Future Networks, Society and Modeling - FuNeSoMo

Future Networks, Society and Modeling - FuNeSoMo is a Tekes-funded 3-year research exchange project 1.1.2011-31.12.2013 built on the existing collaboration between HIIT and Tekes in Finland and ICSI Berkeley in the USA. A large part of the collaboration is also taking place between HIIT and University of California at Berkeley (UCB).

FuNeSoMo mission

For a full description, download project description (.pdf).

The mission of the project is twofold. FuNeSoMo 1) provides a framework for research exchange between Finland and ICSI and UCB, with particular focus on continuing the current collaboration, and 2) funds research exchange between Finland and ICSI and UCB on selected thematic research areas as described in the project plan.

The goal of FuNeSoMo is to enable fundamental research in the thematic areas, aiming at significant contributions towards the future development of these areas. FuNeSoMo also aims to further strengthen the international visibility and dissemination of the Finnish research both in the US and the global scientific community.

FuNeSoMo thematic research areas

The initial main research thematic areas of the project are

1. Future Networks
2. Users in the network society
3. Computational modeling and data analysis

Future Networks
Efforts on building the Future Internet have received a lot of attention and funding recently. Networking has been a traditional strong field of research both at HIIT and at ICSI and the current FICNIA project is directly aimed at networking research. FuNeSoMo will continue along this track along the research projects defined below. Important topics that will be covered in FuNeSoMo include traffic analysis, accountability, data center networks, information-centric networking, services, and software-defined networking. A new, emerging field of research, green IT, is also a topic researched both at UCB and HIIT and this is likely to yield future collaboration potential as well.

Users in the network society
During the past ten years HIIT has had strong collaboration with universities in the USA in the areas of 1) mobile user experience and human-computer interaction, 2) user-centric research on design and use of digital services, and 3) legal, business and social constructs that support the development of future network society. The first track concentrates on design of novel interfaces and experiences in ubiquitous and mobile computing, coupling in-depth user studies with design in the area of novel interfaces. The goal of this work is to contribute to technology development efforts by deepening understanding of human perspectives. The second track aims at developing new concepts, new paradigms, new theories, and new innovations based on empirical and experimental data gathered from real-life use. The third track concentrates on legal frameworks of privacy and IPR, word-of-mouth marketing mechanisms in online services, and virtual consumption of digital goods. Also, combining research efforts with computation modeling (see below) is one more promising direction for research in this area.

Computational modeling and data analysis
Within the fields of computational data analysis and machine learning there are excellent collaboration opportunities. There are two relevant Centers of Excellence affiliated with Helsinki Institute for Information Technology HIIT and many other groups in Helsinki and Finland, several top-level groups in ICSI, Berkeley, Stanford and MIT. Computational modeling-powered interaction and interface techniques are a field rapidly rising in importance. There are strong Finnish groups in HIIT working on machine learning and interface aspects (speech, image analysis, proactive interfaces, interaction within HIIT and ICSI (speech, vision, natural language processing). Another very promising direction of collaboration is computational methods in genomics between ICSI and HIIT.

FuNeSoMo funding - how to apply

FuNeSoMo will arrange 2-3 open calls annually to apply funding for research visits of 3-11 months between Finland and US . For senior applicants, also shorter research visits can be funded (minimum 2 weeks). FuNeSoMo will only fund research in the thematic areas listed above. The separate calls can be directed to one, two or all thematic areas at a time.

A successful candidate will have a good track record of high-quality research in the area of FuNeSoMo (depending on the career phase). The main target group of the call is senior candidates, but applications from graduate students are also more than welcome. The junior applicants must have at least a master’s level degree and be enrolled as a graduate student in either Aalto University or University of Helsinki to be eligible to apply for funding from FuNeSoMo.

Next call will be announced in mid-November 2012.

>> Apply now: August 2012 call deadline 10.8.2012

>> May 2012 call deadline 18.5.2012

>> January 2012 call deadline 3.2.2012

>> September 2011 call deadline 16.9.2011

>> May 2011 call deadline 31.5.2011

>> March 2011 call deadline 31.3.2011

FuNeSoMo organization

FuNeSoMo is funded by Tekes and directed via a steering group consisting of members from ICSI, Aalto, University of Helsinki and representatives from industrial companies. Though coordinated by HIIT's Future Internet research programme, FuNeSoMo is a HIIT-wide project. The responsible leader of the project is Professor Jussi Kangasharju and the coordinator is Dr. Kristiina Karvonen.

For all inquiries, please contact:

Dr. Kristiina Karvonen, Coordinator
email: kristiina.karvonen (at) hiit.fi
tel. +358 50 3841624