Funding to boost materials development
- Sanna Hellsten
- 20 hours ago
- 2 min read
The Research Council of Finland and the European Research Council have granted funding to exciting materials development initiatives, poised to drive innovation and sustainability forward.
Funding boost for forest biomass: Innovative CO2 capture
The Research Council of Finland has granted a total of €6.6 million to fund seven collaborative projects as part of the 2025 call for forest biomass research. These initiatives, set to commence in early 2026, aim to foster innovation and sustainability by enhancing cooperation among higher education institutions, research institutes, and the business sector. The goal is to drive carbon neutrality, biodiversity, and sustainable growth through advanced technologies such as forest monitoring systems, high value-added bioproducts, carbon dioxide capture, and improved forest management techniques.
A standout project among the recipients is ZeroFoam, which proposes a novel method for capturing carbon dioxide using water-swollen chemical pulp foams. This innovative approach, inspired by the findings of FinnCERES-funded Co-Foam project, offers a compelling alternative to traditional amine scrubbing technologies, which are often plagued by toxic side reactions and high energy demands. ZeroFoam leverages water in its capture mechanism—an unprecedented concept in high surface area materials, where water is typically seen as detrimental. By introducing eco-friendly CO2 capturing materials to the forest industry, ZeroFoam not only represents a scientific breakthrough but also contributes to Finland's ambitious goal of achieving carbon neutrality by 2035. The Principal Investigators of the project are Research Professor Tekla Tammelin-Peltonen, VTT, Professor Eero Kontturi, Aalto University, and Professor Esa Vakkilainen, LUT University.
ERC funding for reshaping our understanding of materials
Launching in early 2026, the PAST-A-BOT project lead by Professor Jaana Vapaavuori, funded by the European Research Council (ERC) Consolidator Grant, promises to transform interactions between humans, other species, machines, and the environment. The initiative aims to develop textile-based robots using smart yarns that can detect sound, vibration, and material components, offering groundbreaking multisensory capabilities. Exploring sound's role in interspecies communication — an understudied dimension — the project could lead, e.g., to wearable robots that monitor health in real time, and textile robots in agriculture that reduce pesticide use by responding precisely to environmental stimuli.
Funded with over two million euros, the PAST-A-BOT project aims to inspire a new mindset in materials research. According to Vapaavuori, materials research should revisit past technologies, consider the needs of the entire ecosystem — not just humans — and explore long-term possibilities.
"We are challenging the idea that materials research should progress in a linear fashion by improving existing technologies and increasing production volumes." - Professor Jaana Vapaavuori
