The University of Vaasa and ABB Oy signed a strategic agreement on Wednesday, 6 November 2024, to collaborate in research and education. The goal is to promote multidisciplinary cooperation to strengthen sustainable well-being, competitiveness, and vitality.
As a new initiative, the University of Vaasa and ABB will promote multidisciplinary research and development related to energy resilience and supply security. This will be implemented through company specific doctoral education and jointly funded doctoral education positions for doctoral candidates from ABB. Additionally, mentoring and opportunities for project and thesis work, as well as internships and summer jobs at ABB, will be offered to students interested in the field and making progress in their studies.
The cooperation will also expand to include student innovation activities, such as the joint Startup space of Vaasa’s higher education institutions, opened in October, which supports new experiments, networking, and the development of entrepreneurial skills.
“Our new strategic agreement with the University of Vaasa enables long-term and mutual commitment to the development of education,” says Pekka Tiitinen, Managing Director of ABB Oy.
Mr Tiitinen comments that ABB Finland plays an important role within the Group, with one in seven ABB employees in Finland being involved in developing new products, services, or technologies.
“This requires continuous development of our staff’s skills as part of our lifelong learning culture. The working life is also undergoing a transformation and requires new kinds of skills,” he says.
With this agreement, our cooperation with the University of Vaasa will expand to include not only technical education but also management training and various tailored continuing and further education opportunities for ABB staff. Ensuring future talent is also crucial. Our business units in Vaasa work closely with educational institutions to ensure that graduates from the University of Vaasa are well-prepared to meet our recruitment needs.
Minna Martikainen, Rector of the University of Vaasa, says that the university aims for increased and broader research and educational cooperation with companies, in line with its strategy.
This strategic partnership agreement with ABB is a significant step towards a more sustainable future. It brings new solutions for achieving sustainable energy and business and creates new opportunities for our students and researchers. Through this cooperation, we aim to ensure that in all fields of our university – business, technology, and social sciences – we train experts for ABB’s needs. Our collaboration serves as an example of how working together we can achieve more and create a more sustainable and research-oriented society for all.
The University of Vaasa and ABB have collaborated in various fields for a long time. Existing forms of cooperation, such as research laboratories and research collaboration related to flexible energy resources, modern power systems, and smart solutions, will continue under the agreement. A new WSTAR laboratory is also under construction.
The newly signed strategic agreement extends, diversifies, and deepens the cooperation. The university and ABB are committed to advancing the green transition and achieving sustainable development goals through multidisciplinary experiments.
