Research

The research within Allied ICT Finland covers all aspects of ICT. When searching a research partner in Finland, AIF provides a single contact point. We will find for you the partner(s) suiting best for your needs.
Selected research areas below cover strategic ICT themes bringing new initiatives, perspectives to the future and new RDI projects. They are advancing important ICT themes for Finland and simultaneously speeding up the research to market activities.

Click on ICT theme logo for more information.

Industry X

Health, Wellbeing & Sports

Metaverse

Human-driven ICT

Microelectronics

Industry X

Core content

Industry Next studies beyond Industry 4.0 solutions and supports collaborative projects and platforms. White Paper: https://t.co/fGA2yRdlHV?amp=1

Contact

Jari Kaivo-oja, University of Turku, jari.kaivo-oja@utu.fi

IoT Next

Core content

Internet of devices and things has burgeoned in consumer electronics, industrial applications, and societies. It is already everyday applications such as remotely readable electric meters, sport watches or predictive maintenance applications. An enormous potential of IoT is waiting for utilization. Allied ICT Finland focuses on defining the road map, and creating and strengthening an ecosystem of IoT Next Phase. A strong orientation is towards end user needs and requirements in our research and innovation actions.

Contact

Janne Känsäkoski, Centria, janne.kansakoski@centria.fi

Software

Core content

Ability to create and utilize software is key in nearly all successful business. Software business will change in the future. What is the Finnish perspective on software in the future? How we should differentiate? See the White paper written in AIF (suomeksi ja in English).

Contact

Kari Systa, University of Tampere, kari.systa@tuni.fi

Microelectronics

Core content

Contact

Jaakko Sauvola, University of Oulu, jaakko.sauvola@oulu.fi

Future Connectivity

Core content

The research area “Future Connectivity” outlines a platform for a smart future: how devices interconnect and how they communicate with each other. An important trend will be the moving of intelligence from the centers of the network to the edges of the network, and further from the edges into intelligent networks formed by devices. A White Paper about Future Connectivity has been compiled.

Contact

Jaakko Sauvola, University of Oulu, jaakko.sauvola@oulu.fi

Smart Campus

Core content

Smart Campus Next targets to develop the concept further and to enlarge the national network. Focus areas are services, RDI activity, verticals and smart cities.

Contact

Markku Turunen, University of Tampere, markku.turunen@tuni.fi

Space ICT

Core content

Space technologies for remote sensing, telecommunication and positioning are in today's digital era serving the needs of several application areas, such as transport, agriculture and forestry, navigation, environmental monitoring, defense, emergency and rescue, space science, and the built environment. Various ICT solutions facilitate the development of the space sector, both for its space segment and its user segment that is fueled by the wealth of satellite-generated data. The space sector is undergoing a transformation while space is being more and more commercialized. There is a high demand for the miniaturization of sensors as well as intelligent IT solutions that increasingly exploit the opportunities of space-based data for society’s various needs. Space technologies have a strong role in EU research programs and research funding will be available abundantly to space ICT development in e.g. Horizon Europe's the digital, industry and space theme. This group plans and coordinates AIF activities to increase space ICT related R&D&I efforts in Finland and launches new projects in strong international collaboration.

Contact

Prof. Heidi Kuusniemi, University of Vaasa, heidi.kuusniemi@uwasa.fi

Cyber Security

Core content

Today’s networked society is based on the functionality of various information systems and networks of the cyber world. Even the slightest malfunctions may cause significant problems in logistics, economic systems and the security of society. The targets of threats include critical infrastructure and payments systems. Understanding the cyber world and its related threats requires a new kind of multi-disciplinary understanding of information security, continuity management and society’s preparedness for crises. Therefore, cyber security has become an essential skills area. A White Paper about cyber security has been compiled.

