Currently, our group is involved in a couple of industrial research projects.

• ForestCluster (a company owned by several universities, research institutes and firms in the forest and pulp and paper sector) and Tekes have funded a project POJo and fund its continuation project WP9 in the EffNet program of Forestcluster. POJo was a joint project with Tampere University of Technology, VTT, Helsinki University of Technology and University of Kuopio in 2008-2010. WP9 is a joint project with Tampere University of Technology, VTT, Aalto University and University of Eastern Finland in 2010-2012. In these projects, a new model-based and optimizing design concept for material and information flows in production systems is developed. The overall aim is to increase flexibility in process design and reduce the amount of capital invested in production lines. The main application area is pulp and paper industry.
• Academy of Finland funds the project Strategic Development of Multiobjective Optimization: Theory and Software in 2009-2012. The project focuses on both theoretical challenges of multiobjective optimization and software implementation of IND-NIMBUS.
• Tekes-funded project HUBI (joint project with VTT) develops tools for multilevel modelling and simulation of process plants and their engineering and business processes. The tools will be connected to a common use environment (hub) through which the models can be made available also for other users. In addition to the solvers of different levels of details, tools for optimization are studied. The project is also funded by several companies.
• Tekes funded the project BioScen (joint project with Aalto University and the Technical Research Centre of Finland (VTT)), which was a part of the BioRefine technology programme in 2008-2011. The research was focused on developing a basis for the modeling and simulation of the unit processes of a biorefinery. The sensitivity of such models to uncertainties in process parameters, optimization of the production plant concepts and finally for life-cycle analysis of the biorefinery products were considered. This project was also funded by several companies.
• University Alliance funded the project Measurements, Data Analysis and Multiobjective Optimization (MeMO) in 2008-2010.
• Tekes funded the project Hyvä-tietää, multiobjective optimization and multidisciplinary decision support (joint project with Helsinki School of Economics, University of Kuopio, Tampere University of Technology and Helsinki University of Technology), which belonged to the MASI technology programme, in 2005-2008. Several companies were involved.
• Tekes funded the project NIMBUS - multiobjective optimization in product development in 2002-2005. Several companies funded the research as well. Further information is available at the project website.
• Several projects of the Academy of Finland devoted to nonlinear multiobjective optimization and multiple criteria decision making (method, theory and software development) have been active during the years.

Examples of some applications from previous projects include continuous casting of steel (optimal control of secondary cooling), headbox design for paper machines, paper machine design (paper quality), ultrasonic transducer design, chemical process design (various processes in paper production), optimization of simulated moving bed processes (separation of fructose and glucose), optimal shape design of exhaust pipe (in two-stroke engines), intensity modulated radiotherapy treatment planning and brachytherapy planning as well as wastewater treatment plant design and heat transfer network synthesis.

For further information, see publications of the Industrial Optimization Group.