Technology Industries of Finland donates €800.000 to Tampere University

“Now more than ever is the time to invest in high quality education and research. The shortage of skilled staff has been an obstacle to sustainable business growth for long. The changing global political landscape makes the need for the green transition and the new skills that go with it even more critical than before,” says Minna Helle, Deputy CEO of Technology Industries Finland.

According to Technology Industries Finland, the decision to donate is based on data and indicators related to universities’ research, education, and their impact. They include, for example, the diversity of students and graduates’ employment prospects. Cooperation with other universities and businesses also plays a role.

“We want to encourage universities to work more closely with businesses and other higher education institutions. The idea is that we can support not only the field of technology, but also the integration of technology with other fields of education,” Helle points out.

Technology is one of the three key areas of the multidisciplinary Tampere University. In 2021, the University saw nearly 900 new engineering or Master of Science graduates from the fields of engineering, computer and information sciences, and natural sciences. The University’s education is based on the latest research and strong interaction with society, businesses and working life.

“Tampere University has a long tradition of business cooperation, which is reflected in the high level of business funding in research,” says Touko Apajalahti, Higher Education Policy Advisor at Technology Industries Finland.

“The mission of Tampere University is to build a sustainable world by linking research and education in technology, health and society. We are collaborating with our partners based on our strengths, new multidisciplinary combinations, and application expertise. We are very grateful for the significant donation from Technology Industries Finland in the matched funds scheme. This donation is a wonderful recognition and a vote of confidence in the work we are doing and the results we are achieving,” says President Mari Walls from Tampere University.

The donation from Technology Industries is based on the Finnish Innovation Fund Sitra’s decision of 2019 to capitalise universities with a one-off contribution of €100 million. The government allocates this sum in two parts in 2020 and 2022 to different universities based on the private capital they raise. In recent years, Technology Industries Finland, its member companies, and the Technology Industries of Finland Centennial Foundation have donated a total of approximately €160 million to higher education.

Read more about the matched funding scheme
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