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Modern requirements for
university premises and infrastructure
– an academic viewpoint
Kalle-Antti Suominen
Vice-rector for Research
Professor in Physics
Contents
• Universities in a changing world:
challenges and expectations
• Silicon valley: A suitable ideal to aim at?
• An international university:
• Student enrolment
• Researcher recruitment
• External funding
• Visibility
• What else contributes to a brand?
• Competition or collaboration: mergers or
networking or “car shop effect”
• Conclusion
Challenges for modern universities
• Various expectations from the society and
politicians have a strong role especially
when the universities get funding from
public resources.
• Tighter government control vs. autonomy.
• Academic freedom vs. dependence on
public and private external funding.
• Increasing international competition in
student recruitment, research quality and
funding.
• Increasing role of quantitative measures
such as rankings.
Expectations for modern universities
• Seen as drivers of financial growth,
sources of innovations, providers of data
for decision-making.
• Increasing emphasis on problem-driven
approaches and grand challenges:
What is the role of basic research in a
modern university?
• Globalisation and digitalisation.
• Visibility and reputation, appearance in
rankings.
• Mergers and networking, critical mass for
quality in education and research.
The Silicon Valley – an ideal that can not be duplicated
• Requires long timeline and good timing (birth of IT industry) and luck.
• Instead of duplication efforts: Niche economy aka Smart Specialisation.
UniversitiesOpen atmosphereLiberal attitudes
Diversity
Culturalactivities
Moderateclimate
Availablefunding
Intellectualatmosphere
ConnectivityMobility
DOD funding as a seedStrong industrial componentProsperous alumniAccumulation effect-> Start-up activity
The art ofstorytelling
Aspects of internationalisation
• Student enrolment
• To supplement for domestic decline in numbers (more studying
abroad, decreasing birth rate).
• To bring funding: Tuition fees.
• Requirements for infrastructure: Novel study spaces, role of
libraries, student housing, leisure activities (sport facilities etc.).
Aspects of internationalisation
• Student enrolment
• To supplement for domestic decline (more studying abroad,
decreasing birth rate).
• To bring funding: Tuition fees.
• Requirements for infrastructure: Novel study spaces, role of
libraries, student housing, leisure activities (sport facilities etc.).
• Encouragement of interdisciplinary interaction.
Mobility opportunities.
• Job opportunities ! Places where students can mingle with private
sector actors or create their own activities.
Meeting of students, researchers and private sector.
Aspects of internationalisation
• Researcher recruitment
• Quality and visibility of research
• Mobility of people = mobility of ideas
• Research grants and awards
Aspects of internationalisation
• Researcher recruitment
• Quality and visibility of research
• Mobility of people = mobility of ideas
• Research grants and awards
• Research infrastructure and buildings:
Affects mostly life sciences and natural sciences, but should not be
ignored for other fields as well: Access to digital material, level of
digitalisation, augmented or virtual reality.
Networking and concentration of infrastructure (local, national,
international). Competition for sites and network hubs.
AlbaNova: Physics for Stockholm University and KTH
However: Premises alone do not secure collaboration or success in research.
“Excellent research is often created in tightness of space”
Academician Olli V. Lounasmaa
Aspects of internationalisation
• Funding
• Public and private
• National and international (Nordic, EU, US organisations,
foundations); requirements for networking
• Tuition fees and research grants
• Research to support policy-making
• Industrial collaboration
• Donations?
University of Turku: “From free people to free science and learning”
• Founded in 1920 as the 1st Finnish-speaking university, by public donations
• About 20 000 students, 1700 MSc and 170 PhD degrees annually, 3300 staff
• Each year 2500 international students (exchange and degree)
• Turku: oldest town in Finland (mentioned by the Pope in 1229)
• Administrative and academic centre of Finland during Swedish period (until 1809)
• Main campus in Turku, on University Hill, built in 1950’s (Klondike Gold)
Aspects of internationalisation
• Visibility
• Student satisfaction, research excellence, success in obtaining
funding, infrastructure, expert missions and industrial collaboration
contribute to visibility.
• Rankings and news.
• Effect of nonlinearity: accumulation of “wealth”.
• Location: Capital city, historical city, industrial city.
• Alumni (students, former researchers).
• Buildings can also contribute to visibility.
