Through the endowed professorships, the City of Joensuu and the City of Kuopio support research and education in the field of technology and natural sciences at the University of Eastern Finland.
The City of Joensuu and the City of Kuopio are jointly showing support for the launch of education in the field of technology and natural sciences at the University of Eastern Finland. The City Councils decided on 10 October that the cities will endow a total of 1.2 million euros for the establishment of new, five-year professorships at the University of Eastern Finland. The annual endowment per city amounts to 120,000 euros.
The cities’ endowments are a major show of support for the university’s new field of education. The Ministry of Education and Culture has granted the University of Eastern Finland responsibility for the provision of education in the field of technology and natural sciences, effective from 1 August 2023. In autumn 2023, the Master of Science in Technology education will be launched in three study programmes at the University of Eastern Finland: on the Joensuu Campus, education is offered in the study programmes in photonics and in sustainable technologies, and on the Kuopio Campus in the study programme in technical physics.
The endowment of the City of Joensuu is intended for the establishment of a professorship in wood technology or production technology. In particular, the new professor will engage in research and education addressing the forest-based bioeconomy as well as the refining of wood and other biomass. The professorship complements the university’s existing professorships on the Joensuu Campus in the foresight and digitalisation of the forest-based bioeconomy, as well as in wood materials science, and chemistry. The forest-based bioeconomy sector employs more than 6,000 people regionally, in more than 500 companies.
“The launch of the Master of Science in Technology education in Joensuu provides excellent support for the current and future employment needs of our industries. The city’s endowed professorship is, in line with our strategy, especially focused on strengthening our expertise in the forest-based bioeconomy,” says Strategy Director Sami Laakkonen of the City of Joensuu.
The endowment of the City of Kuopio is allocated to a five-year professorship in embedded systems. Embedded systems combine advanced computational methods with modern sensor technology and play a key role in, for example, medical appliances and production technology. The professorship will add to the technological competence of the university’s key research units, enhance the commercialisation of research, and complement the activities of the region’s health and well-being ecosystem.
“It has, for a long time, been a goal of the City of Kuopio and the region’s businesses to have Master’s level education in technology in Kuopio. With the endowed professorship, the city wants to contribute to the Master’s level education in technology on the Kuopio Campus of the University of Eastern Finland, thereby promoting the availability of technology experts for the needs of businesses, as well as promoting research, development and innovation activities. This education is an excellent addition to the emerging education cluster on the Savilahti Campus, consisting of three different levels of education,” Strategy Director Sirpa Lätti-Hyvönen of the City of Kuopio says.
The University of Eastern Finland is home to diverse and impactful research into the forest-based bioeconomy, natural resources, photonics, ICT, and materials technology as well as computational physics, environmental physics and medical technology. The campus cities’ endowed professorships are an integral part of launching research and education in the University of Eastern Finland’s new field in technology and natural sciences. The university is also preparing other endowed professorships to address the needs of competence of the region’s companies and industries.
“At the University of Eastern Finland, these endowed professorships significantly strengthen our fields of education in technology, as well as our multidisciplinary research especially in the fields of sustainable technologies and technical physics. The endowments have a very positive impact on collaboration between the university and companies and other actors operating in our regions,” says Vice Dean Markku Hauta-Kasari of the University of Eastern Finland.
The planning and implementation of the education in the field of technology and natural sciences is supported by a steering committee, which has broad representation from companies, universities, research organisations, and the field of technology. The steering committee also serves as a committee supporting and steering the activities associated with the endowed professorships.
In March, the University of Eastern Finland joined FITech, which is a network of universities of technology in Finland, and UEF will also participate in the nationwide joint application system for degree programmes leading to the Master of Science (Technology) and the Master of Science (Architecture) degrees. Entrance examinations in the field of technology will be organised in Joensuu and Kuopio for the 2023 joint application round.
For further information, please contact:
Sami Laakkonen, Strategy Director, City of Joensuu, sami.laakkonen@joensuu.fi, tel. +358 50 443 1661
Sirpa Lätti-Hyvönen, Strategy Director, City of Kuopio, sirpa.latti-hyvonen@kuopio.fi, tel. +358 44 718 2132
Markku Hauta-Kasari, Vice Dean, Faculty of Science and Forestry, University of Eastern Finland, markku.hauta-kasari@uef.fi, tel. +358 50 405 6231
