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Häme University of Applied Sciences (HAMK) and Aalto University have reached a strategic cooperation agreement.  The agreement contains three main areas: pedagogic collaboration, greater flexibility in education paths and cooperation in innovation activities.

The aim of pedagogic collaboration and more flexible education paths is to develop common implementations of education and to increase mobility between institutions for both students and teaching staff.  Educational exports are also developed in the areas of collaboration.

For companies in the HAMK operating area the cooperation will bring possibilities to find new partners at the national level with the help of Aalto University. HAMK and Aalto complement each other well. Aalto University operates in the fields of science and technology, business and economics, and art and design, and the corresponding areas for HAMK are technology, business and design. The parties are planning to share research infrastructure and facilities, and to cooperate in the field of bioeconomy, for example, which is important for both.

'It's clear that competition in the field of higher education is international. At best the results of the competition benefit our own operating area and all of Finland. The new collaboration strengthens us in this competition while adding to our ability to function in an innovative manner', observes Pertti Puusari, Rector and Managing Director of HAMK.

'It is important for Aalto University to cooperate with Finnish institutions of higher education and businesses. With the help of closely-knit networks, we are stronger together in international competition.  I believe that closer collaboration between Aalto's innovation ecosystem and the players of the Häme region will create new skills and knowledge, capacity for reform, vibrancy, and jobs', says Aalto University President Ilkka Niemelä.

Strong players

Aalto University is an international university built on Finnish strengths, where science and art meet technology and business. The university has six schools, 12 000 students and 400 professors and its campuses are in Espoo and Helsinki.

Häme University of Applied Sciences has nearly 8 000 students on seven campuses in different parts of the Tavastia Proper and Southern Pirkanmaa regions. In 2017, 1189 HAMK students graduated with a bachelor's or master's degree, and 444 got their qualifications as professional teachers. In addition, HAMK has a subsidiary, Häme Vocational Institute, which offers secondary level education in the field of natural resources.

President Ilkka Niemelä of Aalto University (left) ja Rector Pertti Puusaari of HAMK signed a cooperation agreement in Hämeenlinna. Photo: Paula Numminen / HAMK.