Matti Kuronen is a new professor of practice committed to fast-tracking the transition towards more sustainable solutions in the construction sector by bridging the academic and business communities.
The built environment accounts for roughly a third of global carbon emissions, making its sustainability crucial in combating climate change. Matti Kuronen is the new Professor of Practice in Business and Innovations in Sustainable Wood Construction at the University of Helsinki's Faculty of Agriculture and Forestry. He believes that closer collaboration between the academic and business communities can help resolve the above challenge.
"My role is truly inspiring. I'm looking forward to establishing collaboration between businesses, researchers and students so that we can identify business needs and help academic innovations go global," says Kuronen, who works as Chief Innovation Officer at Lundén Architecture Company alongside his professorship of practice.
With extensive experience in the built environment, particularly housing construction and development, Kuronen is motivated by the search for sustainable solutions to housing and construction challenges. Although Finnish regions develop at different speeds and their housing needs may vary considerably, sustainability is crucial everywhere.
This transformation is supported by the Faculty of Agriculture and Forestry's innovation ecosystem called the Viikki Wood and Forest Innovation Hub. It seeks and promotes the deployment of tangible research-based solutions to the sustainability transformation of the wood product and forestry sector.
"We will organise collaborative open innovation events and encourage closer collaboration between researchers, students and companies. The need for cross-disciplinary approaches and new collaboration methods is undeniable. We also seek to integrate innovation activities more deeply into teaching," explains Kuronen.
Although the professorship in practice and the Viikki Wood and Forest Innovation Hub have been launched with funding from the City of Helsinki Innovation Fund, the search continues for other funders and collaboration partners.
