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Newsletter of the University of Oulu Kerttu Saalasti Institute  |  28.1.2026  

A Look at the Second Half of Our Anniversary Year 2025 - Research, Creativity, Sustainable Growth and Global Connections  

Northern Resilience and Courage – Research-based Societal Development and Sustainable Growth Also Take Place Beyond Urban Centers

In the 1950s, Kerttu Saalasti, who served as Minister of Education, emphasized during the University of Oulu’s first academic term that scientific research was needed to help solve and understand many major issues in Northern Finland. For decades now, socially impactful research and solutions for boosting sustainable growth have been developed in Northern Finland. Studies show that growth is happening across the country – also outside urban centers. At the same time, vitality should be measured with more indicators than growth alone. These themes were discussed in September at the Kerttu Saalasti seminar held in Nivala.

NEWS

UNIC’s Arts, Culture and Creativity Thematic Line brought an international group of students to Cork to explore urban transformation  

Cities often conceal layers that are not visible at first glance – histories, memories, exclusions, and acts of resistance. These hidden dimensions were at the heart of the Blended Intensive Programme (BIP) held in Cork, Ireland, organized by UNIC’s Thematic Line Arts, Culture and Creativity. Through artistic methodologies, the programme opened new ways of understanding urban change.

University of Oulu Received € 820,000 for Brain Research as a Joint Project Between Medicine, Technology, and Biology

The Phantom Menace project launched at the University of Oulu brings together expertise in technology, medicine, and biology with the aim of strengthening interdisciplinary cooperation and promoting new types of product development. The project focuses on developing solutions to regional challenges in Northern Ostrobothnia through multidisciplinary cooperation.

Finland’s First Laboratory Capable of Energy-efficient Mechanical Environmental Testing is Starting Operations in Nivala

The University of Oulu and Nivalan Teollisuuskylä LTD have launched a new investment project aimed at strengthening the metal industry’s and machine shops’ ability to produce low-carbon and sustainable products. The Energy-Efficient Mechanical Testing Under Controlled Environments for the Needs of Future Industry ("EMOTia") project supports the expansion of fatigue research to environmental testing that considers factors such as temperature, corrosion, and the effects of hydrogen on material durability. As part of the project, a laboratory capable of active environmental fatigue testing will operate in Nivala at the ELME Studio – the first facility of its kind in Finland.

PUBLICATIONS

A New Report Highlights Opportunities for Sustainable Food Production in Northern Finland and Northern Sweden – Cross-border Cooperation is Needed

The combination of small farms and an ageing farming population may challenge the future vitality of the food production sector, calling for proactive measures to ensure generational renewal and sustainable growth. A new Nordic report compares the situation in Northern Finland and Northern Sweden. According to the report, food processing and the food industry are of a similar scale in both regions, but Northern Finland has a higher number of farms, a larger cultivated area, and greater crop diversity compared to Northern Sweden.

New book: Arctic Migration Reveals Hidden Boundaries – and New Paths to Inclusion

The Arctic is one of the most rapidly changing regions on the planet. Some of the main issues in the change are immigration, climate change, and socio-economic transformation. New book The Panacea to immigrant people in the Arctic - opportunity or vulnerability examines these themes by emphasizing the real experiences of immigrant communities. It offers new insights for policy, integration, and resilience in one of the world’s fastest-changing regions. The book is published in Routledge Research in Polar Regions -publication series.

Rapid Growth of Young Companies Is Not Limited to Cities – Rural Areas Also Produce Gazelle Firms

Gazelle companies - young and fast-growing firms - are most often located in cities, but they are also found in rural areas. These companies play an important role in renewing the business landscape, supporting vitality, and creating employment. Read a new report about gazelle firms.

MY STUDIO WEBINARS

Sustainable Immigrant Entrepreneurship – One Step at a Time Across the Valley of Death

Immigrants often start businesses with ease, but just as often, these businesses fail in their early stages. How can an immigrant entrepreneur survive the challenging beginnings of entrepreneurship? The MY Studio webinar offers sparks of hope for immigrant entrepreneurs and those dreaming of starting their own business. Joining host Simo Kekäläinen in the studio are Development Manager, PhD, and Docent Nafisa Yeasmin from the MicroENTRE Centre for Microentrepreneurship at the University of Oulu’s Kerttu Saalasti Institute; Immigration Manager Arto Willman from International House Oulu; and Business Advisor Shefat Islam from BusinessOulu. The webinar opens with a video message from entrepreneur An Duong.

COURSES

Managing Sustainability Through Responsible Leadership - 5 ECTS online course

Strengthen your capabilities in sustainable business! This fully online course gives you the latest tools to address climate risks, integrate ESG perspectives, and build long-term value aligned with the UN Sustainable Development Goals.

The course focuses on:

· Responsible leadership as a driver of economic, ecological, and social sustainability.

