Finland Futures Research Center Affiliates to Turku School of Economics ‒ Makes Granting Degrees Possible
Finland Futures Research Centre affiliates to Turku School of Economics within the University of Turku, and thus acquires the possibility to grant Master’s and Doctor’s degrees.
The board of the University of Turku decided on Monday the 18th of March, that the Finland Futures Research Centre will affiliate to Turku School of Economics at the beginning of August this year. The Centre has operated as an independent unit of the University of Turku since the beginning of 2010.
Futures research is one of the areas of strength in research of the University of Turku. The affiliation has its basis in the desire to further strengthen the Centre’s research activities and education, especially regarding degree studies.
‒ Becoming a part of a faculty gives us the possibility to grant degrees without having to make complicated agreements with the faculties. An independent unit of the University can’t grant degrees, says Juha Kaskinen, Director of the Centre.
He says that the aim is to initiate the new basic studies and operations in August 2013, but any changes, in the intake of the Master’s degree programme for example, will come into effect from the beginning of the autumn term in 2014.
‒ Regarding research, the Centre will especially develop basic research and methodological development, but will, of course, at the same time continue its dynamic externally funded research activities.
According to Kaskinen, placing the Centre at the School of Economics of all the seven faculties is, without question, the most natural choice.
‒ Even now, we share a Master’s degree programme. The Centre was a part of Turku School of Economics until 2010, so cooperation doesn’t really need to be practiced.
New Approaches to Big Societal Questions
According to Markus Granlund, Dean of Turku School of Economics, the return of the Finland Futures Research Centre to Turku School of Economics is a significant, strategic step towards world-class research and education activities, where foresight has a significant, crosscutting role.
‒ Together, we can impact on big societal issues like responsibility and sustainability even stronger than before, says Granlund.
The Finland Futures Research Centre is the largest academic organisation specialised in future research in the Nordic countries. It employs 58 people and has offices in Turku, Helsinki, and Tampere. The Centre’s turnover was 3.7 million euro in 2012. The Centre was established in 1992 as an auxiliary unit of Turku School of Economics.
Functions of the Independent Units are Organised into a Strong Basis
The organisation of the independent units at the University of Turku is being contemplated during the year 2013. The work is led by the rectorate.
– We want to secure the operations of the units by organising the resources effectively and by centralising functions. The goal of the work is to analyse the organisation of the functions and create a strong basis for them, says Rector Kalervo Väänänen.
According to Väänänen, affiliating the Futures Research Centre to Turku School of Economics was a clear choice from the beginning of the discussions.
‒ Regarding the other independent units, the model that suits their functions is still under consideration. Some units don´t need to be reorganised, Väänänen states.
>> Finlands Future Research Center
Text: Tuomas Koivula
Translation: Taru Suhonen, Henna Borisoff