H2FUTURE Finland - USA Visiting Programme is open
H2FUTURE research programme is now launching an invitation-based Finland-USA research mobility programme, aimed at supporting incoming research visits from the USA to University of Oulu during 2025–2027. The programme provides funding to cover travel and accommodation costs for up to 20 research visits by professors and postdoctoral researchers, to promote scientific collaboration in H2FUTURE’s core research themes.
This is an open continuous call with no deadline, available until the allocated funding has been fully used.
About the profilation
Hydrogen future as a climate solution (H2FUTURE) combines the University of Oulu’s research strengths in future H2 production, sustainable metals reduction processes, and hydrogen resistant steel development to a unique, holistic, multidisciplinary research community with ambition in enabling green and sustainable hydrogen transition. H2FUTURE is leveraging research excellence in future energy formation and its applications to mitigate the energy and environmental crisis.
H2FUTURE stands on fundamental research on physics, chemistry, process metallurgy, physical metallurgy and mechanical engineering related to H2FUTURE thematics. Thematics cover but are not limited to energy efficient and climate neutral hydrogen productions, fossil-free metals production and development of steels for hydrogen transition. H2FUTURE forms a part of our national profiling actions supported by the Research Council of Finland and actively interacts with other profile areas of InStreams, Genome of Steel and HiDyn within University of Oulu’s research focuses. By recruiting talented researchers from natural sciences and engineering, H2FUTURE is accumulating knowledge to bolster scientific profiles and moreover creating new research expertise to develop the profile at the University of Oulu.
About H2FUTURE Finland-USA Invitation Programme
The H2FUTURE Finland–USA Visiting Programme offers a unique opportunity for leading professors and postdoctoral researchers from the United States to engage in high-impact, multidisciplinary research at the University of Oulu. This programme is designed to foster strategic international collaboration and bring world-class expertise to advance the scientific goals of the H2FUTURE profiling area. The programme aims to catalyze cutting-edge joint research, strengthen global academic networks, and build long-term partnerships that address critical challenges in sustainable hydrogen technologies, fossil-free steel production and hydrogen-resistant materials.
Invited researchers will work in close collaboration with University of Oulu teams, gaining access to state-of-the-art facilities, multidisciplinary research environments, and a dynamic scientific community committed to enabling the green hydrogen transition.
This funding can be applied either a) directly by the researcher, or b) by an Oulu-based Principal Investigator (PI) to invite a named external researcher to visit Oulu in order to collaborate on H2FUTURE related research. The researcher and host unit should commit to University of Oulu visiting researcher guidelines (internal link for University of Oulu hosts).
The length of the visit can be between two weeks and six months. The funding can cover travel expenses and accommodation costs up to 3000 euro for short-term and up to 8000 euro for longer visits. Salaries or daily allowances are not covered, nor are trips to conferences. A detailed budget must be included in the application. The funded sum can be refunded on submission of receipts. A support letter from the host unit or institution is required.
How to apply
Please submit your application online by filling in this Webropol form and attaching the required documents.
In the application form, you are requested to fill in the following information:
- Contact details of the visiting researcher
- Details of the host unit or institute and hosting investigator
- Amount of applied funding
- Annexes (see the list below)
Applications (in English) should also include the following documents:
- Motivation letter and Brief project description of the planned visit (3 pages max) outlining your motivation for coming to/from Oulu University. What is the added value and expected scientific or other outcomes of the visit to your research and to H2FUTURE programme? How is the planned visit expected to benefit the research and collaboration in the home and host institution? What is your work plan and schedule for the visit? Brief project description of the planned visit including overall objectives, research methods, innovation, and contribution to your field and H2FUTURE research at the University of Oulu.
Please also include a detailed budget for the planned visit, clearly indicating the costs that are planned to be covered by this funding and other potential costs funded by other source(s).
- Hosting commitment or invitation letter: For incoming visits we require a commitment of the hosting unit from the hosting PI at the University of Oulu.
- Curriculum vitae (max. 4 pages) in accordance with the guidelines of the Finnish Advisory Board on Research Integrity
- List of publications based on the guidelines of the Research Council of Finland
Deadline of the call
No deadline. The call will be open on a continuous basis for research visits planned for 2025-2027 or until the reserved H2FUTURE funding has been used.
Decisions
We will do our best to respond to applications with a decision within one month of submission. The decision will be made by the management group of H2FUTURE.
Further information and inquiries
Coordinator of H2FUTURE
Dr. Filipp Temerov
Email: filipp.temerov@oulu.fi,
Tel. +358 50 569 7739