1. Bioeconomy at the University of Eastern Finland (UEF)
STATE-OF-THE
SMART
UEF JOENSUU | KUOPIO | SAVONLINNA
Bioeconomy at the University of Eastern Finland (UEF)

2. University of Eastern Finland (UEF) - Strategic goals
15,000 students and 2,800 members of staff
Teaching in more than 100 major subjects within 4 faculties: the Philosophical Faculty, the Faculty of Science and Forestry, the Faculty of Health Sciences, and the Faculty of Social Sciences and Business Studies
The University underscores multidisciplinarity
Internationally recognized and socially impactful:
Partner who takes the initiative
Developer of business activities rooted in expertise
Producer of research data and education which support the finding of solutions to global challenges

3. Bioeconomy in the core of the strategy of UEF

4. Why bioeconomy? It is the next wave of economy from fossil based economy towards sustainability
GDB and wellfare
Fossil based economy
Natural resources based economy
Bioeconomy is the next wave of the global economy, producing growth and prosperity. According to estimates, Finland may nearly double the value of its bioeconomy.
1900
2014
Lähde: Biotalous.fi

5. UEF’s Bioeconomy Policy 2016-2020
UEF promotes the growth of the bioeconomy, related innovations and the use of novel forest and wood-based materials through its research and education; also addressing the ecological and social implications of the bioeconomy, including the sufficiency of natural resources and the acceptability of their use
At UEF, the bioeconomy is seen as an extensive and new way of thinking and doing, reaching to the very foundations of society and striving for sustainable development
From the bioeconomy viewpoint, the main strengths of UEF are the university’s true multidisciplinarity and the diverse expertise in the forest-and-wood based bioeconomy
Strategically, UEF’s bioeconomy focus is on forests, wood and land use; goal is to make the competence cluster formed in eastern Finland by UEF and its partners the most sought-after academic partner in bioeconomy research and education addressing forests, wood and land use in Europe
Many of the university’s research groups representing different disciplines address the bioeconomy – UEF has great potential to make significant research breakthroughs that are cross-disciplinary and have great scientific and practical relevance not only in the forest-based bioeconomy, but also in other fields of the bioeconomy
Esityksen nimi / Tekijä

6. Examples of outlines and measures of development in the Bioeconomy Policy of UEF
Research
Transdisciplinary approaches addressing the bioeconomy are strengthened in the university’s top-level and strong research areas
Research focusing on forests, wood biomass and land use in different disciplines is included in the scope of strategic funding aimed at emerging research areas in all faculties
Cooperation in the practical utilisation of bioeconomy expertise is actively promoted, as well as the commercialization of the university’s research findings
Education
The MS Programme in Wood Materials Science is further developed as a multidisciplinary, English-language MS programme in the field of the forest-and wood bioeconomy
A multidisciplinary doctoral programme in bioeconomy is established
A basic course in the bioeconomy is implemented; all Bachelor’s and Master’s level students can include it in their degrees
The bioeconomy serves as a learning environment for multidisciplinarity
Societal impact
The bioeconomy constitutes a focus area in UEF’s societal interaction, and it is one of the university’s spearheads for profiling
Interaction with the surrounding society is boosted by creating interactive forums for researchers and bioeconomy professionals
UEF promotes demonstration platforms, pilot projects and case studies especially through collaborative projects
UEF is an exemplary and credible bioeconomy actor

7. Contact us:
Professor in forest bioeconomy Jyrki Kangas
Professor in forest foreseeing and business Teppo Hujala
Coordinator of bioeconomy program Sari Pitkänen
Esityksen nimi / Tekijä