FiDiPro funding created international cooperation and new doctors for Micronova
20.12.2011
The study of nanophotonics at Micronova, School of Electrical Engineering, has for the last five years enjoyed the benefits of FiDiPro funding. Seppo Honkanen acted as FiDiPro professor in Micronova’s Photonic Integrated Circuits by Heterogeneous Integration research project (2007–2011). Honkanen was hired from the world-renowned University of Arizona College of Optical Sciences.
According to Honkanen, the five-year project that ended at the end of 2011 was particularly successful in creating strong cooperation between foreign and Finnish universities, research institutes and companies. In the project, Honkanen also supervised several postgraduate students who produced dissertations on results generated by the research work. So far, the project has produced five doctoral graduates.
"The project also affected my personal life as I moved to Finland after 12 years in the United States," explains Honkanen. According to the FiDi professor, internationalisation is important for Finnish researchers.
"I encourage all young researchers to go abroad – not necessarily to live, but for a brief stay at least. In my research group, about half of the researchers were from Finland and half from other countries. In my view, that is a good thing for the group.
Honkanen goes on to explain that nanophotonics is very important for example in optical communications technology, without which there would be no internet, among other things. The Photonic Integrated Circuits by Heterogeneous Integration project developed new innovative micro and nano technologies used to join together integrated photonic circuits made of different materials. The project was made up of more than ten subprojects.
The Finland Distinguished Professor Programme, FiDiPro, is a joint funding programme between the Academy of Finland and the Finnish Funding Agency for Technology and Innovation Tekes. It provides Finnish universities and research institutes with the opportunity to employ foreign top scientists for a fixed term. Expatriate Finnish scientists who have long worked outside Finland are also eligible for the programme. Its aim is to create new type of cooperation between basic research, applied research and research and development activities in companies. Universities and research institutes are encouraged to act in cooperation with each other and with the economic life.
Text: Tea Kalska