
- More Researcher Exchange
- More Research Collaboration
- More Student Exchange
- Better Mobility of young researchers
This programme is meant for all the Finnish academic and art universities, research institutions, the Japanese universities selected and Finnish and Japanese companies with research section.
The funding of the programme is covered mainly by Ministry of Education in Finland, the Academy of Finland, The Finnish Funding Agency for Technology and Innovation (Tekes), together with counterparts in Japan.
This programme is administered by the Finnish Institute in Japan. As honorary presidents the President of the Republic of Finland, Ms. Tarja Halonen and H.I.H. Princess Takamado support the programme.
The Institute has also founded the Scientific Committee to support the programme.
Members from Finland (in alphabetical order):
- Ms. Satu-Maria Aho, Sales Director, Instrumentarium Dental Oy
- Dr. Ritva Dammert, Director, Aalto University
- Prof. Gustav Djupsjöbacka, Rector, Sibelius Academy
- Prof. Markku Löytönen, University of Helsinki
- Prof. Jorma Mattinen, Rector, Åbo Akademi University
- Prof. Matti Rautiola, Director General, Building Ingormation Foundation RTS
Members from Japan (in alphabetical order):
- Prof. Masuo Aizawa, Executive Member, Council for Science and Technology Policy
- Dr. Koichi Kitazawa, President, Japan Science and Technology Agency
- Prof. Hiroshi Komiyama, Chairman of the Institute, Mitsubishi Research Institute, Inc.
- Dr. Ryoji Noyori, President, RIKEN
- Prof. Motoyuki Ono, President, Japan Society for the Promotion of Science
- Mr. Toichi Sakata, Administrative Vice-Minister, Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology
- Prof. Katsuhiko Shirai, President, Waseda University
- Mr. Tomoaki Wada, Director General, National Institute of Science and Technology Policy
NEWS
Finland to receive the national
innovation strategy
A proposal for a national innovation strategy for Finland was submitted in early June to Mauri Pekkarinen, Minister of Economic Affairs. The proposal for the strategy, entitled ‘Towards New Demand- and User-oriented Innovation Policy’, proposes new outlines for reforming Finland’s innovation policy and an action programme for their implementation. The strategy aims at securing the high quality, international competitiveness and attractiveness of the Finnish innovation environment.
He says that if Finland desires to be a leading country in terms of research, technology and innovation, it must augment its investments in research and technology, with a new demand- and user-oriented innovation policy. The final strategy will be presented to the Government in autumn 2008 and, later, to Parliament. (SA 18.6.08)
(July 4, 2008)
The Academy of Finland
launches cooperation with JST
The Academy of Finland and Japan Science and Technology Agency (JST) have signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) on scientific cooperation. The MoU makes it possible for the two organisations to launch joint funding cooperation.
Also Tekes, the Finnish funding Agency for Technology and Innovation, signed a similar MoU at the same time in Helsinki. The aim is to fund annually a minimum of three Finnish-Japanese research projects. (SA 18.6.08)
(July 4, 2008)
The FinNode network expanded to Japan
FinNode Japan is the latest in the line of Finnish innovation centres abroad, opened in Tokyo in June 2008. Its aim is to strengthen cooperation and joint activities between Finland and Japan in research, development and innovation.
For Japanese partners, FinNode Japan offers an opportunity to reach Finnish key actors through a single point of contact. For Finnish parties, the innovation centres relay observations about the development of the innovation environment in the country of location and establish contacts with key operations.
FinNode Japan was established by Finpro, Tekes, VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland, the Finnish Innovation Fund Sitra and the Academy of Finland. In addition, the Finnish Institute in Japan will also participate in its operation. (SA 18.6.08)
(July 4, 2008)
Erasmus Mundus in Finland publication
Introduces 11 Master’s programmes
The Erasmus Mundus programme is a cooperation and mobility programme in the field of higher education promoting the European Union as a centre of excellence in learning around the world.
The cornerstone of Erasmus Mundus are the 103 integrated top-quality Master’s courses that lead to an officially recognised double, joint or multiple Master’s degree.
These Master’s courses are offered by at least three universities operating in three different European countries.
