A significant donation from the Inkeri and Mauri Vänskä Foundation to the University of Oulu in the field of medicine

The Inkeri and Mauri Vänskä Foundation was founded in 1985. The purpose of the foundation is to support business activities, preserve and record North Karelian culture, support provincial cultural and museum activities, and promote medical research. In 2021, the foundation decided to donate the entire amount of the medical grant to the University of Oulu.

“In the field of medicine, our foundation supports research in cardiovascular disease, cancer and brain diseases. The research topics of the University of Oulu's Faculty of Medicine are well in line with the foundation's focus areas and the research is of a high standard. We also see the opportunity provided by the state's matched funding to increase the value of the donation,” says Juhani Vänskä, Chairman of the Board of the Foundation.

Osmo Tervonen, Dean of the Faculty of Medicine at the University of Oulu, appreciates the significant donation and the opportunities it offers.

“I warmly thank the Inkeri and Mauri Vänskä Foundation for this donation. We have previously allocated donations in the medical field on, for example, cancer research, supporting the career paths of young researchers, and promoting research in brain diseases. The resources brought by the ongoing fundraising campaign will further strengthen our research and open up new opportunities,” says Osmo Tervonen.

The impact of the donation is increased by Sitra's matched funding. Sitra will capitalize universities with a total of EUR 67 million on the basis of the donations capital they have raised by 30 June 2022. The University of Oulu is running a fundraising campaign to raise private capital and maximize matched funding. The university allocates donations to strategic activities which strengthen the scientific profile and increase the impact of research, for example through top recruitment and new research openings.