Finnish Top Researchers Tackle Reducing Climate Change in Brussels

Universities and multidisciplinary research collaboration has a key role in finding solutions for global challenges and promoting new innovations.

– We all have a common goal that is extremely vital in regard to future generations. In order to reduce climate change, we must co-operate supranationally with researchers, political decision-makers, companies, and citizens, says Vice Rector of the University of Turku Kalle-Antti Suominen who is responsible for research and will open the event with his speech.

The Climate, Food and Natural Resources event is part of Finnish universities’ joint series of discussion events. The goal is to impact the EU’s Horizon Europe research and innovation programme with as much as 35% of the programme’s total budget of approximately €100 billion being tentatively reserved for combating climate change.

Hosted by the University of Turku (UTU), the event is organised in co-operation with the Turku-Southwest Finland European office, Tampere University of Technology (TUT), University of Helsinki (UH), and Helsinki EU Office.

In the event, Academician of Science Eva-Mari Aro (UTU) will give a speech entitled “Large-scale European research initiatives for solar fuels, chemicals and food production”. In addition to clean, renewable energy and sustainable food production, Aro also brings up the implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) by the United Nations (UN).

Associate Professor Mari Sandell‘s (UTU) speech focuses on sustainable food production and the sustainable use of natural resources from the perspectives of both food producers and consumers. Leading the Senses and Food research programme, Sandell states that sustainable future food is a joint challenge of researchers, companies, producers, and consumers.

Professor Jukka Rintala (TUT) brings up the significance of the so-called Living Lab research and development laboratories for multidisciplinary global research on circular economy. According to Professor Peter Lund from Aalto University, sustainable forms of energy and aspiring to carbon neutrality require not only technical solutions but also stronger EU politics and international co-operation.

The event will also highlight the significance of geoengineering and continuous long-term measuring for climate research. The former topic is covered by Research Professor John Moore from the University of Lapland and the latter by Professor Kari Lehtinen from the University of Eastern Finland.

In the proposal of the Horizon Europe programme, open science is highlighted in a new way, too, and its promoting is already prominent in the whole programme. In addition to open access publishing and the openness of research data, active citizen participation is taken into account in the programme. Thus, Professor Tuukka Petäjä (UH) discusses the role of promoting open joint use of research infrastructures and utilising open data in tackling major societal challenges.

In addition to top researchers and universities’ representatives, the participants of the event include political decision-makers and the Commission’s officials. The event is hosted by Member of the European Parliament Sirpa Pietikäinen. The moderator is Chief Executive Officer Anna Sorainen (Ground Communications). The series of events is based on a position paper published by Universities Finland UNIFI representing all Finnish universities.

More information:

>> Moonshots of the 2020s – How to make the most of the missions of Horizon Europe?

>> Climate, Food and Natural Resources 19 November

>> UNIFI's press release: The preparations for Horizon Europe proceed, Finnish universities organise a series of high-level seminars to share their vision on the missions – "We must unite our forces in turning science and technology for the benefit of people and society"

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