Kajaani University Consortium ANNUAL REPORT 2008 UNIVERSITY OF OULU UNIVERSITY OF JYVÄSKYLÄ UNIVERSITY OF KUOPIO UNIVERSITY OF JOENSUU UNIVERSITY OF LAPLAND CONTENTS Director’s Preface 3 General Information about the University Consortium 4 Events 5 Research 7 Teaching 8 Unit Overviews 10 Department of Teacher Education 10 Continuing Education 11 The Laboratory of Biotechnology 12 Measurement and Sensor Laboratory 13 Department of Information Processing Science, Kajaani Unit 14 Education of Sports Technology 14 Lönnrot Institute 15 Library 15 The International Master’s Degree Programme in Cultural Entrepreneurship 16 Research and Innovation Manager 16 Resources 17 Facilities 17 Personnel 18 Finances 20 International Activities 22 Publications 23 Board and Organization 24 Contact Information 26 Editorial Information 27 The “University of Oulu 50 years” slogans and logos. Director’S Preface 3 Director’S Preface The major reform of the Finnish higher edu- versity consortiums will in the future face The past year has been very educational cation system has progressed rapidly during great challenges as pertains to their function and it has shown clearly that each univer- the year 2008. The deadline for statements as a societal service provider. The fact that sity consortium must have a solid core, and concerning the draft of the new Universities financial structures at the Kajaani University between those, a joint regional development Act set by the Ministry of Education was Consortium will continue to lean mainly assessment system that facilitates the com- November 11th, 2008. The purpose of the upon structural funds will be a prob-lem. In pletion of the universities’ societal service Act is to reinforce the autonomous status 2008, some of the temporary offices could activities. of universities and turn universities from ac- not be renewed due to delayed funding deci- As the depression will in all likelihood counting offices into independent legal per- sions. This signal should be a wake-up call to deepen in the coming years, the develop- sons. The new Universities Act is hoped to begin the strategic development of a finan- mental challenges that the Kajaani University reinforce the universities’ relationship with cial base in order to secure the positions Consortium will face have to be articulated the society at large as well. It gives univer- of our expert personnel this year already. clearly in the new strategy that is to be sities more flexibility in financial matters. In The development ba-rometer concerning formed with our partner universities. In this the future, universities can accept donations, the Region of Kainuu indicates that there is strategy the regionalistic activities that cater collect capital and engage in trade. The Act in- a need for strategic international collabora- to the surrounding areas are not to be seen cludes University Consortiums, and this way tion. The weak signals indicating a forthcom- as a factor hindering international collabora- their importance as actuators of the univer- ing depression became stronger toward the tion. sities’ societal interaction is reinforced. The end of the year, and the Kainuu region got its new law enables the experimental collecting share of the rather harsh measures presently Juhani Suortti of tuition fees from students from outside being taken in the financial circles as well. the EU or EEA. In 2008, many types of foundations have been laid for the further development of Kajaani Univer-sity Consortium as well. Pro- fessor Jorma Rantanen’s disquisition brought forth many fruitful starting points for deve- lop-ment. Of these, the consortium agree- ment to enhance the cooperation between the University of Oulu and Kajaani University of Applied Sciences deserves a special menti- on. The proposal regard-ing the structure of the Kajaani unit by Professor Rauli Svento’s team was approved at the the meeting of the university board in late 2008. The role of Jyväskylä, the rapidly developing Univer- sity of Eastern Finland and the University of Lapland has gained prominence and become more concrete thanks to Master’s Degree programmes and post-graduate education. International rela-tions have been improved, especially as regards Russia and China. Concrete results become evident as the broadened collaboration agreements of the Consortium. The regional innovation actvi- ties in Kainuu and Upper Savonia are part of the new strategy. The University Consor- tium Evaluation was conducted by the Finn- ish Higher Education Evaluation Council at all university consortiums during the year 2008. The preliminary feedback discussion portrayed the activites of Kajaani University Consortium very favourably. The year 2008 has shown that the uni- ANNUAL REPORT 2008 4 GENERAL ON