Gasum Fund provides grants to researchers

Gasum’s goal is to build the Nordic gas ecosystem as a bridge to a carbon-neutral society. We support research and development in the gas sector through the Gasum Fund.

The Gasum Fund is one of the special funds run and administered by the Finnish Foundation for Technology Promotion (TES).

In 2023, the Gasum Fund distributed a total of 75,000 euros in grants to five researchers. The Gasum Fund has been providing grants since 2005.

Application period for the Gasum Fund research grants 2024 is open from 9 January to 11 February.

Objectives and thematic areas of the Gasum Fund

The Gasum Fund aims to respond to society's transformational challenges by developing energy solutions based on gas and producing information supporting the development of the gas sector.

Grants can be provided for research into the value chains of renewable gases, especially in connection with fighting climate change and the energy transition, such as:

Power-to-Gas value chain;
biogas value chains (including nutrition circulation related to biogas production);
gas transportation, logistics, use and life cycle impact; or
regulation pertaining to renewable gases.

Who can apply for grants?

To attain the objectives, grants are provided from the Fund to post-graduate students for doctoral dissertation work. In exceptional cases, funding may also be provided for Master's theses. Grants are given out for research conducted in Finland, including possible periods of working abroad on the project.

The Gasum Fund aims to support full-time research with full daily allowances of 24,500 euros per year. In addition, the Gasum Gas Fund seeks to provide long-term funding to students.

Funding can, therefore, also be applied for through the Fund in several consecutive years, but granting further funding requires proof of progress made in the work. Progress must be indicated in the application as well as in the reference letter provided by the advisor or supervisor of the work.

Grants can be combined with pay received from the university.

Finnish Foundation for Technology Promotion

For grant application periods, visit the website of the Finnish Foundation for Technology Promotion (TES).

How are applications submitted and assessed?

Applications are submitted via the TES portal. Applications are addressed directly to the Gasum Fund, but TES also aims to direct other applications addressed to TES that are fall within the field of the Gasum Fund for assessment by the Fund.

Applications addressed to the Gasum Fund are considered by the Fund's advisory committee. It is chaired by Lars Gädda, Dr. Tech., and the other members are Professor Jukka Rintala from Tampere University, Professor Esa Vakkilainen from Lappeenranta University of Technology, Mia Bengts from Finnish Foundation for Technology Promotion and D.Sc. Mikko Syrjänen from Gasum.

The ultimate decisions regarding grants are made by the TES Board.

Previous grants awarded

2023

In 2023, the Gasum Fund distributed a total of 75,000 euros in grants to five researchers. The grant recipients were:

Julia Kiehle – Green hydrogen technologies in a decarbonised and sustainable energy system of Finland, eur 24 000
Ahmed Rufai Dahiru – Renewable power-to-gas (P2G) for small-scale energy production plants in Finland: A techno-economic and environmental study, eur 8 000
Blaž Hrovat – Enzymatic digestion of industrial wastewaters and subsequent detection of microplastics to develop industrially relevant methods for microplastic monitoring and removal, eur 14 000
Niloufar Sadat Ghavami Masouleh – Advances in Process integration Studies for Novel Biorefinery Concepts and Biofuel production, eur 24 000
Danielle Bansfield – Exploiting the unexploited: improved recycling of nutrients in industrial wastewaters into value-added products, eur 5 000

2022

In 2022, Gasum Gas Fund awarded grants to seven people:

Rebecka Wicker: Developing novel photobioreactor systems and applying microalgae–bacteria consortia to valorize wastewater and carbon pollution to economically viable emissions neutral biofuels and bioenergy products, EUR 24,000
Marjaana Hassani: Small fields and wastelands as a source of energy, EUR 17,400
Anna Hämäläinen: Recovery of nutrients and their energy content from municipal and forest industry sewage sludge by thermal post-treatment, as part of the biogas process, EUR 14,560
Danielle Bansfield: Exploiting the unexploited: improved recycling of nutrients in reject water from biogas production into value-added products, EUR 5,000
Niloufar Sadat Ghavami Masouleh: Advances in Process integration Studies for Novel Biorefinery Concepts and Biofuel production, EUR 5,000
Matthias Re: The research consists of the implementation of a carbon neutral hydrogen and district heating plant (100% renewable) using waste energy recovery, wind and solar auxiliary electrical power system, EUR 5,000
Harri Manu: Improving the pretreatment of biowaste at a biogas plant – technical–economic preliminary analysis, EUR 4,000

2021

In 2023, the grants from the Gasum Gas Fund totaled €63,000:

Miriam Kellock: Analysis of the rate limiting steps in enzymatic hydrolysis of lignocellulose: the effect of lignin and enzyme structure, 12 000 €Miika Marttila: Kasvihuonelämmitysmenetelmien ilmastonlämpenemispotentiaali boreaalisella ilmastovyöhykkeellä Väitöskirjassa: Agroekologisten ja teollisten symbioosien ympäristövaikutukset maaseutuliiketoiminnassa, Lappeenrannan-Lahden teknillinen yliopisto LUT, 5 000 €
Sami Lieskoski: The use of energy storage to integrate renewable energy in the transition to carbon-neutrality, Åbo Akademi, 12 000 €
Marjaana Hassani: Pientareet ja joutomaat energianlähteinä, Jyväskylän yliopisto, 24 000 €
Hassaan Ahmad Warraich: Master's thesis: "Studies on carbon dioxide hydrogenation to methanol using in-situ diffuse reflectance infrared Fourier transform spectroscopy and mass spectrometry" Aalto yliopisto, 5 000 €
Danielle Bansfield: Exploiting the unexploited: improved recycling of nutrients in the reject water from biogas production into value-added products Aalto yliopisto, 5 000 €

2020

In 2020, the grants from the Gasum Gas Fund totaled €75,000:

Anusha Airi: Biowaste valorization: Utilization of biodegradables to strengthen biogas station infrastructures in the North of Finland, 5,000 €
Sole Aronen: Comparative life cycle assessment of sewage sludge treatment pathways – anaerobic digestion, incineration and thermochemical methods combined with nutrient recovery and carbon sequestration, 10,000 €
Ahmed Rufai Dahiru: Renewable power-to-gas (P2G) for small-scale energy production plants in Finland: A Techno-economic and environmental study, 24,000 €
Oskari Lähdeaho: Logistiikan alan muutosta ajavat voimat: Kestävyys kilpailukyvyn tekijänä, 5,000 €
Aleksi Mankonen: Energiantuotantoprosessien ja uusiutuvien polttoaineiden käytön tietokonemallinnus ja analyysi, 5,000 €
Kirsi Spoof-Tuomi: Biokaasun hyödyntämisstrategiat: LBG raskaan liikenteen ja lähimerenkulun polttoaineena ja uuden alueellisen LBG-infrastruktuurin luominen. Biokaasun käytön lisääminen teollisuuden energiakäytössä, 5,000 €
Ping Zhu: Increase yield of biogas: Utilization of genetically modified microbes for the direct conversion of sugars to methane. Scope: Case study with real Aalto-Cell waste sugars, 5,000
Rebecca Wicker: Using native microalgal consortia for simultaneous CO2 capture, nutrient recovery, and bioenergy production, 16,000 €