Evaluation Report Publications of the Academy of Finland 1/11

Research networking and interaction
There is very good networking activity considering the size of the group. The unit has 
close cooperation with industry and much active collaboration with VTT and Finnish 
as well as foreign universities. The unit is a partner in several EU projects, including 
the network of excellence IDECAT (Integrated Design For Catalytic Nanomaterials), 
which has been transformed into ERIC (European Research Institute on Catalysis), 
and the EU-China Cooperation for Liquid Fuels from Biomass Pyrolysis 
(ECOFUEL), Marie-Curie IRSES (International Research Staff Exchange Scheme, 
FP7). Networking is also provided through the unit’s participation in a graduate 
school. 
Recommendations
The group should maintain its research strategy and keep the balance between 
fundamental and applied research. The panel agrees with the concerns expressed by 
the unit regarding the possible threats from a future decrease in external funding. 
External funding is in general quite fragmented and limited to short periods. This has 
negative implications on the implementation of long-term basic research and on the 
career development of researchers. The unit should continue to be active in funding 
and networking at the EU level. However, the mobility of researchers has to be 
encouraged. Mobility is still limited, despite the good networking: a very high 
proportion of the senior staff members were educated within the unit. Stronger 
collaboration with AU chemical engineering and other units is also encouraged. For 
the long-term viability of the unit, especially considering the upcoming retirement of 
the unit head, the panel recommends that AU soon initiate the recruitment of a 
professor using an international open call. 

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