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Research Action Plan

The plan guides the development of our research, development and innovation (RDI) work.

Principles of HAMK Research

At HAMK we carry out transdisciplinary and interprofessional applied research that aims to renew society and address the world’s intractable challenges. The action plan steers the development of our RDI work, which is monitored using short-term measurable targets.

Key starting points for our research are strengthening resilience, supporting comprehensive security and promoting security of supply, regardless of the nature of crises or the state of the world. The needs of our research activities arise from the development of Kanta-Häme and the renewal of the region’s world of work and business life.

HAMK’s Strategy 2030 sets the goal that our research renews society. We believe that society is changed through applied research based on research knowledge, carried out together with the world of work and the surrounding society. To reach this goal, we have selected research areas in which we can both promote the business life of our region and find solutions to global challenges. Our activities are based on transdisciplinary and transprofessional work that brings together individual fields of research through our focus areas.

We renew society one mission at a time. Our aim is to seek solutions to the world’s wicked problems. The missions are realistic: they are concrete actions implemented over a period of one to five years and monitored regularly. The purpose of the missions is to increase competence, produce new knowledge and create concrete applications or services.

Our research focuses on three thematic areas: bio-based solutions, the sustainable built environment, and future education and competence. Around these themes, we have formed eight transdisciplinary and professional focus areas, in which researchers and research groups from different fields solve global challenges, promote the business life of our region and renew society. Digitalisation and modern tools are an integral part of each focus area.

To ensure the vitality of the region, HAMK’s research aims for strong and active agency in international networks such as RUN European University. Our global activities are based on strong networks, high-level R&D work and the export of expertise in Africa, Asia, the Americas and Europe.  In Europe, our particular priority is to improve the conditions for the reconstruction of Ukraine, for which we are preparing a separate Ukraine Action Plan 2045. We will also continue implementing the Africa Action Plan 2030 (HAMK Africa Action Plan 2030).

Key figures

Around 200 staff working in research

 150 RDI projects underway each year 

Over 40 Principal Research Scientists 

1 innovation unit serving the entire organisation

Finland’s 5th largest university of applied sciences by research volume

8 transdisciplinary research focus areas 

Nearly 600 RDI projects with companies

Research activities €17m

Solutions in Biotechnology

Focus areas: Sustainable and Innovative Bioproduction and Sustainable Ecosystems and Bioeconomy Solutions.

Sustainable and Innovative Bioproduction

Mission: We develop the bio-circular economy and sustainable raw material production of the future by using biotechnology and smart technologies.

Goals:

  • We will develop seven commercially attractive food, bio-based and horticultural products that replace conventional materials with more sustainable alternatives. 
  • We will help at least 20 companies build resilient circular-economy value chains and accelerate the green transition across different sectors. We will promote bioproduction and bioprocessing technologies and the use of biogas technology in companies and on farms. 
  • We will promote the adoption of the circular economy by developing five new concepts for using bio-based raw materials and side streams

Read more on the website.

Sustainable Ecosystems and Bioeconomy Solutions

Mission: We accelerate the transition towards sustainable land use by integrating soil and water research, digitalization, and applied research into solutions that strengthen the health of biological ecosystems, support data-driven decision-making, and create opportunities for regenerative business development.

Goals:

  • We generate research-based knowledge on soil processes, sustainable water management, biodiversity, nutrient cycling, carbon sequestration, and environmental impacts to support sustainable land use and the renewal of the bioeconomy. 
  • We develop and pilot new methods, digital services, and operating models that help land-use sector stakeholders enhance the benefits provided by nature while promoting sustainable and regenerative business practices. 
  • We provide testing, experimentation, and innovation environments for companies and other stakeholders to evaluate the sustainability of land use and assess the impacts of novel solutions in real-world operational settings. 

Read more on the website.

Sustainable Built Environment

Focus areas: Humans, Technology and the Evolving Living Environment and Sustainable Built Environment.

