Broad-based research programme to meet energy production challenges

The Academy of Finland is set to launch a new, innovative research programme on energy next year. The Sustainable Energy Research Programme (SusEn) is aimed at boosting basic research in the energy field and reconciling research into environmentally-friendly and sustainable energy production with economic factors at the early stages of research.

The aim is also to create a more in-depth and working dialogue between researchers and industrial actors in the field of basic research, meanwhile building mechanisms for rapid and effective application of new knowledge. The challenges facing energy research include in particular harmonisation of environmental effects and the economic edge conditions as well as the optimal use of renewable natural resources for raw materials and energy. This requires a multidisciplinary approach.

SusEn is an extensive research programme, aiming at covering energy research from the viewpoint of political research and research into the technologies behind different forms of energy production as well as assessment of the environmental and health effects of energy production. “All forms of energy should be researched, to get scientific knowledge of their pros and cons to help decision-making. One of the goals of SusEn is to study efficient energy use and production and how we could avoid wasting energy,” says Programme Manager Saila Karvinen.

Starting in 2008, the programme will focus on researching and developing raw materials, technologies and processes related to energy production and energy use, as well as on analysing socio-economic and political systems used to manage these. An overall objective is curbing climate change. The SusEn programme is scheduled to run for four years, with a funding of nine million euros. The programme call opens January 2007.