The Research Council of Finland and the Ministry for Foreign Affairs of Finland have granted funding for nine development research projects.
The aim of the Academy Programme for Development Research, DEVELOP2, is to produce knowledge that can help solve problems related to, for example, health, natural resources, the economy and education. Within development research, there is also a need for knowledge on how international, national and cultural systems work and on the limitations that these systems present to and the opportunities they offer for development.
The nine projects funded by the Research Council of Finland and the Ministry for Foreign Affairs of Finland comprise eleven research teams, which will start work in early September 2023. Of the nine projects, five are funded by the Research Council of Finland and four by the Ministry for Foreign Affairs. DEVELOP2 is a continuation of the DEVELOP programme, which ran from 2018 to 2023.
The University of Eastern Finland secured almost 1 million euros of funding from the programme. A project led by Research Director Jarkko Tissari at the Department of Environmental and Biological Sciences investigates technological and socio-economical solutions to reduce indoor air pollution in Nepal. The project will start in September 2023 and end at the end of 2026. The ministry’s funding for the project is 577,312 euros.
A project led by Senior Researcher Anu Valtonen at the Department of Environmental and Biological Sciences aims towards sustainable harvesting of African edible bush-cricket (Ruspolia differens) for enhancing food security and rural livelihoods in East Africa. Ruspolia differens is among the most consumed edible insects in East Africa where its consumption has multiple health, environmental, economic and social benefits for the rural communities. The project will start in September 2023 and end at the end of 2026. The Research Council’s funding for the project is 418,861 euros.
Source: Research Council of Finland, and Ministry for Foreign Affairs of Finland