Our story

Finland Futures Research Centre (University of Turku) has an extensive experience on research projects in the Mekong region since early 2000’s. The research focus is on energy production, access and consumption, climate change initiatives, climate and energy policies, environmental governance, and sustainable livelihoods. Long-term partnerships in the region involve ministries, academia, research institutions, civil society organizations, funding agencies and other stakeholders. FFRC also has extensive collaboration with stakeholders in Finland and elsewhere in Europe.

Lately there has been a growing focus on implementing projects also on capacity building in renewable and sustainable energy education in higher education institutions, along with conventional research projects. Previously much of the work of FFRC SDF group has taken place in the Mekong region, but recently the geographical focus has broadened to include also African and Caribbean countries, and thus FFRC is continuously aiming to expand its partnerships and networks also elsewhere. Besides the Mekong region, the group has also had research and capacity building collaboration with countries such as Kenya and Tanzania, and is currently working in Cuba, Jamaica and Barbados. There is also a well-established collaboration with some major Chinese research institutions.

The aim of the SDF group is to promote transitions to sustainable energy in the developing regions of the world through collaboration and networking, research and capacity-building. Sustainable energy refers to renewable energy that is socially and economically viable in the long run. Development research at FFRC also looks into the other implications of sustainable development and the processes behind, such as the nexuses of energy production and food, as well as poverty and the environment.

Besides our main team, we work with many external experts.

———- External experts of SDF group, 2015 ———-

– Faith Mavengere, PhD candidate, femavengere@gmail.com
– Kamilla Karhunmaa, PhD candidate, Environmental Policy Research Group (EPRG), University of Helsinki, kamilla.karhunmaa@helsinki.fi
– Visa Tuominen, Junior Programme Officer, UNICEF Uganda, vtuominen@unicef.org
– Orkide Akgün, Process Engineer, orkide.akgun@gmail.com
– Sari Jusi, Director, Finnish Overseas Consultants Ltd., sari.jusi@finnoc.fi
– Outi Pitkänen, Master’s student, University of Oslo, outipitkanen@hotmail.com
– Mira Käkönen, PhD candidate, University of Helsinki, mira.kakonen@helsinki.fi
– Yrjö Majanne, Researcher, Teacher, Tampere University of Technology, yrjo.majanne@tut.fi
– Try Thuon, Researcher, Royal University of Phnom Penh, trythuon@gmail.com
– Bouasavanh Khanthaphat, Researcher & Consultant, bouasavan@gmail.com
– Norith Phol, Head of Department, Institute of Technology of Cambodia, norith@itc.edu.kh
– Khamphone Nanthavong, Professor, National University of Laos, khamphon@fe-nuol.edu.la
– Keophousone Phonhalath, Researcher, National University of Laos, keophousone@yahoo.com
– Wint Wint Kyaw, Associate Professor, Yangon Technological University
– Than Zaw Htwe, Associate Professor, Head of Department of Electrical Power Engineering, Yangon Technological University, dr.thanzawhtwe@gmail.com

———- And here is our main team ———-