Multiyear initiatives
The Foundation also occasionally funds long-term research projects. These projects receive a multi-year commitment, with the support distributed in several installments. On this page, you can find the multi-year projects currently underway.
Makers of the Future in Synthetic Biology
Synthetic biology, or synbio, is a rapidly evolving scientific field that is especially transformative for biotechnology.
Synbio refers to human-designed biological systems, cells, cell components, or organisms that do not exist in nature. In 2018, Academician and Professor of Biotechnology Research Merja Penttilä founded the Centre for Young Synbio Scientists, a research community that brings together young synthetic biology researchers, with the support of a donation from the Jenny and Antti Wihuri Foundation.
The collaboration has also been funded by the VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland and Aalto University. The research community advances the development, research, and application of synthetic biology methods in biotechnology. Its aim is to foster young researchers into visionary and responsible leaders of the future.
The Jenny and Antti Wihuri Foundation has supported the initiative since 2019 in funding cycles of two to three years. Currently, the Foundation has committed to a total of €500,000 for the period 2024–2026.
National Defense and Resilience
Especially Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine and its multifaceted hybrid warfare have highlighted the need for research that strengthens societal stability and expertise in military science.
The National Defence University has received a total of €750,000 in funding over three years for research activities that generate new knowledge about total defense as part of national resilience, Russian military doctrine, and the tactics and operational art of the war in Ukraine from the perspective of Finland’s defense capability.
The funding, granted from 2024 onward, supports the research projects:
- “Ukraine: Operational Art and Tactics of War”
- “Total Defense as Part of National Resilience”
- “Russian Military Security – Armed Forces 2040”
Research to Support the Development of the Rule of Law
The rule of law is being challenged from many directions both in Europe and globally. The Rule of Law Centre brings together top expertise in the field, produces knowledge, and strengthens the development of the rule of law, especially in developing countries.
Established in 2021 by the Ministry for Foreign Affairs and the University of Helsinki, the Centre aims to make Finnish expertise and experience related to rule of law issues available to foreign actors in need, such as authorities and universities in various countries as well as national and international organisations.
In 2023, the Wihuri Foundation granted the Rule of Law Centre a total of €300,000 in funding for three years. This grant opens a new phase in the Centre’s work by enabling its own research activities. The research-based knowledge will help address practical questions that arise in the field and promote awareness of rule of law issues both nationally and internationally.
Towards Future Energy Systems
Electricity is nowadays a vital necessity, and disruptions related to it can quickly have serious consequences. A multidisciplinary project at Aalto University focuses on the interdisciplinary research of future energy systems.
Hhe project develops forecasting and control possibilities for electricity production and demand, adaptability and security of supply of electricity systems, as well as market mechanisms for future electricity systems. The joint project of the Departments of Electrical Engineering and Automation, Computer Science, and Economics is led by Professor Heikki Mannila. The project is part of the House of AI initiative at Aalto University, which supports the increasingly versatile use of artificial intelligence in research across different fields.
The project receives a total of €750,000 in funding from the Wihuri Foundation over four years, starting in 2023.
