BIOS researchers Ville Lähde, Paavo Järvensivu, Emma Hakala, Jussi T. Eronen, Tero Toivanen, Karoliina Lummaa, Tere Vadén and Antti Majava. Jussi Ahokas and Venla Lankinen joined BIOS in 2022.

What is BIOS?

The material underpinnings of societies are becoming a key issue due to climate change and other environmental problems. We need to understand ecosystems and cultures as more and more densely intertwined. The informational and experiential challenges are huge as societies are developing infrastructures and practices for energy and food production, habitation and travel for decades to come.

In addition to citizens and decision makers, scientists have found it difficult to form a general view of the central environmental and resource factors and their cultural, economical and political effects. These questions can only be answered by crossing individual disciplines.

BIOS Research Unit foresees socio-ecological changes that will affect our society deeply, and does it in an interdisciplinary way, around a communal table. In addition to research, we reserve a lot of time for making information understandable and accessible. BIOS carries forward research-based knowledge about socio-ecological development paths beyond quarter years and electoral terms.

BIOS was founded in 2015. At the moment we are funded by the Kone Foundation and the Strategic Research Council at the Academy of Finland (WISE consortium 2018–2023).

Our researchers have for years created tools for interdisciplinary and artistic collaboration, and have conveyed environmental information for the use of various sectors of society. In addition to the Finnish academic community, we collaborate with international research units. BIOS works in close collaboration with e.g. Stanford University in the United States (particularly with professors Anthony Barnosky and Elizabeth Hadly, and the Consensus for Action research group), and the Biodiversity and Climate Research Centre in Frankfurt.