Humans, Technology and the Evolving Living Environment

Mission: We strengthen human capabilities through modern technology so that we can respond to changes in the social, economic, technological and ecological living environment.

Goals:

  • We will develop three internationally pioneering wearable technology innovations with significant business potential across several sectors. 
  • We will promote the adoption of robots that work collaboratively with people in companies, improving productivity and competitiveness, and develop smarter robots of the future and related services. 
  • We will strengthen interaction and interoperability between residents, administration and the environment through five urban development projects or pilots. 
  • We will renew scientific understanding of the interaction between people, technology and the evolving living environment through interdisciplinary, empirical and theoretical research, producing 30 scientific publications. 

Read more on the website.

Sustainable Built Environment

Mission: We seek lasting solutions that promote systemic change in the built environment towards a fossil-free direction.

Goals:

  • We will significantly reduce the carbon footprint of the built environment by developing timber, hybrid and steel structures as well as material solutions that reduce the use of virgin raw materials and extend the life cycle of structures. 
  • We will renew practices in construction and manufacturing industry by using circular-economy raw materials, bio-based materials and advanced manufacturing technologies that reduce material and energy consumption. 
  • We will develop structures and energy systems that withstand climate impacts, accidents and operating conditions, supporting carbon neutrality, energy efficiency and the long-term safety of the built environment. 
  • We will create adaptable and accessible built environments that respond to people’s changing needs at different stages of life, support inclusion and enable flexible use of spaces. 
  • We will promote data-driven, green and smart urban solutions by combining digitalisation, nature-based solutions and structural design with practical experiments and scalable business models. 

Read more on the website.

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Future Education and Competences

Focus areas: Education Collaboration and Partnerships Globally, A Competent and Thriving Future Agent, Future Learning Environments and Capacity for Future Change.

Education Collaboration and Partnerships Globally

Mission: We build a sustainable future together with our partners by renewing education systems and strengthening competence in Finland and globally.

Goals:

  • We will focus on research and development entities related to the development of education systems and competence that provide impactful and scalable solutions for renewal. 
  • We will examine the quality and impact of our own activities. 
  • We will promote inclusiveness, digitalisation and sustainability in all our project and research activities.

Read more on the website.

A Competent and Thriving Future Agent

Mission: We promote the career path of learners and employees who take care of their well-being and are motivated by developing their competence, from the very first steps of learning through to the end of their working careers.

Goals:

  • We will develop learning, guidance and development environments that support the competence and well-being of diverse learners and employees. 
  • We will develop innovative research-based pedagogical and societal solutions that support the well-being of students, teachers and employees, both now and in the future. 
  • We will develop new solutions, such as the use of artificial intelligence, that support well-being and learning, streamline work and enable employees to focus on their core tasks.

Read more on the website.

Future Learning Environments

Mission: We develop methods and solutions that make vocational education and working life inspiring, meaningful future learning environments that develop competence.

Goals:

  • We will develop the Great Place to Learn measurement tool to support the research and development of learning environments by 2028. 
  • We will create two competence management innovations: managing staff competence in multi-location work and pedagogical competence management in vocational education by 2030. 
  • We will develop solutions and operating models that strengthen the competence and well-being of teachers and company personnel, support competence management and use new technology to promote learning. 
  • We will encourage and support companies and educational institutions to experiment with and adopt digital learning environments and tools, such as artificial intelligence, online platforms and immersive learning environments, in a way that promotes productivity and is pedagogically meaningful. 
  • We will create new pedagogical approaches and innovative learning assessment practices for the use of digital learning environments by 2028.

Read more on the website.

Capacity for Future Change

Mission: We promote sustainable and competitive renewal and innovative ways of working in organisations and society.

Goals:

  • Creating and implementing research-based innovation strategies in different organisations, ecosystems and society 
  • Strengthening understanding and competence related to sustainable innovation and adopting sustainable innovations at the individual level and in different organisations 
  • Actively involving users, customers and target groups as co-developers of innovations in all development activities

Read more on the website.

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