Several development research projects granted funding by Academy of Finland and Ministry for Foreign Affairs

The Academy of Finland and the Ministry for Foreign Affairs of Finland have decided to grant funding for five new research projects to be carried out under the Academy Programme for Development Research. The total funding comes to 3.5 million euros.

The Academy Programme for Development Research funds multidisciplinary and problem-based research that describes and interprets dimensions of development, helps understand obstacles to development and finds ways in which those obstacles can be removed. The research is focused on global development issues. It will help boost development in developing countries and make good use of Finnish knowledge and expertise in the field.

In practical terms, the aim is to produce knowledge that can help solve problems related to, for example, health, natural resources, the economy and education. Knowledge is also needed about how international, national and cultural systems work and about the limitations that these systems present to and the opportunities they offer for development.

The first seven projects of the programme were selected in February 2018 and received a total of 5.8 million euros in funding. The projects started their work in March.

The five new projects, selected thanks to additional funding from the Ministry for Foreign Affairs, study Middle Eastern and North African young people’s transitions from education to employment, renewable energy sources amid the Cuban energy transformation, grain safety with designed mycotoxin binding properties, conflict resolution within forest governance in Tanzania, and strengthening societal capacity to enhance gender equality and thereby democracy and human rights.