Cluster of Expertise in Technology Established in South-West Finland
The University of Turku has joined forces with the City of Turku, higher education institutions in the region, and Turku Science Park Ltd to create a cluster of expertise in technology, the Technology Campus Turku (Teknologiakampus Turku). The parties have drawn up a collaboration agreement that focuses on increasing education and research in technology.
From the left: Rectors Örjan Andersson, Vesa Taatila, Mikko Hupa, Kalervo Väänänen, CEO Niko Kyynäräinen and Mayor of Turku Minna Arve.
The aim of the collaboration initiated with the agreement is that the higher education institutions in Turku produce more Bachelors and Masters of Science in Technology, engineers, polytechnic Master's degree engineers, and experts in maritime industry for the growing needs in the region.
A central requirement for achieving the goal is that the higher education institutions have rights to carry out degree education in technology that are extensive enough. To ease the acute shortage of engineers in the region, all the parties to the agreement are already participating in the realisation of the Finnish Institute of Technology FITech.
In addition to the University of Turku, the parties to the agreement are the City of Turku, Åbo Akademi University, Turku University of Applied Sciences, Novia University of Applied Sciences, and Turku Science Park Ltd. A director will be appointed to the Technology Campus Turku and they will be announced later.
– Future technologies are created spontaneously within different disciplines or at their boundaries. With the increasing collaboration, we are striving to optimise the capacity of academic education and research in technology, which, for now, is rather narrow in the Turku region, says Rector Kalervo Väänänen of the University of Turku.
– With the Technology Campus Turku agreement, the higher education institutions, the City, and Turku Science Park bring their collaboration to a whole new level both in strategic goals and in the substance of operations. This new, significant initiative supports the positive structural change ongoing in the region as well as the mutual aim to raise the quality of operations both structurally and permanently. The development of expertise and education in general and specifically in technology has a central role in this effort, says Mayor of Turku Minna Arve.
In addition, doctoral training in technology is increased to strengthen the research and development in the field. As a result of the strong and long-term collaboration, an extensive and multidisciplinary cluster of expertise in technology will be developed in Turku and it will support the development of future technologies in the region.
TK / MR
Photo: City of Turku / Hannu Waher