FidiPro Research Projects Bring Top International Competence to Aalto University
31.03.2010
To the Finland Distinguished Professor (FiDiPro) Programme, Tekes has chosen five new international research projects, of which two have been assigned to the Aalto University School of Science and Technology.
The FiDiPro Programme is one way of promoting the internationalisation of the university and creating sustainable and structural cooperation in a research sector. The Projects now assigned, bring two distinguished researchers from China and Canada to Aalto University.
Professor Xiaohong Wang, from the University of Tsinghuan, arrives to take the position of FiDiPro Fellow Researcher in the research project focusing on artificial tissue instant manufacturing at the BIT Research Centre. Professor Gregorz Glinka, from the University of Waterloo, Canada, will be recruited as FiDiPro Professor for the project in the Department of Applied Mechanics. It is tightly related to the "LIGHT - Light and efficient solutions" programme of the concentrated top competence at Fimecc Oy. Furthermore, Aalto University is participating in the FidiPro Project, managed by the Finnish Meteorological Institute.
The recruiting of international researchers is a core part of the development of research and instruction at Aalto University.
– The international visibility and reputation of Aalto University lay on the competence of the staff and students, and the quality of the research and instruction as well. What delights me in the FiDiPro search is the fact that the other funded researcher works in the FIMECC-SHOK Programme”, tells director Ms. Ritva Dammert, person in charge of the development of research and education in Allto University.
In 2009, Tekes initiated the FiDiPro Fellow Funding, which has a goal to attract promising talents at the very beginning of their career to join Finnish research groups. So far, Tekes has funded four FiDiPro-fellows.
– For Finnish researchers, this provides new conditions to develop new value-adding, multilevel cooperation, which hopefully has a successful future. The cooperation relations formed at an early stage of a career are very important, and they help a Finnish researcher to position him/herself in the international science community, describes Dammert.
The FiDiPro Funding Programme raises interest among the Finnish research units and invited researchers as well. The first FiDiPro Professors began their work in Finland in 2007. The programmes funded by the Academy of Finland and Tekes host already up to 51 foreign high-level researchers or Finnish researchers who have stayed abroad for a long period of time. Among those, the Academy of Finland has funded 27, and Tekes 24 professors.
– Funding is very competitive. We have to be more active ourselves to shape up the Finnish research environment in order to be more attractive internationally, says Ms. Dammert.
Further information:
Ms. Ritva Dammert
Director, Development of Research and Instruction.
050 5687969, ritva.dammert [at] aaltouniversity [dot] fi
Tekes Information on this subject:
FiDiPro – The Finland Distinguished Professor Programme is a funding programme, led and financed by the Academy of Finland and Tekes. It provides Finnish universities and research institutes a possibility to hire foreign researchers, or Finnish researchers who have stayed abroad for a long period of time, for a fixed period.
