Evaluation Report Publications of the Academy of Finland 1/11

Research networking and interaction
There is good collaboration at the local level (MatSurf and ÅA) for research and 
instrumentation purposes. At national and international levels, the focus of the unit is 
on active networks. The graduate school has been an important factor. Surprisingly, 
for a materials unit, there is little contact with industry. However, the international 
connections seem to be unevenly distributed in the unit.
Recommendations
The research directions are appropriate. More synergy between the various activities 
is desirable. The unit needs to actively implement its strategy, and use opportunities 
that arise when hiring new faculty members to strengthen activities at the interface 
between different unit members. In this way, the unit can grow to a size and have a 
focus that allows it to have strong international impact, in particular considering the 
low number of postdoctoral researchers and postgraduate students in the unit. 
Language should not be used to limit the search for good applicants, also at the 
faculty staff level. A more focused research profile may lead to a need to revise and 
focus also the courses offered to undergraduate students.
The unit needs to be more aggressive in seeking to secure external funding in 
order to allow for an increase in the number of postdoctoral and postgraduate 
researchers, which is badly needed in order to increase the research activity in the 
unit.
The materials chemistry research should develop closer collaborations with 
relevant national and international industry.