University of Turku
The University of Turku (UTU) is a world-class multidisciplinary research university, hosting a vibrant community of 25,000 students and employees from over 100 different countries. UTU was founded in 1920 by the initiative of the Finnish people with the support of 22,040 donors. As one of the leading universities in Finland, UTU offers study and research opportunities in eight faculties, including humanities, education, economics, science, social sciences, law, medicine, and technology.  UTU addresses global challenges with multidisciplinary and strategic research in collaboration with international partners. Its academic community focuses on interdisciplinary research themes such as health, environmental sustainability, cultural studies and education, and future technologies for a digital society.

Role in the project
DESCRIPTION of WPsUTU will lead activities in WP6.3 on AI-driven design of vitrimeric PHA compounds towards bioplastic products. Active learning Bayesian Optimisation tools will guide experimental data collection to optimise materials processing and properties while conducting as few experiments as possible. In this way, UTU will help refine experimental outcomes across all stages of vitrimer development, from derivation to application. In early stages, UTU will help optimise processing conditions for PHA synthesis (WP2) and vitrimerisation reaction (WP3). From computational studies of vitrimer functional properties, UTU will investigate which structural features correlate with useful properties (WP6). This knowledge will inform manufacturing workflows (WP5), where UTU will help optimise parameters to improve outcomes of 3D printing and extrusion moulding. In addition to project management and exploitation (WP1 and WP10), UTU will support all partners with data digitalisation and open access data publication.