Information and Knowledge Management
Tampere has a long history of research and education in the field of information and knowledge management. The first students started working towards their degree in this field in Tampere in 1999. The first academic department that brought together research and teaching in information and knowledge management was established 2002, thus laying the foundations for our current research and teaching activities in this field at Tampere University.
The Information and Knowledge Management Unit at Tampere University employs 6 professors and over 30 professionals working on research and teaching in the field. With the digital transformation reshaping our society, information and knowledge management serves as a bridge between, for example, the fields of IT, the built environment, signal processing, business, administration and health sciences. We have several multidisciplinary projects underway that address the current challenges facing our society, illustrating the ongoing shift towards increasingly multidisciplinary studies.
Information and knowledge management is a discipline that studies and develops tools, processes, techniques and practices for gathering, analysing, refining and using knowledge throughout an organisation. This holistic approach is needed when resolving practical challenges in both the private and public sectors.
Contact information
Marko Seppänen
Professor, Vice Dean for Education (Faculty of Management and Business)
Marko SeppänenHow do we create value from knowledge?
Our research is internationally recognised in the fields of Information Systems (IS) and Knowledge management (KM) and we maintain close ties with the international scientific community. We are committed to research that delivers practical benefits and to generating new knowledge, solutions and expertise that support informed decision-making across society.
See our recent publications in the TUNICRIS portal
Our research interests in Information and Knowledge Management focus on offering, utilising and managing information and knowledge relating to organisations and the broader society in order to improve their operations. We are looking to answer questions such as how information and/or knowledge is best used by different stakeholders, how it is offered, how it creates value, how it can be improved and why different challenges and obstacles emerge. In particular, we are interested in value creation mechanisms, such as information technologies, data assets, data analytics, work systems and different types of networks.
At the heart of information management is knowledge-based value creation, combining different methods and perspectives from the disciplines of management, business and information technology. We research and develop tools and practices for managing and utilizing knowledge, both from an individual and organizational perspective and at a societal level.
We are carrying out several ERASMUS/EAKR projects and projects funded by the Academy of Finland. We also maintain close collaboration with different organisations, companies, public administration and foundations.
Core research areas
Knowledge based management
At the heart of this research aspect are areas such as knowledge management, intellectual capital management, business and data analytics and data based decision making
Management of information systems
This research aspect covers information systems use, information systems adoption, information systems management and enterprise architecture among others.
Management of digital business
The focus of this research aspect is the digitization of processes and services, the development and utilization of business models, the data economy and ecosystems, various business support platforms and platform technologies and digital transformation.
Research Projects
Education in the field of Information and Knowledge Management
Information and Knowledge Management
Our graduates (MSc, DTech, PhD) from the Degree Programme in Information and Knowledge Management are multidisciplinary professionals who are familiar with the tools of business economics and the opportunities that information technology opens for human collaboration, information and data management and the development of organisations. They possess not only the knowledge and skills to convert data into information and apply new information and communication technologies but also have the ability to navigate the latest organisational trends – such as digitalisation – to address business challenges and societal problems.
Tampere University welcomes you to study with us for a semester or two as an exchange student! You must first be nominated as a candidate for exchange by your home university before you can apply under the available exchange agreements, networks and programmes. The Degree Programme in Information and Knowledge Management includes a variety of courses taught in English.
The technology industry needs young professionals with an intercultural mindset and an in-depth understanding of the latest technologies. We at Tampere University welcome engineers and engineering graduates from all over the world to study in our MSc Programme in Business and Technology (B&T) in an intercultural, business-oriented learning environment.
B&T focuses on business development in international sales and sourcing networks. Companies operate in global networks; both managers and business development professionals need to understand how these networks work and how they can be managed.
As B&T is targeted at young engineers and engineering graduates, we place a special focus on technology-intensive products and services. This pedagogical approach ensures our students are able to take full advantage of their engineering background when repositioning themselves in the management field.
The Information and Knowledge Management Unit engages in diverse collaborations with different stakeholders at the local, national and international levels. We offer a broad range of opportunities for innovative collaboration in research, teaching and education. We work flexibly with companies and organisations to help them meet R&D needs and fill knowledge gaps. Examples of collaboration options are listed below.
Please do not hesitate to contact us to explore potential collaborations!
Read more about our collaborative activities!
Research
- Extensive long-term research projects: research on information and knowledge management to meet society’s challenges
- Extensive long-term research projects: focus on developing organisations and their operations
- Individual and medium-sized research projects: solutions and methods to support informed decision-making
Teaching and education
- Hackathons: generate innovations with a large number of students
- Guest lectures: invited speakers share their expertise with our students
- Special assignments/project work: commission a student project to gain new ideas and insights
- Commissioned bachelor’s thesis: our students complete, for example, a literature review or a preliminary study to address a narrowly defined company challenge
- Commissioned master’s thesis: our talented students resolve practical company challenges (duration 6-8 months)
Societal impact and networking
- Collaboration with student guilds: student recruitment, thematic events for students
- Alumni events and seminars
- Thematic events and seminars exploring current and interesting topics relating to information and knowledge management
