TURNS research enrichment funding decisions 2026

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TURNS logo green

TURNS research enrichment funding is meant to increase societal engagement and the impact of research in society.

TURNS Research Enrichment Funding 

In the 2026 call, TURNS received 11 research enrichment funding applications. TURNS has decided to grant enrichment funding to the following 6 initiatives (listed here by the name of the main applicant):

Martti KaartinenModeling the city through cinema:  films adding a tangible dimension to support discussion and understanding

‘Film’ serves as source material for the film series The Self-Conditioning City, organized in collaboration with the National Audiovisual Institute. Through the selected films, we explore the origins and prerequisites of urban development enabled by fossil fuel energy sources in the context of the socio-metabolic energy transition but also in film.

Antti Saloniemi: Voices in Empty Spaces (VES)

The project investigates urban decline through everyday life rather than policy alone. It treats vacant spaces as sites where loss, care and future possibilities are negotiated, using participatory interventions in Pori to surface residents’ memories, emotions and visions for urban transformation.

Amitabha SarkarCommunity Literacy and Education for Wellbeing Society: A Finnish-Indian Joint Course on Urban Sustainability and Wellbeing

A Finnish-Indian collaboration developing an open, modular course on urban sustainability and wellbeing. Combining Nordic and Northeast Indian perspectives, the collaboration advances eco-social education, community literacy, and participatory approaches to sustainability across diverse contexts.

Kalle Tuomi: AARRE Enrichment: Bridging the Citizen Participation Gap

This enrichment project shifts urban development from top-down planning toward bottom-up co-creation by empowering residents and civil society to shape Seinäjoki’s food ecosystem as equal partners in publicly funded innovation processes.

Tuomas VanhanenPopularized debate on increasing policy coherence to accelerate the net-zero transition

The project encourages public discussion on the importance of science-based analysis of cross-sectoral policy coherence. It brings together policy makers and policy analysts (researchers) and allows capacity building between research and practice during Energiamessut 2026.

Nina Vurdelja: Forest Listening Lab Tampere

Forest Listening Lab is a low treshold space for intergenerational environmental learning.  Each lab session combines a guided forest walk in a different Tampere neighbourhood and facilitated art-based activities at Kalevan Halli, such as creative mapping and journaling, forest sound jam, shared foraged food preparation and dining.