THE operations OF THE UNIVERSITY consortium GENERAL ON THE OPERATIONS OF THE UNIVERSITY In terms of activities and finances, Kajaani consortium. The Measurement and Sensor On September 11th, 2008, The Univer- University Consortium had a challenging Laboratory and the Laboratory of Bio- sity of Oulu, Kajaani University of Applied year. The finan-cial status of the Region of technology, as well as the Kajaani Unit of Sciences and the City of Kajaani signed the Kainuu, where the Consortium is located, the Department of Information Proc-ess- Kajaani Higher Education Institution Con- has deteriorated. On Sep-tember 10th, ing Science collaborated successfully with sortium Agreement in order to develop 2008, UPM announced that it was going to partners from the business life. There has educational collaboration in the region. close the Kajaani Paper Mill. Because of this, been a company representative in the su- According to this agreement, the further Kainuu will in the course of two years lose pervision group of every project that has educa-tion activities of the Kajaani Univer- approximately 8.4 % of its financial growth. been carried out in collaboration with a sity Consortium and Kajaani University of This comes to 168.8 million Euros. The clos- company. This has ensured that the value in- Applied Sciences is to be centralized into ing of the factory will degrade the Kainuu novations thus produced have been easy to one unit, which enables good coordination region’s standard of living by 10.6 % by the commercialize and to be transformed into within the region, the mapping of educa- end of the year 2020. Meanwhile, the global new jobs. tional needs and the allocation of resourc- depression has made the situation worse. The evaluation team saw that the adminis- es. In addition to this, there is collaboration Kajaani University Consortium was in- tratorial system of the consortium ought to with several support services, e.g. student volved in the creation of a stimulus package be developed further. The team considered affairs services, international relations and for Kainuu, with the help of which the region it complicated and lacking in the clear dis- library services. A joint ICT centre is also would immediately get 380 new immediate tribution of responsibilities and leadership being planned. jobs and 500 new conse-quential jobs by the roles. In addition to this, the consortium Sotkamo’s science concept has strength- year 2010. The proposal presented for the should become less dependent on structural ened every year. The University of Jyväskylä Finnish Government included edu-cational funds and seek out new financial instrument is currently establising its Master’s Degree measures, business investments, operational for research purposes in particular. and Doctoral programmes. The University environment projects, technology projects The Kajaani University Consortium ac- of Kuopio, together with the Laboratory and employment-based investment support. tively promoted the inclusion of the uni- of Biotechnology at the Kajaani University The Ministry of Education conducted the versity consortiums to new Universities Consortium are starting a Master’s De-gree University Consortium Evaluation, in which Act and the decree on university funding, programme in Food Biotechnology and a Kajaani Uni-versity Consortium came out which is currently in preparation. This work new training laboratory. Centre for Wire- well. According to the evaluation team, the was successful. During the year 2008 it was less Communication (CWC) Kainuu has strengths of the consor-tium were the De- confirmed that university consortiums are been established in Snowpolis and it stud- partment of Teacher Education and its re- mentioned both in the Act proper and its ies wireless meas-urement technology data search and education activities. In addi-tion explanatory sections. On the other hand, communications, i.e. wireless embedded to this, the evaluation team considered it the Ministry of Education is channeling sensor technologies to be used in industrial a strength that regional businesses were money specifically for developing the uni- automation, sports and health care, in col- actively involved in the activities of the versity consortiums. laboration with businesses. ANNUAL REPORT 2008 EVENTS 5 EVENTS Jan 1, 2008 CreaProc project inter- Ceremony an introductory tour of the Dept. of national seminar, Department of In- Teacher Education formation Processing Science, Kajaani Apr 9, 2008 The Kainuu Theme Pro- Unit grammes’ Future seminar in Paltamo, Lönnrot Institute Jan 17, 2008 Visit of Natural Products theme group, Sotkamo, Laboratory of Apr 21–24, 2008 Docent Julianna Rus- Biotechnology vai’s (College of Nyiregyháza, Hun- gary) Erasmus visiting lecturer