A new networking project PEEX-FRESReN (as a part of the Team Finland Knowledge programme) is giving an impulse for the Finnish – Russian collaboration in the Earth System Research. The project (to be started 1 Jan 2022) is linked to physical sciences with focus on atmospheric, hydrological, oceanological, and other disciplines. Students (advanced BSc, MSc, PhD) as well as  teachers and researchers from 3 Finnish – University of Helsinki (UHEL), University of Eastern Finland, and Tampere University – and 3 Russian – Russian State Hydrometeorological University, Saint Petersburg State University (SPBU), and Moscow State University – universities will have a possibility for short-term mobilities within frameworks of science educational and research collaboration between these Universities as well as the PEEX programme activities.

The PEEX-FRESReN aims are:  (1) to carry out joint education activities through students’/teachers’ mobility between the Universities; (2) to share knowledge and experience on state-of-the-art research activities and educational assets like e-learning between the  Universities; (3) to open new opportunities for research collaboration in atmospheric and Earth system sciences.

The main activities will include: (1) joint elaboration of top-level research-educational initiatives/ projects based on PEEX Science Plan student’s realizations; (2) series of online webinars/ workshops; (3) practical students’/ teachers’ short-term mobility/ visits between involved Universities; and (4) educational research training course.

The students’ mobility between  Universities will be linked with realization by students of developed research and educational projects on topics like:energy fluxes in forest canopy modelling; observations and modeling of surface-water ecosystems in boreal areas; fluxes of chemical substances by river flow in changing environment; aerosol effects on regional (Nordic, North-West Russia) and urban (Helsinki, St.Petersburg, Moscow) scales; pollution effects from continuous emissions on population and environment of Nordic countries and Russia; observations for aerosol particles and gaseous composition, and many more to be developed student projects.

The teachers/researchers mobility: (1) from Finland to Russia – will be linked with realization a series of short-term visits for co-supervising students on research projects and lecturing for topics (described in details in PEEX Science Plan); and (2) from Russia to Finland – will be linked with realization a series of short-term visits for co-supervising students on research projects and lecturing.

The project main tasks are: (1) elaborate top-level research initiatives for students’ projects; (2) build Earth system research network between Universities (& expand by inviting new interested Universities); (3) organize and carry out short-term mobilities between Universities; (4) organize online webinars/ workshops (every 2-3 months) on research and educational topics (based on agendas of PEEX and each University); (5) organize intensive training course on “Multi-Scales and -Processes Observations, Modelling and Assessment for Environmental Applications” (Aug-Sep 2022, St.Petersburg, Russia; to be hosted by SPBU); as well as (6) effectively disseminate project activities/ results and effectively to carry out project management, quality assurance and control.

The project expected results are: (1) knowledge transfer of novel Finnish academic education concept and increased use of the modern e-learning methods (MOOC, Climate University); (2) research and educational collaboration between Universities; (3) new networking opportunities of high education collaboration in a field of Earth’s sciences and climate change research; and (4) integration of University students into joint research activities.

Text by: Hanna Lappalainen, Tuukka Petaja, Katja Lauri, Alexander Mahura (UHEL)