Finland participates in Erasmus Mundus by offering high-quality Master’s programmes in its areas of expertise. Finnish universities are currently involved in eleven Erasmus Mundus Master’s Courses.
More information about the Erasmus Mundus programme http://ec.europa.eu/education/programmes/mundus/index_en.html
Erasmus Mundus in Finland publication in pdf-format
http://www.cimo.fi/Resource.phx/cimo/publications.htx
(March 17, 2008)
PAST PROJECTS & NEWS
2009
University of Oulu will participate in JASSO Study Abroad Fair in 2009 (Oct 1, 09)
Finland-Japan Joint Funding Call in Functional Materials Open (Sept 7,09)
Finland-Japan Joint Seminar on Well-being in Aging Society 2009 in Oulu (Sept 2, 09)
New Japanese Research Abroad Program for Young Researchers (Aug 21, 09)
Lecture on Finnish parents in Tokyo (Aug 19, 09)
The Eighth Japan-Finland Joint Symposium on Optics in Engineering in Tokyo (Aug 18, 09)
Nordic Festa at Waseda University (July 2, 09)
Workshop on Nanophotonics jointly organized in Finland (June 17, 09)
7 research projects selected for the Joint Funding Call in the field of Functional Materials (Apr 17, 09)
University of Oulu will participate in JASSO Study Abroad Fair in 2009
Japan Student Services Organization (JASSO) organizes Study Abroad Fair every year in Tokyo. This year, University of Oulu will participate in the fair. You can have a look at brochures of other universities, too. If you consider studying abroad, please visit the fair. For more information please check JASSO website (in Japanese only).
Date: Saturday, 17th October 2009, 11:00 – 17:00
Place: 3rd floor, Tokyo International Exchange Center
(2-79 Aomi, Koto-ku Tokyo)
Finland-Japan Joint Funding Call in Functional Materials Open
The Academy of Finland, Tekes and Japan Science and Technology Agency (JST) open a joint funding call in the field of functional materials. This funding programme started last year, and the fields of this year are: photonics, opt electronics, photonics, optoelectronics, solar cells and batteries
For more information, please visit the website of the Academy of Finland.
The general guidelines for this call can be found in JST website.
Finland-Japan Joint Seminar on Well-being in Aging Society 2009 in Oulu
Finland-Japan Joint Seminar on Well-being in Aging Society 2009 - Promoting Active and Healthy Aging will be organized in Oulu, Finland on 13-14 October. In this seminar, latest information on national policies and strategies and research achievements in promoting healthy aging and well-being through innovations will be presented.
For more information and registration, please visit JAFI’09’s site.
New Japanese Research Abroad Program for Young Researchers
Japan Society for the Promotion of Science announced new programs for sending young researchers abroad. The program consists of Individual Awards and Institutional Awards. For details, please visit JSPS website below(only in Japanese).
Research Abroad Program for Young Researchers (Individual Awards)
Research Abroad Program for Young Researchers (Institutional Awards)
The Eighth Japan-Finland Joint Symposium on Optics in Engineering in Tokyo
OIE ’09, The Eighth Japan-Finland Joint Symposium on Optics in Engineering was organized at Tokyo University of Science in Tokyo on 3-5 September. There were 25 papers presented by the Finnish participants.
For more information, please visit OIE ’09 website.
Lecture on Finnish parents at University of the Sacred Heart
Research Coordinator Satu Perälä-Littunen lectured on "Child-rearing and parental thinking in Finland" at University of the Sacred Heart in Tokyo on 27 August.
For more information, please visit the website of the University (in Japanese).
Nordic Festa at Waseda University
Nordic Festival is an open event for those interested in Nordic countries. The Festival consisted of Nordic Café (Jul 7) and Nordic talk session: Well being and Education (Jul 10).
For more information, please visit the website of Waseda University, International Community Center:
July 1-2, 2009
Workshop on Nanophotonics jointly organized in Finland
VTT and Nanophotonics-related organizations of the University of Tokyo jointly organized “Finland-Japan Workshop on Nanophotonics and Related Technologies” in Finland on July 1-2.
For more information please visit VTT website.
