International advisory board commends JYU.Wisdom’s interdisciplinary research and community building
The evaluation of the JYU.Wisdom community’s activities was conducted in spring 2026. It focused on research, including the Academy of Finland-funded profiling area on planetary well-being, as well as education, societal impact and future development prospects. The University of Jyväskylä selected planetary well-being as one of its three profiling areas during the Profi 7 funding round in 2023.
Interdisciplinarity and community are key strengths of JYU.Wisdom
According to the evaluation panel, the JYU.Wisdom community has successfully established a foundation for internationally recognized, interdisciplinary planetary well-being research. Research on planetary well-being examines the interdependencies between human and non-human well-being, as well as the ecological and societal processes on which the well-being of all life depends. Its aim is to generate knowledge and solutions that support societal transformation and help secure the preconditions for the well-being of people and other organisms within planetary boundaries. The panel particularly commended the community for strengthening international collaboration and advancing high-quality research that genuinely transcends disciplinary boundaries.
The evaluators identified JYU.Wisdom’s ability to bring together researchers from different disciplines and career stages as one of its most significant strengths. Researchers interviewed by the panel described the community as open, inclusive and supportive of collaboration. Interdisciplinary dialogue was widely regarded as successful in enhancing both research quality and the ability to secure international research funding.
Significant achievements in research and education
The evaluation report highlights several notable research achievements made possible through interdisciplinary collaboration. These include internationally recognised work on biodiversity footprint assessment, the ecological and mathematical models and principles of biodiversity offsetting that have informed Finland’s legislation, researchers’ active contributions to national science panels and scientific advisory work, as well as the highly competitive European Research Council Starting Grant awarded to Associate Professor Teea Kortetmäki.
The panel also praised the community’s active role in developing sustainability education. JYU.Wisdom has expanded sustainability education through initiatives such as the Basic multidisciplinary studies on sustainability transitions module, open online courses and the Sustainability Transformations doctoral education pilot. The Introduction to Planetary Well-being course is now included in all Bachelor’s degree programmes at the University of Jyväskylä.
Recommendations for strengthening societal impact
Alongside its positive overall assessment, the panel also identified areas for further development. The evaluators encourage strengthening interdisciplinary research particularly in fields that are currently less represented within the community. The report also identifies opportunities for closer collaboration with security research, which is strong at the University of Jyväskylä, as well as select disciplines from other universities, such as law.
In addition, the panel recommends expanding societal engagement beyond biodiversity-related themes and strengthening collaboration with public authorities and local government actors.
A more permanent structure and funding base would support long-term development
The evaluation also draws attention to structural challenges facing JYU.Wisdom. The panel notes that, in order to take the next steps in its development and ensure continued research success, the JYU.Wisdom community would benefit from a more stable administrative position and a funding model rewarding cross-faculty collaboration. Such arrangements would better support long-term planning and development and enable recruitment to key research positions.
A strong foundation for the future
Overall, the evaluation panel concludes that JYU.Wisdom has built a strong interdisciplinary research community with significant scientific, educational and societal achievements. According to the panel, the community is exceptionally well positioned to strengthen its role as a pioneer in planetary well-being research both in Finland and internationally.
“The evaluation demonstrates that our long-term efforts to strengthen interdisciplinary research and collaboration across faculty boundaries have produced tangible results. At the same time, the evaluation provided valuable insights into how we can further enhance the societal impact and international visibility of our research,” says Janne Kotiaho, Director of JYU.Wisdom.
The evaluation panel consisted of Professor of Environmental Psychology Christian A. Klöckner from the Norwegian University of Science and Technology, Emeritus Professor of Environmental Economics Markku Ollikainen from the University of Helsinki, and Adjunct Professor of Environmental Policy and Group Manager Kaisa Korhonen-Kurki from the Finnish Environment Institute.
