US-Finnish research team receives funding for research into Internet of Things

A team of researchers from the United States and Finland have been granted funding to investigate the fundamental science questions that can enable revolutionary advances in future communication systems.

The funded project will attempt to answer key questions concerning materials and devices, network science and embedded intelligence, and human interactions that could impact development of future communication systems. The project, “Self-Programmable Metasurface Networks for Wireless Communications and IoT”, is led by Professor Sergei Tretyakov at Aalto University in Finland and Professor Andrea Alù at City University of New York in the US. The team also includes researchers from the University of Helsinki, Northeastern University and the University of Texas at Austin.

The funding was awarded through the Bilateral Academic Research Initiative (BARI). BARI, jointly sponsored by the OUSD(R&E) Basic Research Office and the Research Council of Finland, allows research teams from the US and Finland to merge their unique skill sets and methodologies to pursue basic research of great importance.

The Finnish researchers of the consortium will receive 3 million euros from the Research Council of Finland. Over the project’s four-year duration, the US researchers will receive up to 4 million dollars from the Basic Research Office within the Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Research and Engineering (OUSD(R&E)).

Dr Bindu Nair, director for basic research at OUSD(R&E), said: “BARI showcases the remarkable potential of international collaboration. By combining the diverse perspectives and expertise of leading scientists from the US and Finland, this initiative will drive important advancements in scientific fields of mutual interest to both nations.”

Paula Eerola, President of the Research Council of Finland, said: “It’s wonderful that our first bilateral joint call with the US Department of Defense has proven to be a great success, enabling cutting-edge collaborative research efforts where teams from Finland and the United States combine unique expertise to provide rapid advances in fundamental science and research of vital importance to both countries. The Research Council of Finland is looking forward to this fruitful cooperation to be continued.”