Time: July 1-2, 2009
Place: VTT Micronova, Tietotie 3, Espoo, Finland
Organizers: VTT, Global Center-of-Excellence (GCOE) Program of the University of Tokyo and the Nanophotonics Research Center of the University of Tokyo
7 research projects selected for the Joint Funding Call in the field of Functional Materials
Japan Science and Technology Agency (JST) opened the Japanese-Finnish joint call with the Finnish Funding Agency for Technology and Innovation (Tekes) and the Academy of Finland (AF) as a part of its Strategic International Cooperative Program. The research field of this year is Functional Materials, and out of 27 applications 7 joint research projects are selected.
For more information about the selected projects, please see the Academy of Finland website (in Finnish).
(Apr 17,09)
Workshop for Europe and Asia: Finland, Russia, and Japan
Date: Thursday, May 28, 2009 at 15:00 - 19:00 pm
Place: No. 18th Meeting Room, 10th Floor, Soken Building, Center for International Studies at Aoyama Gakuin University
Map: Aoyama Gakuin University:
http://www.aoyama.ac.jp/other/map/aoyama.html
Access: 10 minutes from Shibuya station, 3-4 minutes from Omotesando Metro station Just opposite side of the United Nation University
Partners: The Finnish Institute in Japan, the Association for Balto-Scandinavian Studies, and the Center for International Studies at Aoyama Gakuin University
Lectures:
Dr Sari Autio-Sarasmo (Aleksanteri Institute, University of Helsinki):
"Finland and the Soviet Union during the Cold War: Interaction and Cooperation"
Ms. Hanna Smith (Aleksanteri Institute, University of Helsinki):
Russia, the European Union and Finland: many policies, faces and levels but one Europe?
Professor Hiroshi Momose (Emeritus Professor of Tsuda College):
Finnish Realism vs. Japanese Idealism: Small States Perceptions in Postwar Years 1944-1948
Ms. Yuko Ishino (Researcher at the Institute of International and Cultural Studies at Tsuda College):
National History and Mythology in Finland and Japan: A Comparative Discussion
2008
Joint Finnish-Japanese Seminar on Northern Environmental Research
From September 3 to 5, 2008, the University of Lapland’s Arctic Centre and the Finnish Institute in Japan hosted the Joint Finnish-Japanese Seminar on Northern Environmental Research at the Arctic Center in Finland. The seminar was attended by representatives of Hokkaido University (HU) and several universities and research centers in Finland.
The purpose of the Joint Finnish-Japanese Seminar on Northern Environmental Research was to initiate preparation of concrete co-operation projects, to seek external funding for them and to increase student and scientist exchange. The seminar disseminates information which has strong potential to benefit each other and exchanges and increases scientific expertise on northern issues on the themes which are relevant to the northern areas both in Finland and Japan.
The themes of the seminar are (1) Forest management and biodiversity, (2) Landscape and land use changes, (3) Cryosphere and (4) Long term monitoring.
Seminar program and presentations
Finland and Japan open a joint funding call
within functional materials
The Academy of Finland, Tekes and Japan Science and Technology Agency (JST) will open a joint funding call in the field of functional materials. The aim is by developing the functionality of materials to achieve technological and scientific breakthroughs in the field of material engineering. In addition to research, the funding is also aimed at promoting researcher mobility and arranging joint events. There is already existing cooperation between Finnish and Japanese researchers in the field of functional materials.
The call for proposals will be posted in early September on the Academy and Tekes websites. The description of the thematic area and funding agency-specific detailed guidelines will be published in connection with the call. The aim is to specify the thematic area of the call differently each year. JST plans to open a call in Japan in August 2008. (SA 18.6.08)
(July 4, 2008)
Rector Sallinen invited
as the keynote speaker to Japan
Prof. Aino Sallinen, Rector of University of Jyväskylä gave the Keynote presentation at 21st COE Program "Science of Institutional Management of Technology" (SIMOT), 4th Annual International Symposium at Tokyo Institute of Technology on 28-29 February 2008.
http://www.me.titech.ac.jp/coe/index.html
Finnish-Japanese call for
Joint Research Projects opened
The Academy of Finland has several activities with Japanese funding organisations aimed at facilitating and increasing Finnish-Japanese research collaboration.
