Prof. Jaana Vapaavuori and Academy Fellow Kati Miettunen were awarded funding with Senior Research Fellow Tiffany Abitbol (RISE Innventia, Sweden) from Tandem Forest Values financing, a bilateral forest research project administered by The Royal Swedish Academy of Agriculture and Forestry. The funding for the partners at Aalto University comes from the Academy of Finland.
The new joint Nordic project seeks optically superior substrates for solar cells and optoelectronics. The research addresses two very hot topics: developing high-value products based on wood derivatives, and advanced renewable energy solutions. The project has its roots in the FinnCERES bioeconomy flagship, which served as a platform for developing the idea.
Tandem Forest Values funding was originally Sweden’s official gift to Finland for its centenary of independence celebrations in 2017. The results from the program were so positive that the call was again opened in 2019, this time with joint funding from both Sweden and Finland. The programme funds two-year projects led by early-career researchers.