Rector Minna Martikainen at the opening ceremony of the academic year: “In order to keep up with development, Finland needs strong cooperation between companies and universities"
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The opening ceremonyt of the academic year at the University of Vaasa took place on Thursday 5 September.
Rector Minna Martikainen highlighted the competition for international talent, the importance of human capital and ensuring high-quality doctoral education.
– In order to keep up with development, Finland needs strong cooperation between companies and universities, a shared vision for the future and more funding to increase the country’s competence level.
Rector Martikainen underlined how effective RDI activities and cooperation and sustainable growth in RDI investments can only be achieved if there is sufficient investment in knowledge and talent.
– It is time for different players in the economy to join forces and secure the actual lifeline of Finland – our intellectual capital. Finland has a desperate need for foreign intellectual capital because the export capacity of the national economy is based on competence and expertise. In order to develop high-end products for the global market, export companies need top expertise to stay at the forefront of global development.
In her speech, Martikainen called for high-quality doctoral education provided by universities to guarantee and produce the knowledge companies need.
– High quality and business integration of doctoral education is absolutely essential, and it must be scientific and therefore carried out by universities. Otherwise, we will not be able to guarantee businesses access to the very highest knowledge they need, and for which we have a legal mandate and responsibility, decided by society, to provide.
Rector's speech for the opening ceremony
Lukuvuoden avajaiset 2024 - Rehtori Minna Martikainen
Joakim Strand, Minister for European Affairs and Ownership Steering, emphasised in his speech the importance of the Vaasa region and students in building a more sustainable world.
– Vaasa has always been a place where people have gone out into the world, learned something new, come back and do something better.
Lukuvuoden avajaiset - Joakim Strand, Eurooppa- ja omistajaohjausministeri
Mervi Airaksinen: Technology can be forced for good
Mervi Airaksinen, Managing Director of Microsoft Finland, called for an optimism and hope for the future in her greeting. The challenges we face are significant but so are the opportunities.
– We believe that technology can be forced for good and that we have the responsibility to use it in a way that it benefits both the people and the planet.
Airaksinen reminded students that their curiosity, passion for knowledge and willingness to explore new horizons are the driving forces that will shape the future.
– Embrace every opportunity to learn, to grow and to challenge yourself. The knowledge and skills you acquire today will serve as a foundation of the success of tomorrow. Education is not a destination, it’s a life long journey. The world is your class room and every experience is a lesson waiting to be learned.
Lukuvuoden avajaiset 2024 - Mervi Airaksinen, Microsoft Oy
Emma Lehtonen, the chair of the board of the Student Union, delivered greetings on behalf of the Student Union of the University of Vaasa. Lehtonen was delighted that students and staff will be able to enjoy a completely renovated campus at the start of the new academic year.
- After years of many changes, students and staff have the opportunity to start building a new kind of everyday life on the renovated campus: new routines to support their studies and work, and new meeting places to see friends.
Lehtonen pointed out that the growing number of students and the opening of the new campus offer opportunities to build a new kind of community.
– The diverse student population provides an opportunity for students and staff members from different countries to get to know each other and crate something completely new.
Lukuvuoden avajaiset 2024 - Emma Lehtonen, VYY
Katja Rajala as the alumna of the Year
Chair of the Women Entrepreneurs of Finland, entrepreneur Katja Rajala has been elected as the University of Vaasa's Alumna of the Year 2024.
Rajala graduated from the University of Vaasa in 2007 with a Master's degree in Social and Health Administration. Her minor was public law.
Rajala is a long-time entrepreneur, having been self-employed for 30 years this year.
– I am truly humbled and very grateful for this recognition. Sharing knowledge, working together and promoting common causes have been important to me.
Alongside entrepreneurship, Rajala has also given her time to community work for about 15 years.
– Mentoring, board work and activities that contribute to the development of entrepreneurship and the business environment are my passion. I am passionate about issues and situations that can foster collaboration and work with a solution-oriented, developmental approach. My everyday life is currently made up of many different roles. I am also involved in local and regional politics in council positions. These give me a good touch with the challenges our society is facing at the moment. Being the Chair of the Women Entrepreneurs of Finland provides an interesting, national perspective on the business world.
Lukuvuoden avajaiset 2024 - Vuoden alumni Katja Rajala
Ostrobothnia Chamber of Commerce Award to Associate Professor Jouni Juntunen
The Ostrobothnia Chamber of Commerce has awarded a prize of 5000 euros to Jouni Juntunen, Associate Professor of Innovation Management at the University of Vaasa, for a scientific article related to the energy sector.
Jouni Juntunen's article, "Series of configurational movements: user activities in technology generalization" was published in Technological Forecasting & Social Change. The article was co-authored by Professor Sampsa Hyysalo from Aalto University, with whom Juntunen has collaborated for many years.
Juntunen says that the article is based on long-term research.
– In my doctoral dissertation, I focused on heat pumps, user innovations, user modifications and user communities that support the generalisation of technology. This research has continued ever since. In this article, we have used a wide range of data to examine and theorise how the generalisation of technology occurs.
According to Juntunen, the study aims to demonstrate that the process of technology generalisation is complex and involves different stages.
– We observed that theoretical and methodological renewal is possible, and generalisation can be understood as a series of configurational movements. We can examine over a long period how the character of the technology, the ecology of actors, and the context in which the technology spreads change. In the article, we exemplified this by investigating the generalisation of heat pumps in Finland.
The Ostrobothnia Chamber of Commerce Award is granted for research, publication, or a doctoral dissertation related to the energy sector and conducted at the University of Vaasa during the previous academic year.
– The strong energy technology cluster in the Vaasa region requires close collaboration with top-tier research to continue developing. With the award, the Ostrobothnia Chamber of Commerce aims to support energy sector research at the University of Vaasa and increase the visibility of the field, says Maijastiina Jokitalo, Training and Liaison Manager at the Ostrobothnia Chamber of Commerce.
Lukuvuoden avajaiset 2024 - Kauppakamaripalkinto, apulaisprofessori Jouni Juntunen
University of Vaasa and Microsoft agree on strategic alliance
The University of Vaasa and Microsoft Oy have signed a long-term strategic agreement on Thursday 5 September. The aim is to support the university's digital transformation by utilising Microsoft cloud, data and artificial intelligence technologies as well as its expertise and ecosystem.
Art on campus
Pekka Lind, a lawyer and art collector from Vaasa, has donated more than 80 works from his extensive collection of Finnish art history to the University of Vaasa. The donation includes 12 watercolours by Nandor Mikola from different decades. The works are housed in the renovated student rooms of Tervahovi.
Lukuvuoden avajaiset 2024 - Pekka Lind
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