The Academy and the Japan Society for the Promotion of Science (JSPS) have concluded a Memorandum of Understanding on funding cooperation, first signed in 1982 and renewed in 2004. Active forms of funding cooperation have included exchange of scientists, joint Finnish-Japanese scientific seminars and the Finnish-Japanese bilateral core programme (joint research projects).
The fourth core programme call was opened in December 2007 and will close on 29 February 2008. The theme of the call is ‘ubiquitous information technology’. Up to four two-year projects will be funded within the call. For more details see www.aka.fi/eng > For researchers > Apply now.
(Academy of Finland Newsletter, December 2007)
Finland takes number one spot
in OECD's latest PISA survey
Finland once again takes the number one spot in OECD's three-yearly PISA test of the abilities of a sample of 15-year old secondary-school students, followed by Hong Kong (China) and Korea.
For further information please clik here OECD Minedu
The FiDIPro Programme Brochure
Now Published
The Finland Distinguished Professor Programme (FiDiPro) is a funding programme led and financed by the Academy of Finland and Tekes. The brochure presenting the FiDiPro programme has just been published. More details here.
(August, 2007)
The Joint Seminar organized in Finland
The Institute organized a joint seminar in three cities in Finland in June 2007. For seminars at University of Helsinki and University of Oulu, speakers are invited from JSPS, Academy of Finland, Tekes, and a speaker from RIKEN, Executive Director Mr. Toichi Sakata, joined at University of Jyväskylä.
In Helsinki, Ambassador Hitoshi Honda opened the seminar and emphasized the importance of collaboration between two countries. Both in Oulu and in Jyväskylä, the rectors of universities, Prof. Lauri Lajunen and Prof. Aino Sallinen opened the seminar by expressing their view of cooperation with Japan.
The seminars were meant for all the Finnish students and researchers interested in collaboration with Japan. The invited speakers introduced their funding programmes, so that Finns can make the best of the possibility offered. The seminars were attended by 162 researchers in all.
Contact persons of Finnish universities
toured Japan
After “Golden Week” in 2007 , the contact persons of 13 Finnish universities visited Japan to activate their international exchange and joint research cooperation with their Japanese partners.
They represented universities such as; University of Oulu, University of Lapland, University of Joensuu, University of Vaasa, University of Turku, Tampere University of Technology, Lappeenranta University of Technology, Helsinki School of Economics, Turku School of Economics, University of Art and Design Helsinki, Sibelius Academy, Finnish Academy of Fine Arts and Theatre Academy.
The delegation members had a chance to visit their partner universities and also those universities, with which they wish to start collaboration in the future.
In all they visited or met the representative of 22 universities and institutions (in chronological order): Kyoto University, Ritsumeikan University, Kyoto Seika University, Kyoto University of Art and Design, Nara Institute of Science and Technology, Osaka University, Osaka College of Music, Kobe University, Kwansei Gakuin University, University of Marketing and Distribution Sciences, Hokkaido University, Northern Regions Center, Hokkaido University of Education, Hokkaido-Finland Society, Sendai-Finland Wellbeing Centre, Tohoku Fukushi University, Tohoku University, Tokyo Institute of Technology, Tokyo National University of Fine Arts and Music, Tama Art University, Rikkyo University and Kagawa University.
The Rector of University of Jyväskylä
visited Japan
In February 2007, the Rector of University of Jyväskylä, Prof. Aino Sallinen visited Japan with the delegation of professors and staff. The delegation visited partner universities and institutions to get familiar with the facilities and to strengthen their collaboration based on the agreement.
They started their tour from RIKEN Head Quarter in Wako to meet the President, Dr. Ryoji Noyori, and to Waseda University. At Hiroshima University after discussing with the President Dr. Taizo Muta, the delegation visited different departments of their own interest.
Feel Finland in Science 2006
Feel Finland in Science 2006 was an initiative where the Finnish Institute in Japan provided opportunities for Finnish universities and research laboratories to establish long lasting collaboration with Japanese universities. The collaboration is based on top quality research, mutual benefit and interest. The initiative also offered scientists possibilities to present new research based innovations to help our daily life and the quality of life.
