VIDEO: Finnish Flagships – Introduction

This video introduces the Finnish Flagships Programme and the ecosystems participating in it. Two minutes and 59 seconds in length.

FinnCERES – Competence Centre for the Materials Bioeconomy

The FinnCERES flagship focuses on future solutions in bioeconomy and materials research. Researchers in the flagship aim to develop novel lignocellulose-based materials from forestry resources for future industrial production in international markets. These completely new materials could be widely adopted in several areas of application: textiles, wearables, household products, air and water purification systems, next-generation catalysts and energy harvesting systems, among others.

6Genesis – 6G-Enabled Wireless Smart Society & Ecosystem

The 6Genesis flagship focuses on developing future wireless technologies aiming at defining fundamental 6G technologies. The flagship will support the industry in finalizing the 5G standard by carrying out large scale pilots in targeted vertical applications with an operatorgrade test network. It will also develop essential technology components needed for 6G, targeting areas such as wireless connectivity, device and circuit technologies, distributed intelligent computing and novel applications of these.

FCAI – Finnish Center for Artificial Intelligence

The mission of the FCAI flagship is to create real artificial intelligence for real people in the real world. The research is based on top-tier expertise in machine learning, especially probabilistic modelling and deep learning, and on multidisciplinary collaboration with experts from other fields. The activities of FCAI span a wide spectrum of fields, versatile training and cooperation with the industry sector.

INVEST – Inequalities, Interventions and New Welfare State

The INVEST flagship aims at improving wellbeing and skill development among Finnish children, young people and early adults. At the same time, the flagship will develop a new welfare state model that is more equal, better targeted to different life stages and more anticipatory than the current model, as well as economically and socially sustainable.

PREIN – Photonics Research and Innovation

The PREIN flagship brings together actors of the Finnish photonics ecosystem in an integrated network that covers the whole path from basic to applied research and to further development and commercialisation of disruptive photonic technologies. This will facilitate the transfer of results from the research towards innovative application in telecommunications, biomedicine, healthcare, energy and environmental engineering, manufacturing and consumer products and other societal benefits.

iCAN – Digital Precision Cancer Medicine Platform

The iCAN flagship builds on a strong basis in precision cancer medicine (PCM), and connects it in a novel way with the ongoing digital health revolution, leveraging on Finland’s strengths, such as healthcare registries and a digitised healthcare system.The flagship aims to facilitate breakthrough discoveries leading to improved treatments and quality of life for cancer patients. Within the flagship’s pilot projects, patients with colorectal, breast or ovarian cancer or leukaemia have an opportunity to participate at all stages of research

ACCC – Atmosphere and Climate Competence Center

Using multidisciplinary research and comprehensive research data, the ACCC Flagship will create opportunities for Finland, the European Union and the world to reach the Paris climate targets. The Flagship aims to promote adaptation to climate change through sustainable, cost-effective and research-based solutions. The objective of the Flagship is to mitigate climate change by increasing forest and soil carbon sequestration and to improve global air quality.

InFLAMES – Innovation Ecosystem Based on the Immune System

The overall goal of the InFLAMES Flagship is to integrate the immunological and other research activities to develop and exploit new diagnostic and therapeutic tools for personalised medicine. The Flagship produces breakthrough knowledge on immunological principles and diseases and will be the biggest immunological R&D cluster in Finland serving the needs of the whole country. Its expertise in immunology together with exceptional study cohorts and digital health registers makes the Flagship an attractive partner for diagnostic and pharmaceutical companies.

UNITE – Forest-Human-Machine Interplay – Building Resilience, Redefining Value Networks and Enabling Meaningful Experiences

The mission of the UNITE flagship is to make Finland the leader in applying forest-based bioeconomy know-how, geospatial technologies and gamification to support human wellbeing globally. UNITE makes use of new sensor and measurement technologies to determine the structure and functionality of the forest ecosystem and produces agile methods for processing forest (big) data. It also aims to develop smart decision support and the forecasting of forest development as well as the management of spatial data and uncertainties in forest calculations. The Flagship’s researchers will also use gamification to develop gameful forest interactions and virtual reality approaches for enhancing human-nature interplay both in the real world and in virtual environments.

GeneCellNano – Gene, Cell and Nano Therapy Competence Cluster for the Treatment of Chronic Diseases

The GeneCellNano Flagship develops new biological drugs, so-called ATMP products, biomarkers and diagnostics for common chronic diseases. The objective of the Flagship is to significantly increase domestic and foreign funding for gene, cell and nanotechnology and to introduce new effective treatments for severe chronic diseases. The aim is also to create new jobs and businesses in the biotechnology and pharmaceutical sectors. This will contribute to the development and economic welfare of Finnish society.

Finnish Research Flagships on a Steady Course Towards a Better Society 

Scientific research is the foundation on which we can build solutions that shape the future. But the environment in which science is conducted has changed dramatically. To maximise the impact of research, an even wider network of cooperation must be built on the scientific foundation.

This is where the Academy of Finland’s Flagship Programme comes in. The Finnish Flagship Programme produces ambitious solutions to solve the challenges of both today and tomorrow.

Each Finnish Flagship brings together cutting-edge research by major players in the field concerned, actors from both the private and public sectors. Besides an extensive collaborative network, success also requires a long-term approach. The Finnish Flagships receive funding from the Academy of Finland for eight years. This long-term funding facilitates close cooperation as well as further development and expansion of activities, enabling a real impact on society.

Find out more: https://www.aka.fi/flagships