Cooperation between the higher education institutions in Turku to be en-hanced and expanded in techn
The higher education institutions operating in Turku – the University of Turku, Åbo Akad-emi University, Turku University of Applied Sciences and Novia University of Applied Sci-ences – have together with Turku Science Park Ltd established a letter of intent which aims at strengthening the regional educational cluster in technology.
This agreement complements the extensive Turku Future Technologies cooperation, launched in 2016, by introducing the educational dimension to the cooperation, in addition to research and development activities.
In Turku and Southwest Finland, the central challenge in the cooperation within higher educa-tion in the field of technology is that compared to the region’s strong position as a cluster of technology industry and compared with other large cities and provinces, the numbers of grad-uates with a Master’s degree in the field of technology are quite insufficient.
In cooperation with the rest of Finland and foreign higher education institutions, the purpose of the strengthening cooperation is to enhance the extensive development of competence and education in Turku, to meet the needs of business life and to guarantee the competitiveness of the region. A special focus is on serving the multidisciplinary and developing competence needs of the technology industry which is undergoing rapid growth in Turku and Southwest Finland.
The cooperation enables implementing and managing, for example, ongoing and future Mas-ter's degree programmes and other joint programmes and projects of the higher education insti-tutions in the Turku region and Southwest Finland. In addition, infrastructures required by ed-ucation and research can be developed, implemented and managed.
The new cooperation can be applied, for example, to the significant investment in Turku, pub-lished by Rolls Royce today, and to solving the related recruitment and educational challeng-es. As a part of launching the new model of operations, the higher education institutions have the ability to immediately start developing extensive multidisciplinary and long-term coopera-tion with the enterprises in the region.
“In the Turku region there is a strong and increasing need for higher education, especially in the field of technology. The extensive engineering education of TUAS provides excellent op-portunities for expanding the education in technology in the region. For the development of long-term competence capital in Turku and Southwest Finland, it is absolutely necessary to expand the M.Sc. education in technology, especially in the fields of mechanical engineering and material technology, in addition to the prominent degree programmes in chemical engi-neering, information technology and biotechnology currently run by Åbo Akademi University and the University of Turku”, says Rector Kalervo Väänänen from the University of Turku.
More information:
Rector Vesa Taatila, Turku University of Applied Sciences, tel. 050 5985 761
Rector Kalervo Väänänen, the University of Turku, tel. 040 701 1303
Rector Mikko Hupa, Åbo Akademi University, tel. 0400 630801
Rector Örjan Andersson, Novia University of Applied Sciences, tel. 050 527 2286
CEO Niko Kyynäräinen, Turku Science Park Ltd, tel. 050 559 0538