RCF funds new Academy Research Fellows and Academy Projects in biosciences, health and environmental research
Academy Research Fellowship funding is intended for early-career researchers on a fast career track who have formed international networks and who are conducting scientifically high-quality and high-impact research that contributes to scientific renewal.
Kaisa Koivunen from the Faculty of Sport and Health Sciences received funding for research on lifestyle degradation. The project investigates how modern environments reduce the diversity of everyday activities and engagement. Digitalisation, shrinking local services, and changing societal values may lead to more passive and self-oriented lifestyles, potentially having negative impacts on wellbeing and functioning, particularly among older adults. The project received €700,000 in funding for the years 2026–2030.
Yingying Wang of the Department of Biological and Environmental Sciences received €700,000 in funding for research on the risks of zoonotic diseases.The expansion of urban areas and forest management are transforming Finnish landscapes and bringing people, animals, and disease-carrying vectors into closer contact. This project studies how these environmental changes influence the risk of zoonotic diseases—those that spread from animals to humans, such as Lyme disease and hantavirus. The results will improve our ability to predict and prevent zoonotic disease outbreaks, supporting public health and biodiversity conservation in Finland.
The aim of the RCF’s Academy Project Funding is to promote the regeneration and broad range of Finnish science and to improve the quality and scientific and other impact of research. The aim is to attain internationally as high a scientific standard of work as possible and to support scientific breakthroughs and top-tier international research collaboration.
Eija Laakkonen of the Faculty of Sport Sciences received €600,000 in funding for research examining how the cessation of ovarian hormonal function affects women's physical health and their experience of the body and self. Using a surgical menopause model, the study combines physiological measurements with experiential perspectives to comprehensively explore the effects of menopause. No comparable multidisciplinary study has previously been conducted in Finland.
