Future steel research and expertise strengthened by SSAB's donation
SSAB Europe is contributing to the University of Oulu’s ongoing fundraising campaign with a EUR 100,000 donation for research in technical sciences at the university. SSAB and the University of Oulu have had close cooperation since the 1980s and SSAB is currently one of the university’s key partners. These days, cooperation is particularly related to steel research, the development of new demanding steel grades and to fossil-free steelmaking.
SSAB values the long-standing cooperation but also highlights the University of Oulu’s role as an educator. “The cooperation model we have created with the University of Oulu works well and has also attracted wider interest. Steel research and the related education in particular are naturally important to us,” says Sakari Kallo CTO at SSAB Europe.
Cooperation aims at developing strategic competence in the Finnish metal industry. “Oulu is home to multidisciplinary competence that our industry can benefit from. Fossil-free steel is SSAB’s number one development target. Digitalization, process metallurgy and steel processing technology as well as maintenance and other business expertise, together with steelmaking and production technology are important areas of competence for us,” Kallo adds.
“It is great that SSAB is one of the corporate donors to the university. Our cooperation has allowed us to create an internationally high-caliber steel research center. There is now a particular need for research and education as steelmaking is facing a major transformation going forward. In keeping with our strategy, we want to contribute to a carbon-free future,” says Jouko Niinimäki, Rector of the University of Oulu.
The donation now made is aimed at technical sciences. The Finnish government is supporting donations made by private foundations, companies and individuals to universities with matched funding. The donor may direct a donation of at least EUR 10,000 to development of the desired field of education. The Finnish government’s matched funding period continues until the end of June 2022.