Elements of competition
Studentenrolment
Fundingbasis
Societal impactResearcherrecruitment
Collaboration
BRAND
The universities often have also a cultural role, including the preservation of
historical buildings. They can be a financial burden, but can contribute to the
brand.
Mergers or networking? 1+1 > 2 ?
• Critical mass is considered important
in all aspects (student enrolment,
research excellence, attraction of
funding, cost efficiency).
• Does it require larger units?
• University mergers are now
fashionable, covering also merging
with other public research
organisations and university colleges.
• Mergers can be either within a single
city or between geographically clearly
separated units but usually within the
same country.
Mergers
• Benefits: efficiency, more study
opportunities for students, increased
cross-disciplinary possibilities,
improved visibility, better use or
concentration of infrastructure, more
attractive as a partner.
• Problems: management challenges,
transient issues, ”lost in the crowd”
effect, geographic dispersion, loss of
diversity and healthy competition,
sometimes also brand issues and
possible dilution of research
excellence.
And problems with unused buildings.
Networking
• Local networking: Other institutions
and private sector, shared premises
and infrastructure, some shared
teaching, diversity preserved at the
cost of some efficiency.
• National networking: harmonisation
of administrative practices and IT
systems, sharing of major
infrastructure, clearer profiles, but
also geographical challenges. A
possibility for a shared brand even
without an actual merge.
• Digitalisation is an important tool for
both mergers and networking.
Networking
• Local networking: Other institutions
and private sector, shared premises
and infrastructure, some shared
teaching, diversity preserved at the
cost of some efficiency.
• National networking: harmonisation
of administrative practices and IT
systems, sharing of major
infrastructure, clearer profiles, but
also geographical challenges. A
possibility for a shared brand even
without an actual merge.
• Digitalisation is an important tool for
both mergers and networking.
International networking at a major level (strategic partnership):
• Challenge lies in creating a win-win situation. When do the
benefits exceed the costs and time consumption?
• Equal or nonequal partners.
• Efficient forms of networking between universities?
• Shared teaching, joint degrees, mobility
• Joint positions
• Shared infrastructure
• International side campuses? Use of local partners.
Digitalisation provides excellent possibilities for networking. However,
the students and researchers clearly need also the social framework
and in some fields practical hands-on studies, so there are limits to
the use of digital tools and long-distance operation.
Mergers beyond national borders?
• A fascinating question.
• Legislative issues.
• Would require a win-win
situation.
• Digitalisation may change the
situation in the future.
• Effect on buildings?
• A more likely example: Side
campus with a local partner of
lesser reputation. Typically
created purely for financial gain
from tuition fees.
The Silicon Valley – The car shop effect
• Many competing units contribute to the success of the whole region
UniversitiesOpen atmosphereLiberal attitudes
Diversity
Culturalactivities
Moderateclimate
Availablefunding
Intellectualatmosphere
ConnectivityMobility
DOD funding as a seedStrong industrial componentProsperous alumniAccumulation effect-> Start-up activity
The art ofstorytelling
The Öresund Region
• Many competing units contribute to the success of the whole region
“car shop effect"
Conclusions
Reputation – location – employment
These are the key elements in international competition. This can be
supported by having multipurpose buildings shared by different types
of users.
Mergers and networking are tools for improving competiveness. But
one can also gain by having many independent and even mutually
competing operators in the same region.
University structures that cross national borders are possible, but the
difficulty of operation can easily be more than the benefits.
University of Turku: “From free people to free science and learning”
• Founded in 1920 as the 1st Finnish-speaking university, by public donations
• About 20 000 students, 1700 MSc and 170 PhD degrees annually, 3300 staff
• Each year 2500 international students (exchange and degree)
• Turku: oldest town in Finland (mentioned by the Pope in 1229)
• Administrative and academic centre for Swedish rule (until 1809)
• Main campus in Turku, on University Hill, built in 1950’s (Klondike Gold)
University of Turku
• Side campuses at Pori and Rauma
• Research stations at Kevo and Seili
Academic Turku
• Åbo Akademi University (est. 1918)
• Turku University of Applied Sciences
(University College)
• Novia Yrkeshögskolan
(University College)
• Royal Academy of Turku (1640-1827)
(Historical)