Scientific and Corporate Communities in Turku
The scientific and corporate community of Turku is very active. On the global scale, the city is small, but its advantage is a strongly shared vision of the means to success. Higher education institutions, enterprises, associations and the City of Turku have created an evolving international operating field in which everyone’s specific expertise is acknowledged.
The City of Turku deliberately supports the strong research fields of the University of Turku, as well as other sectors significant for the region. For example, the City of Turku is the main owner of Turku Science Park Ltd. as well as Pilot Turku Ltd., a company developing the logistics sector. The City also finances many donated professorships at the University of Turku.
The Turku Science Park provides an operating environment for high-end technology companies, research and education units, and service companies. Its operations aim to accelerate the growth of bioscientific and ICT sectors throughout southwest Finland. Three scientific higher education institutions – the University of Turku, the Turku School of Economics and Åbo Akademi University – cooperate in the region, together with three polytechnics, the Turku University Hospital, and hundreds of companies.
The Turku School of Economics, TSE, is a university engaging in high quality economic research and providing education based on it. Furthermore, it is a nationally important centre of business expertise. The University of Turku and TSE cooperate for example in the Centre of Excellence for Public Choice Research.
Åbo Akademi University is the only Swedish-language university in Finland. The university hosts top-quality research in the fields of programming techniques, process chemistry, cellular research, research on democracy, materials research, and behavioural research. The research institutions shared by the University of Turku and Åbo Akademi University are the Turku Centre for Biotechnology, the Turku PET Centre, and the Turku Centre for Computer Science.
Technical Research Centre of Finland, VTT
The Technical Research Centre of Finland, VTT, is Northern Europe’s largest organisation engaging in applied research, providing services in technology and research to its cooperation partners, both in Finland and internationally. VTT helps to create new products, production processes and methods as well as services. Together with the University of Turku, VTT cooperates for example in the Centre of Excellence for Translational Genome-Scale Biology.
Social Insurance Institution of Finland, Kela
The research division of the Social Insurance Institution of Finland, Kela, supports the development of social and health-related security by the means of research and expert consulting. It grants funding to high quality projects and research communities. For example, the University of Turku participates in a cooperation project studying the efficiency and economy of the rehabilitation for senior citizens.
National Public Health Institute, KTL
The National Public Health Institute, KTL, is a research institute operating under the authority of the Ministry of Social Affairs and Health. It is responsible for ensuring that decision-makers, professionals in various fields as well as citizens have access to the best possible information to support their choices. Together with the University of Turku, KTL cooperates in the Centre of Excellence for Host Defence Research.
Intermunicipal Hospital District of Southwest Finland, VSSHP
The Intermunicipal Hospital District of Southwest Finland, VSSHP, is a joint organisation comprising 56 municipalities and the University of Turku. The hospital district provides skilled medical services in the Turku University Hospital and four regional hospitals. VSSHP’s hospitals are also used for teaching and scientific research. VSSHP works in close cooperation with the University of Turku for example in the Turku PET Centre, which operates the Centre of Excellence in Molecular Imaging in Cardiovascular and Metabolic Research.