Information Office of the University of Oulu as a tool
for technology transferin youth innovation
and ICT cooperation of Finland and Republic of Karelia
Eeva-Maarit Kujala*, V. Morozov**, N. Toivonen**
*University of Oulu, Finland
**PetrozavodskStateUniversity, Petrozavodsk,Russia
PetrozavodskStateUniversity (PetrSU, Republic of Karelia, Russia) and University of Oulu (Finland) are long-standing partners. Cooperation between the universities is successfully developing within the long-term bilateral agreement concluded by the parties at the end of 1990s and prolonged in May 2002. In December 2003 the University of Oulu has become a full member of the international consortium Northern European Open University (NEOU) established in the year 2000 on the initiative of PetrSU.
The main objective of the Oulu–Petrozavodsk interuniversity partnership is development of cooperation in the fields of higher education, academic research as well as strengthening of cross-border cooperation between European North of the Russian Federation and Finland. But the special area of joint interests is development of Russian-Finnish cooperation in the fields of innovation activities and entrepreneurship.
The interuniversity cooperation is going on within different international programmes and projects framework. In particular both universities take part in six joint projects implemented with financial support of EU international programmes and Nordic Council of Ministers.
The University of Oulu has opened its Information Office in the PetrozavodskStateUniversity in August 2004. The Office has a number of differential peculiarities. Firstly it is the only representative office of the University of Oulu opened abroad. Secondly it is the only representative office of Finnish higher education institution in the Russian Federation. Thirdly it is the first representative office of international university established under PetrozavodskStateUniversity.
At present the Information Office work is mainly focused on implementation of project «INTO Russia» financed by European Union Programme Interreg III A Karjala. The Project has been carried out by the Department of Information Processing Science of the University of Oulu in close cooperation with PetrSU departments and NEOU. After the Project completing it is planed to extend the range of Office activities, for example the Information Office will assist to different research and educational institutional and other proposed stakeholders in Oulu and Petrozavodsk in establishing contacts and developing cooperation. The Office is established as joint unit within the Northern European Open University framework.
One of the most promising areas of Finnish-Russian cooperation is Information Technologies in respect to research, education and entrepreneurship interests where both PetrSU and the University of Oulu are very strong. Practically all PetrSU departments involved in information and telecommunication technologies take part in cooperation with the University of Oulu to a certain extent. The following must be mentioned among them: the Regional Centre of New Information Technologies (Director – Vice-Rector Natalia Ruzanova), Department of Applied Mathematics and Cybernetics (Head of Department – Principal Vice-Rector Anatoly Voronin), Department of Computer Science (Head of Department – Yuri Bogoyavlensky), Project Management Centre (Olga Oleynik).
A number of projects on such topics as data security and computer game design for learning purposes are under implementation at present. Another priority of cooperation is development of information and telecommunication technologies at the University Centre in Kajaani and Kostomuksha Brunch of PetrSU.
The INTO Russian project is carried out by Finnish and Russian partners in Oulu Province of Finland and Republic of Karelia. The main objectives of the project are development of new approaches in international business and youth entrepreneurship and establishment of entrepreneurial network between Republic of Karelia and Finland. Within the project framework young entrepreneurs get trained in project management. The project participants get certain experience in project application procedure and business planning. The project gives to entrepreneurs of both countries an opportunity to establish personal contacts and develop mutually beneficial cooperation in high technologies.
The project partners are the following:
University of Oulu, Department of Information Processing Sciences, Kajaani Unit (leading partner)
KajaaniEconomicDevelopmentCenter / Intotalo-project
PetrozavodskStateUniversity, North European Open University
Ministry of Education and Youth Affairs, Republic of Karelia
KIBI, Karelian Innovative Business Incubator.
Within the project participants have a possibility to get acquainted with Finnish model of youth entrepreneurship centre INTOTALO established in Kajaani. The model can be applied in Russian circumstance in order to create favorable condition for the following activities:
entrepreneurship training for young people
development of entrepreneurship activity among students of different levels (secondary schools, vocational schools, higher education institutions), unemployed people and invalids
study of entrepreneurial abilities of youth
project design and management
team work skills etc.
At the same time the Information Office is looking for financial possibilities for coming projects and partners for their implementation.