

Overview
Welcome! The JSPS Alumni Club in Finland (ACF) was established in 2009 by the initiative of former JSPS fellows, with the support of the JSPS Stockholm Office. The ACF organizes symposia on various themes, the All Alumni Meeting, the annual General Assembly and Board Meetings. The ACF is actively trying to reach its members by organizing symposia all over Finland.
ACF Activity Plan FY2020 | |
2020 | |
May | |
June | ・Board Meeting |
July | ・FY2020 Activity Seminar (Temporarily postponed to October) |
August | ・Membership event (Summer school at UEF cancelled) ・Pan Nordic Alumni Club Chair Meeting (tentative) |
September | ・Board meeting ・Call for the ACF Activity Seminar applications for FY2021 |
October | ・Board meeting & ACF General Assembly (Postponed to November) ・Deadline of Activity Seminar FY2021 applications ・FY2020 Activity Seminar (tentative) |
November | ・Board meeting ・Selection of Activity Seminar FY2021 applications ・Call for BRIDGE Fellowship applications for FY2021 (tentative) |
December | |
2021 | |
January | ・Board meeting ・Call for BRIDGE Fellowship applications (deadline: January 2021) (tentative) |
February | ・FY2020 All Alumni Meeting and General Assembly ・Selection and nomination of BRIDGE Fellowship applications (tentative) |
March | ・Board meeting |
- Overview of ACF
- Establishment: 2009
- Number of Members: 90
- Chair: Jyrki Saarinen
- Main Activities: ACF Activity Seminar, All Alumni Meeting, General Assembly, Board Meetings
- Rules and Regulations: Stipulated in the Articles of the Club

Jyrki Saarinen
Chair, JSPS Alumni Club in Finland (ACF)
Message from ACF Board Chair
The JSPS Alumni Club in Finland (ACF) was founded in 2009. Our main goal is to promote scientific exchange between Finland and Japan in contact with JSPS. This is done mainly by arranging events, all over Finland in all scientific fields, where former and current JSPS affiliated people can exchange information, as well as form and maintain wonderful networks. We arrange events for people with ties to Japan who are currently living or staying in Finland. We also offer annual financial support for our regular members to arrange scientific activity seminars, and to participate in the JSPS BRIDGE Fellowship Program to revisit Japan. In Finland, around 90 researchers have been to Japan to carry out research under JSPS international programs from 2016 to 2018.
As of February, 2020, we have 72 regular members, 21 associate members and 2 honorary members. Everyone currently residing or staying in Finland, and who has participated in a JSPS program, is eligible to join us as a member. Everyone, without participation in a JSPS program, but interested in maintaining your contacts with Japanese and Finnish colleagues is eligible to join us as an associate member. I am happy to say that ACF celebrated its 10th Anniversary with a congratulatory event on December 12, 2019, in Helsinki. We generate new collaboration between the two countries, now and forever. Please do not hesitate to send a membership form through the JSPS Stockholm Office’s Webpage. Let's have an active ACF together!
The board members of ACF
Chair:
Jyrki Saarinen

Title: Professor
Affiliation: University of Eastern Finland, Institute of Photonics
Field of research: Photonics
E-mail: jyrki.saarinen@uef.fi
Vice-Chair:
Michael Gasik

Title: Professor
Affiliation: Aalto University Foundation, Department of Chemical and Metallurgical Engineering
Field of research: Biomaterials and sustainable environment
E-mail: michael.gasik@aalto.fi
Board member:
Simon Puglisi

Title: Dr.
Affiliation: University of Helsinki, Department of Computer Science
Field of research:
E-mail: simon.j.puglisi@gmail.com
Board member:
Joni Kujansuu

Title: Research Coordinator, CEO
Affiliation: University of Helsinki, INAR, SMEAR Ltd.
Field of research: Biogeochemical cycles, air pollution chemistry
E-mail: joni.kujansuu@helsinki.fi
Board member:
Elina Oksanen

Title: Professor
Affiliation: University of Eastern Finland, Department of Environmental and Biological Sciences
Field of research: Climate change, impact of changing environment on plants, plant ecophysiology
E-mail:
elina.oksanen@uef.fi