UC Professors Tap Finland for Research Institute

CITRIS – the Center for Information Technology Research in the Interest of Society – was established in 2001 when a multi-disciplinary academic team from four University of California campuses formed a research institute. Their goal: To go beyond simply developing innovative technologies to actually applying their innovations to areas of society where they are most likely to improve people’s lives.

FinNode has funded several programs to bring Finnish researchers to the CITRIS campuses in Berkeley, Davis, Merced and Santa Cruz to contribute to the research for a year or longer. Research has focused on solving issues related to energy, transportation and seismic safety, among other topics. FinNode also was instrumental in establishing health care as a new research area inside of the CITRIS program.

In return, CITRIS chose Helsinki, Finland, as the host city for its 2006 European partner meeting. The event resulted in more than 30 joint initiatives leading to research collaboration. The event also was an opportunity for U.S. companies to scout for technology expertise among Finnish innovators, as the event gathered together many of the key researchers from Finland, California and many parts of Europe. More details and presentations from the event can be found at http://www.citris-uc.org/CITRIS-in-Europe.