The starting points, present activities, and future aspirations of the University of Oulu’s Kerttu Saalasti Institute are all driven by its commitment to research with real societal impact. In spring 2000, a review was conducted on initiating university operations in the southern part of the Finnish region of North Ostrobothnia. The unit that was then established as an experimental project has now grown into an international research institute whose primary strength lies in the societal impact of its research and education.
The Institute is named after Kerttu Saalasti, Minister and Counsellor of Education, who played a central role in the establishment of the University of Oulu, an act that paved the way for the establishment of state universities across Finland. The Institute was renamed the Kerttu Saalasti Institute in 2017 as part of the centenary celebration of Finland’s independence and the 110th anniversary of Kerttu Saalasti’s birth.
The purpose of the University of Oulu’s Kerttu Saalasti Institute is to strengthen the sustainable development of society. Our research focuses on three key areas: micro-entrepreneurship, future production technologies, and regional excellence. The Institute is responsible for the national special task of micro-entrepreneurship research and education, which was granted to the University of Oulu by the Ministry of Education and Culture in 2021. Our impact is based on multidisciplinary, international research, the promotion of competence, and the development of responsible solutions together with our partners.
Our northern handprint is global – the University of Oulu’s renewed strategy for 2030 and beyond inspires us to build a better and fairer future by focusing on effective research and interdisciplinary collaboration that will help us create solutions for humanity’s most pressing issues. The Institute follows the University of Oulu’s mission by producing new knowledge based on effective research and by providing research-based education for a more sustainable, smart, and humane world. Our operations are impactful on a regional, national, and international scale, and they foster new innovations.
The strategic spearheads of the University of Oulu’s Kerttu Saalasti Institute are its versatile research and research-based education, as well as its societal interaction and impact.
Our micro-entrepreneurship (MicroENTRE) research creates new capabilities for entrepreneurship and fosters an entrepreneurial culture, studies the prerequisites for the management, growth, and internationalisation of businesses, and recognises the significance of changing operating environments and networks. The aim of our future manufacturing technologies (FMT) research is to make the best properties of metallic materials, especially steels, a superior competitive factor in final products, with the help of competitive and sustainable technologies. Our Regional Excellence (REx) research, on the other hand, analyses regional phenomena, processes, and structures to develop the growth, vitality, and sustainability of Finnish regions and companies.
We want to use our research-based education and coaching to renew and strengthen the sustainability and vitality of society. We use our competence areas to respond to the needs of continuous learning in a learner-friendly manner, both in Finland and abroad. Our digital pedagogy is designed for today’s world, as it serves the needs of different learners and removes any unnecessary obstacles from their learning paths. We are committed to developing our education in an agile and collaborative manner with various higher education institutions, entrepreneurs, and specialists.
Our Institute is a pioneering force in the development and deployment of new operating methods and solutions, and in the creation of a more entrepreneurial society. Our interactive approach to partnerships is what sets us apart as we cultivate a future of well-being and sustainability. Our research results boost businesses, and the members of our work community are active influencers in regional, national, and international networks that are crucial to our operations.
Our success is based on the efforts of our skilled, insightful, and motivated personnel. Our work community is diverse, inclusive, and equal. We want our operating methods to encourage creativity, skill development, bold experimentation, accountability, and collaboration through continuous improvement. Our community supports the individual career paths of researchers, teachers, experts, and leaders of expert communities.
Our national and international research funders believe in the exceptional significance of our research theme. The Kerttu Saalasti Institute coordinates and participates in around 30 research projects annually. Our research funders, both past and present, include the EU’s research framework programmes, the Research Council of Finland, Business Finland, international and national structural funds, as well as various ministries, companies, municipalities, and regional actors.
Author: Matti Muhos, professor, D.Sc. (Tech.), Docent, Director, University of Oulu Kerttu Saalasti Institute
Photo: Minna Kilpeläinen
Kirjoittaja: Matti Muhos, professori, TkT, dosentti, johtaja, Oulun yliopiston Kerttu Saalasti Instituutti
Kuva: Minna Kilpeläinen
In Kerttu Saalasti Institute's blog we write about the topics of the Institute's research groups, micro entrepreneurship education and the Institute's general topics. The authors are researchers, experts and members of networks.
Our topics are: micro entrenepreneurship, future manufacturing technologies, regional excellence, micro entrepreneurship education