Kvantum Institute

Kvantum Institute contributes to solving global challenges in the thematic area "Mitigating climate change and safeguarding biodiversity" by strategic research projects. University of Oulu’s strategic research funding is directed for these multidisciplinary, internationally reviewed projects for the period 2021 - 2024. Kvantum also supports Emerging projects that have been selected for the period 2023-2026.

Kvantum Institute is driving a process called “Foresight based identification of interdisciplinary research themes”. This process supports strategic profiling of the university and identifies new multidisciplinary and interdisciplinary research openings. The objective is to outline a number of possible interdisciplinary research themes for 2024-2040. For this purpose a customised future radar was implemented. The time horizon on the future radar is set at 2040 and its sectors reflect the research at the University of Oulu and the Kvantum Institute.

Research is made to mitigate the effects of climate change and promote the sustainable use of natural resources. The necessary conditions of life require research and actions to protect ecosystems, halt soil degradation, and safeguard biodiversity. Researchers involved in the process identified approx. 30 multidisciplinary future research themes which will be promoted actively by the Kvantum Institute. The shared view of the future themes will be passed on both to national and EU level research programmes. Foresight work is a continuous activity and research themes are reviewed and updated from time to time.

More information: Research director Jussi Paakkari

Kvantum Institute develops doctoral training and coordinates Technology and Natural Sciences Doctoral Programme (TNS-DP) in cooperation with University of Oulu Graduate School (UniOGS). TNS-DP is related to the thematic area "Mitigating climate change and safeguarding biodiversity" (former focus areas Sustainable materials and systems and Changing climate and northern environment), coordinated by Kvantum Institute, and it offers doctoral training to its doctoral researchers by organizing courses and other activities and events.