Contact

Martti Lehto, University of Jyväskylä, martti.lehto@jyu.fi

Automotive ICT

Core content

Cars are becoming integration platforms, just like mobile phones did in the 1990s. The aim of the Automotive Cluster in Oulu is to build a strong network in car-related matters. In the future, it will create significant co-offerings, export mechanisms, new research and development avenues, and education. The Car Industry Cluster in the Tampere area rounds up know-how in the region and speeds up cooperation of the actors.

Contact

Tero Päivärinta, University of Oulu, tero.paivarinta@oulu.fi

Future Data Economy

Core content

From data economy and platforms to ecosystems and business models in ICT - Future Data Economy theme group addresses business opportunities based on new technologies holistically by combining business, societal, technology and environmental perspectives

Contact

Marika Iivari, University of Oulu, Marika.Iivari@oulu.fi

Post Covid Digitalization

Core content

The Covid pandemic has changed the way we work. The research area will be started with a think tank, which will have participants from various fields of expertise. This will lead to a common vision, which is used to create projects.

Contact

Jaakko Sauvola, University of Oulu, jaakko.sauvola@oulu.fi

Green ICT

Core content

Green ICT Working Group aims to answer the needs presented in the The Ministry of Transport and Communications of Finland "Climate and Environmental Strategy for the ICT sector" by connecting academia and industry in research and education activities. Monthly meeting, first Thursday of the month 14-15 Link to the meeting

Contact

Jari Porras, LUT University, jari.porras@lut.fi

Smart Logistics

Core content

Smart logistics solutions are applied in organizations and companies for long-term, medium-term and daily planning. In long-term planning, modeling and simulation programs can be used to compare and demonstrate various options. For medium-term planning, programs are used to plan and supervise logistics, for example in rough estimation of production or transportation needs. In daily use, logistical operations are supported by enterprise resource planning systems, specialized programs for logistics, automation solutions and identification and geographic information techniques. Data accumulated in databases can be used to analyze operations, thus supporting decision-making.

Contact

Sami Kantanen, JAMK, sami.kantanen@jamk.fi

Sports, Exercise and Wellbeing

Core content

Current theme being developed: ICT and Health Technology RDIs accelerating Overall Wellbeing and Holistic Health

Contact

Minna Isomursu, University of Oulu, minna.isomursu@oulu.fi

Metaverse

Core content

Core content of Metaverse

Contact

Jari Kaivo-Oja, University of Turku, jari.kaivo-oja@utu.fi

Information Exchange with Business Finland and Academy of Finland regarding EU

Core content

The European Union grants significant amounts of money for research and development. The major distribution instruments include NextGenerationEU (€750 billion), Horizon Europe (€95 billion), and Digital Europe (€8 billion). The EU contact for Allied ICT Finland will be Mr. Pekka Sivonen from Business Finland. He heads the Brussels office of Business Finland and Academy of Finland. In this research area, AIF will create initiatives to get a larger portion of EU funding to Finland; create roundtable discussions regarding Finland's strategy, actions and proposals to the EU; and even out the tacit knowledge.

Contact

Jaakko Sauvola, University of Oulu, jaakko.sauvola@oulu.fi

Human-driven ICT

Core content

The research group "Human-Driven ICT" deals with the human-centered, inclusive and ethical development of ICT. The focus is on the empowerment of humans and their agency as well as the meaningful inclusion of human values, needs, and psychological aspects into the design and implementation of ICT.

Topics such as collaboration, more-than-human, planet-centric design and sustainability are considered and methods such as participatory design, DIY, living lab, socially embedded research or user-centered design are discussed, applied and included in our research group.

We are as interdisciplinary as the topic and unite researchers from the fields of marketing, information systems and software engineering, just to name a few.

Our overarching vision is to ensure human-centered, driven and empowering ICT, always focusing on humans and their well-being and values.

We organize in regular meetings with the goal to build a network of like-minded people with the same interests, start collaborative research projects and exchange and share knowledge. We operate using a Slack workspace and organize regular meetings in person, for example for PhD students.

Contact

Dominik Siemon, University of Lahti, dominik.siemon@lut.fi