Serie R: Research & Development Report 2025

The report Research & Development Report 2025 has been published in has been published in Novia's Publications and Productions, series: Reports 4/2026 in May 2026.

CITIUS, ALTIUS, FORTIUS

The Olympic motto might seem far fetched for the introductory words of a report about research and development in bioeconomy. However, the Olympic ideals of fair play, community and tolerance in all areas of life are very timely. In 2025 the world is in the midst of a polycrisis and societies are in flux. There are plenty of opportunities to get very anxious and feel depressed about the current state of affairs. I am quite certain that most of you reading this can say you have felt both anxious and down during the past year. Without getting any further into the murky waters of understanding the human psyche, I would say these are very understandable feelings and reactions. The big question however is, what do we do then?

There are many different ways to go, but a good place to start is by ourselves. Recognizing what we can do ourselves in our everyday lives, however small the actions might be, are the start of a revolution. Because in the many small actions lies power that can be iterated in any series of consecutive actions over the time we are each given. Putting into action fair play, creating community and tolerance towards the other are winning strategies because they empower us. This is my personal firm belief, but what does it have to do with writing the intro of a research report?

I think that the idea of competing and competition is very familiar for anyone who ever has applied for funding of any sort. Only the most excelling proposals get funded, and sometimes the competition is so steep that even full points are not enough to earn the award. The competition doesn’t stop when the funding is secured either. Then there is competition for getting the stakeholders’ attention, of succeeding in the tasks we have set out to do, of gaining visibility in the ever-growing flood of social media and so on. When we have completed one cycle, we start again by competing for new funds. This sounds exhausting just writing about it, and although a certain amount of healthy competition can be a driving force to overcome hurdles, too much of the stuff will burn us out.

In overcoming the polycrisis, solving wicked problems, and supporting our communities it is evident that fair play, creating community around us and tolerating the other are key competences for succeeding. When we only focus on the end result, we forget the path whereas the path is the only thing of value if we are to learn and develop. Results are important, but mostly because they give us an opportunity to create community around us when we celebrate reaching a goal. Results are good prompts to look back and appreciate the work we have done, which is important when we make out the waypoints of the path ahead. If we start seeing results as the end of something, we are throwing away our good work and we will most likely stagnate while busying ourselves building monuments of past achievements.

In this past year we have created community around us by bringing new groups of people together to share their experiences and to discover new knowledge. We have also made every effort to play fair by being transparent in our actions and communicate what it is we are doing. The tolerance towards the other is difficult to evaluate yourself. However, being aware is a first step and looking at the topics and the crowd, we gather in our projects, I hope we are on the right track. Maybe you can be the judge of how we succeed when reading the RDI-report of 2025? I like to think that the fantastic thing with the line of work of research and development is that every day gives a brand new opportunity to try again to be fair,
tolerant and build community in a lasting and resilient way.

Marianne Fred, Head of RDI in bioeconomy

Contents

• Citius, Altius, Fortius
• The Competence Center for Ssustainable Solutions
• Blue Ecosystems
• Acid sulfate soils and rivers: Bacteria and plankton diversity using DNA metabarcoding
• WARMSEA – does the marine food quality suffer from the heat?
• Ocean Alkalinity Enhancement (OAE)
• Eco-physiological responses of marine biota to warming waters and ocean acidification - focus on benthic-pelagic coupling
• ZETA – Losing weight? Eco-physiology and transcriptomics reveal climate forcing on lipid profiles and adaptation in marine biota
• Adaptation of marine copepods to ocean warming and acidification: impacts on lipids and metabolic capacity
• Project Freshwater Mussel – An Aquaculture Feasibility Study
• Freshwater Mussel – Study of Growth in Different Aquatic Environments
• Geospatial Systems
• Spatial Competence Centre
• Raseborg Collaboration
• Finland-Zanzibar Marine Spatial Planning for a Sustainable Blue Economy
• Seabirds and Wind Power & Offshore Wind Power II
• The impact of predator management on seabirds in the Baltic Sea
• Energy Transition
• Green Ecosystems
• Agroforestry in Nyland
• Local Economy
• F.E.L.T. WOOL – Future Emergence of Local Textiles based on WOOL
• NorNa – Nordic Natural Fibres in Circular Economy
• NyNässla – Nettle for Food and Fibre in Uusimaa
• Slätberget Nature Trail
• Inclusive Villages
• KERÄ - for sustainable rural communities and a just transition
• Sustainability
• Sustainable Food Systems
• Pro Bioekonomi 3.0
• Open UAS Students in Ostrobothnia became degree students in Bioeconomy
• Future Vegetables
• Sweet Oats – Vitality from Heritage Grains
• Personnel
• Publications, presentations and media apperances
• Funding

About the publication

Heidi Barman-Geust (edit), Novia University of Applied Sciences, Research & Development Report 2025. Faculty of Bioeconomy

Publisher: Yrkeshögskolan Novia, Wolffskavägen 33, 65200 Vasa, Finland
© Yrkeshögskolan Novia and Heidi Barman-Geust

Cover photo: Slätberget Nature Trail. Photo: Kjell Svenskberg

Novia Publikation och produktion, serie R: Rapporter 4 / 2026

ISSN: 1799-4179
ISBN: 978-952-7526-73-6

CC BY 4.0