The world needs researched information and thought-provoking art.
The Sakari Alhopuro Foundation promotes and supports medical research, biodiversity, entrepreneurship as well as cultural and social well-being in Finland.
Medical Science
The Foundation specifically supports young doctors, so that they might have the opportunity to conduct research already during their studies and immediately after graduating.
Nature
More research data is needed about the impacts of climate change on our planet’s future. The Foundation seeks to advance an understanding of the biodiversity of nature as a means of promoting a more sustainable use of our natural surroundings.
Art
The Foundation supports Finnish art and culture in accordance with varying criteria that are decided on annually. The next round of grants will be awarded to artists who address aspects of climate change, biodiversity loss or the state of Finnish nature in their work.
What's new
Nearly 1 million euro to researchers and artists
The Sakari Alhopuro Foundation has awarded a total of nearly 1 million euro to researchers in the fields of medical science and the natural sciences and, for the first time, also to artists. Altogether, the funding amounts to 941,237 euro.
The Foundation established a fund to support the Seili and Kevo research stations
The rapidly advancing climate change accentuates the role of field research and its continuity. The newly established fund is also a tribute to honour Sakari Alhopuro on the occasion of his 80th anniversary.
Sakari Alhopuro:
THE PURPOSE OF LIFE IS FOUND IN HELPING OTHERS
‘What is the purpose of life? As a doctor, I have often considered that the purpose of life is found in helping others’, states Sakari Alhopuro, founder of the Foundation.
Blogs
Get to know the work of researchers by reading our blogs!
Genome editing offers new opportunities for the treatment of diabetes
Diabetes affects hundreds of millions of people worldwide. Due to its widespread prevalence, new options for the treatment of diabetes are urgently needed. Scientists are now exploring the possibilities for using genome editing tools to correct specific gene mistakes that cause diabetes.Could ultrasound provide a new tool for the study of foetal insulin metabolism?
The elevated blood sugar level of the expecting mother affects her foetus in many ways including, for example, liver size, blood circulation, fat concentration and metabolism. Researchers are now exploring if ultrasound imaging could provide an efficient method for the monitoring of foetal metabolism and facilitate a more individualised treatment of diabetes during pregnancy.How could computer modelling be used for cancer treatment?
In the treatment of cancer, oncological imaging methods play a significant role, but it takes time and effort to interpret the images. Machine learning and artificial neural networks coud be used in the analysis of PET scans in the future.Articles
‘My path to research began on the island of Seili’
In the summer of 2011, biology student Katja Mäkinen could not have imagined that her first internship in the field, at the Archipelago Research Institute of the University of Turku, would alter her dreams of becoming a teacher. However, that’s exactly what happened, and that field work on Seili sparked her interest in research work and led her to a career as a researcher.Fighting the coronavirus with nasal sprays
According to researchers at the University of Helsinki, coronavirus infections can best be prevented by means of a nasally administered vaccine. In addition to the vaccine, the researchers are also developing a nasal spray to serve as a ‘biological mask’. These are two separate preparations, which are based on different technologies and used differently. The nasal spray may complement the protection provided by vaccines and be particularly suitable for individuals responding poorly to vaccines.The first ever Sakari Alhopuro Prize awarded to Professor Kalervo Väänänen and archipelago nature photographer Jaakko Ruola
The Sakari Alhopuro Foundation’s Board has selected Professor Kalervo Väänänen and nature photographer Jaakko Ruola as the recipients of the Sakari Alhopuro Prize. The prize is awarded in recognition for their influential contribution to the protection of the Archipelago Sea. Now awarded for the first time, the prize sum amounts to 50,000 euro to be shared by the prize winners.Saving the Archipelago Sea calls for legislative actions, the stick and the carrots
The Archipelago Sea is one of the most spectacular natural environs in Finland – but for how long? Eutrophication caused by phosphorus and the resulting algal blooms in the sea pose a serious threat to the natural and recreational values of the unique marine environment and the various forms of livelihood in the archipelago. Immediate, binding and efficient actions are needed to reverse the current development.Contact information
Sakari Alhopuro Foundation
Board of Directors of the Foundation
Professor of Bacteriology
Professor Emeritus of Environmental Research
Email addresses are in the form: firstname.lastname(at)sakarialhopuronsaatio.fi