The City of Tampere and Tampere universities strengthen their strategic cooperation
- The universities create centres of excellence, which will be fundamental for success in the future. The community formed by Tampere University and Tampere University of Applied Sciences creates a reserve of information that can be capitalised on by Tampere Central Region and the whole of Finland. The cooperation between the city and the universities provides instruments that enable the city to progressively make decisions based on research and knowledge management, says Mayor of Tampere Lauri Lyly.
The city is able to develop its own operations by utilising research information gained from the universities.
- The universities are key partners when it comes to the vitality of the city, and it is great that this partnership agreement will soon be negotiated by the city. We are able to take practical steps forward, for example, in research and education cooperation, and by promoting student friendliness, says Chair of Vitality and Competitiveness Committee, Deputy Mayor Jaakko Stenhäll.
The partnership agreement is a commitment to strategic cooperation that lays out the city’s and Tampere Universities’ most essential priorities in research and education cooperation. The objective is to provide a strategic framework to both existing and future cooperation where the focus is on the know-how and cooperation of organisations’ staff.
The selected themes for operational priorities for the partnership are:
1. Number one in student friendliness
2. Protector of competitiveness by attracting and keeping talent
3. International Tampere
4. Renewable partnership
In addition, the priorities outlining research and education cooperation are separately defined on a community level and a city and individual level.
Long history in versatile cooperation
Annually, the City of Tampere and the universities have dozens of different research projects and cooperation projects, as well as cooperation agreements of a strategic level, for example, regarding social and health services, and upper secondary education.
- We are very happy to strengthen the longevity and strategic nature of our cooperation with the City of Tampere with this partnership agreement. The university’s strategy considers partnerships and the concept of the city as an urban living lab as essential in both research and education, says Rector of the University of Tampere Mari Walls.
- The city has been a familiar partner for Tampere University of Applied Sciences for decades. It is great that the existing solid partnership with the city will be strengthened even further. In cooperation with the university, we are able to offer versatile, high-quality service to develop different operations of the society, states President of Tampere University of Applied Sciences Markku Lahtinen.
Throughout the years, the city has financially supported several professorships in fields that are important to the city’s strategic objectives. Amongst these are the professorships in circular economy and environmental education. The cooperation focuses on industrial policy initiatives, international cooperation and development of student friendly Tampere.
The City of Tampere’s Vitality and Competitiveness Committee will discuss the partnership agreement in its meeting on 26 August 2020, after which it will proceed to the City Board.
More information:
The City of Tampere
Anna-Kaisa Heinämäki
Competitiveness Director
+358 40 639 7701
Tampere University
Pauli Kuosmanen
Director, innovation and partnerships
+358 50 304 5934
pauli.kuosmanen [at] tuni.fi
Tampere University of Applied Sciences
Kirsi Viskari
Vice President
+358 40 037 6420
kirsi.viskari [at] tuni.fi
Photo: Jonne Renvall
