Research grants awarded to three recipients
Häme Vocational Higher Education and Research Foundation awarded grants to three research and development projects that draw on the areas of expertise of Häme University of Applied Sciences.
Häme Vocational Higher Education and Research Foundation sr. awards annually public research grants. Every year in February, the foundation announces a public grant application round. The grants are awarded to support research and development activities that support the area of operation of Häme University of Applied Sciences or make use of the area.
This year the foundation awarded 3 grants as follows:
Young researcher grant, 5 000 euros
Dimitrios Siakas: Energy security and carbon-neutral growth in Kanta-Häme (EnergiaTurva)
Finland’s shift toward carbon‑neutral energy systems is accelerating, and with it comes a growing need to ensure that regions, municipalities, and businesses can withstand energy disruptions. A new PhD project by Dimitrios Siakas at Aalto University, conducted in collaboration with Häme University of Applied Sciences (HAMK), aims to develop a first‑of‑its‑kind framework for assessing and improving regional energy security in Finland.
The research focuses on SMEs, municipalities, and energy companies, examining how resilience, reliability, affordability, and sustainability can be secured during the ongoing green transition. The study will combine regional energy infrastructure analysis, interviews, and comparative research across selected European countries to identify vulnerabilities and map best practices.
The project responds to an urgent societal need: Europe’s energy crisis, the volatility of global energy markets, and the rapid adoption of intermittent renewable energy have highlighted the importance of regional resilience. By developing an actionable assessment model, the research will support Finnish regions, starting with Kanta‑Häme region, in strengthening preparedness and enabling stable, crisis‑resilient, and sustainable growth.
The results will be disseminated through leading international journals and conferences, contributing new scientific insight into how regional actors can secure reliable energy systems that support Finland’s long‑term climate and security goals.
Further information: dimitrios.siakas(at)hamk.fi
Young researcher grant, 5 000 euros
Lauri Ketola: Data Driven Decision-making in Dairy Production: Integrating Farmer Perspectives, Forage Analytics, and Animal Level Monitoring
Dairy farming is facing increasing complexity. and it’s growing demands on farmers’ daily decision‑making. At the same time, modern dairy farms generate large amounts of data but utilizing it effectively is a challenge, especially in strategic decision-making.
This doctoral research explores how different types of data generated on dairy farms can be combined to support decision‑making. The study focuses on dairy farmers’ own perspectives on digital tools, information related to forage production, and data collected from individual animals.
The research is based on the understanding that data alone does not improve farming. What matters is how information supports farmers’ both operational and strategic decision-making. Farmers adopt and use digital tools in different ways, often influenced by usability, perceived benefits, costs, and time constraints rather than technology itself.
The aim of the research is to improve understanding of how data can be used more meaningfully in dairy farming decision‑making. In the long term, the work seeks to support more sustainable and productive milk production by contributing knowledge that helps develop solutions aligned with farmers’ real needs and working conditions.
Further information: lauri.ketola(at)hamk.fi
Innovations that create work, facilitate everyday life and solve social problems grant of 3 000 euros
The Cost of Silence.
A new doctoral study examines how to make safety culture last.
In many organizations, the greatest risk is not the error. It is the reluctance to speak up about it. Ville Vuoriniitty’s doctoral study is the first longitudinal research to measure how this can be permanently changed.
“Psychological safety typically collapses the moment a leader changes, unless it has already become the group’s own way of operating. This is the mechanism that no one has measured this systematically before.” — Ville Vuoriniitty
The study follows conscript units across three phases of service and focuses specifically on speak-up efficacy, the capacity to voice concerns even under pressure. Because military service reaches virtually every age group in Finland, it offers a unique channel to shape the safety culture of the entire society.
Three key findings: 1) Safety culture does not survive leadership transitions, unless it has first become a routinized group norm, 2) Psychological safety is not only a wellbeing question, it directly predicts performance and accident prevention, 3) Finland’s NATO membership demands a more open communication culture, this study measures how to build it.
More information: ville.vuoriniitty(at)tuni.fi
The Häme Foundation for Professional Higher Education and Research fr.
The Häme Foundation for Professional Higher Education and Research was founded on 10 April 1996 and was registered with the Register of Foundations on 21 October 1997.
The Foundation is a non-profit organization and its purpose is to support and promote techno-economic and natural scientific research, product development and cultural activities within the operating area of Häme University of Applied Sciences.
The Häme Foundation for Professional Higher Education and Research receives donations, testaments and other funds, as well as awards grants and scholarships for the activities within the operating area Häme University of Applied Sciences. The Foundation may award special recognition awards to authors of outstanding discoveries or inventions in their field.
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