Powerhouse of the Finnish know-how
The University of Turku has a strong and internationally distinguished position as a multidisciplinary scientific university. The six faculties and separate institutes, which specialise in a number of different scholarship areas, provide an all-round foundation for high-quality research and training for competent professionals.
Right from the beginning the operation at the University of Turku has been based on the humanities and exact natural sciences while, on the one hand, drawing on scientific international contacts and national human capital, on the other.
The seat of Finnish science
Turku has been the gateway of European cultural influences in Finland ever since the middle ages. The Turku Academy founded in 1640 effectively linked the city to the time-honoured family of universities of the continent. Then in 1920 - the now independent Finland - Turku became the venue for the world's first Finnish-speaking university. Its establishment had wide popular backing supported by a fund-raising campaign contributed by thousands of Finns.
Today the research and teaching provided by the University of Turku draws intensively on the wide-ranging multidisciplinary nature normally associated with this field of learning. This connection between the various areas of interest is particularly noticeable in the research of interactive processes between life sciences, mathematical methodology, culture and society, on the one hand, and the study of questions related to learning, education and problems of children, on the other.
Pushing back the frontiers while sustaining international traditions
The starting point of our operation is basic research - open-mindedly we are continuously on the look-out for something spectacular. This goes hand in hand with the scholars at the University of Turku being increasingly involved in the development of practical applications in response to the needs of both society and business. The University is determined to maintain this hands-on approach with the development of its territory.
In a number of fields the University of Turku is in close co-operation with scholars and other universities coming from all corners of the world. With the Baltic Rim as something like a home field the University of Turku can be seen as a driving force behind the co-operation between the regional universities.
Our contribution to the Coimbra Group linking European universities of high calibre is significant. This is the way we, here, in Turku are trying to keep alive the old European tradition of academic communication in its modern and dynamic framework.
Keijo Virtanen
Rector of the University of Turku