· Transparent sustainability communication to strengthen brand credibility and competitiveness.

· Effective sustainability metrics to assess your organization’s impact on natural, human, and social capital.

Implementation: 7 January – 7 June 2026 Fee: 100 € Enrollment open until 26 April 2026

New Open Online Course Gives Creative Professionals a Head Start in Using AI

Generative artificial intelligence is rapidly transforming the landscape of creative work – and now anyone interested has the chance to learn how to use it to support their own skills. The nationwide LuovAIn! project has launched a free online course, “Generative AI in Creative Work,” offering a clear overview of the possibilities, limitations, and ethical considerations of AI in the everyday practices of creative industries.

BLOGS

A Strategy Doesn’t Live Without Communication – and Communication Doesn’t Succeed Without Strategy

Organization’s strategy is the compass that guides its operations. It is not a static document, but a continuous, inclusive process that requires clear articulation, repetition, and concreteness. Without communication, strategy remains on paper – and without strategy, communication loses its direction. But how can strategy be communicated in a way that truly connects the organization, its employees, and its stakeholders?

Green Claims Under the Microscope – What Every Company Should Know About Sustainability Communication and the Green Claims Directive

Developing Micro-Entrepreneurship – Felicity Kelliher’s Acceptance Speech for the Kerttu Saalasti Award

In September, Professor Felicity Kelliher, who specializes in management practices at South East Technological University in Ireland, received the 2025 Kerttu Saalasti Award. Read her acceptance speech.

Leadership Was Overlooked in the Remote Work Debate

Before the COVID-19 pandemic, perceptions of remote work in Finland were quite different. It was thought that remote work would not become a widespread phenomenon, although it was seen as a future-oriented way of working worth exploring. At that time, Finnish research on remote work, and especially on its leadership, was still scarce. Questions arose about how prepared work communities were for large-scale remote work. The main challenges lay in the fact that work communities and their practices were designed for in-person collaboration, and leadership routines did not support remote monitoring or interpersonal interaction. Exceptions included organisations where multi-location work was already a reality and leadership were conducted remotely.

A Shared Vision for Growth and Vitality in Northern Ostrobothnia

Northern Ostrobothnia is rich in expertise and entrepreneurial potential. Yet in everyday work, entrepreneurs, business service providers, and researchers often face the same recurring challenges: information doesn’t flow, efforts are duplicated, and many entrepreneurs miss out on the support they need. Now, regional actors have come together to dismantle these barriers. The network that has formed is both multilayered and complex.

Nourishing Growth for International Markets – A New Training Programme Supports Micro-entrepreneurs

Many experts carry immense potential for internationalisation, yet stepping onto global markets can feel intimidating. Women, in particular, remain underrepresented as entrepreneurs – and even more so in export activities. A new training programme launched in Northern Ostrobothnia provides professionals and micro-enterprises with concrete tools for internationalisation, responsible leadership, and business development.

The AGEMERA Serious Game – Learn About Critical Raw Materials Through Play

Modern life would not be possible without critical raw materials (CRMs). These elements — such as cobalt, lithium, rare earths, and nickel — are essential for the smartphones in our pockets, the batteries in electric cars, and the wind turbines and solar panels that power the green transition. The AGEMERA project has taken an innovative approach to answer these questions by developing a serious online game. Using the familiar and entertaining format of “Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?”, the game turns complex issues about resources, sustainability, and technology into an accessible and engaging learning experience.

Building Arctic Partnership – Research Visit to the University of Anchorage Alaska

Matti Muhos visited the University of Alaska Anchorage (UAA) for two weeks in September 2025. Muhos says that it was a true pleasure to get to know the academic and startup communities of Anchorage in multiple events and joint activities.

The First Year of OYSTER in Oulu’s Health & Life Science Incubator Activities

The OYSTER health and life science business incubator, launched at the beginning of 2024, has been an interesting and educational journey both for the teams developing business ideas and for our project team. From the very start, the goal was to build both a pre-incubator and a full business incubator – to provide sparring for the development of early-stage ideas as well as long-term support for the growth of start-ups. At the beginning of 2026, 10 new teams were selected for the OYSTER incubator program.

Creative Sparks Ignited in Ruka – Entrepreneurial Stories, AI and Networks Sparked Visions of the Future

When creative minds come together, something special always happens. The Liekkipiste event, held in June 2025 at Ruka Salong in Kuusamo, was exactly that - an inspiring and forward-looking meeting place. Aimed at entrepreneurs in the creative industries, the event combined the power of innovation, artificial intelligence, and networking. Behind Liekkipiste were the KASVA and LuovAIn! projects, both designed to support business growth and collaboration.

From Design to Production – FMT Days 2025 Brought Together Top Experts

Leading professionals in industry and technology once again gathered for the FMT Days in May to discuss the future of manufacturing techniques, collaborative projects, and new opportunities in design. The 2025 event was themed From Design to Production, with a focus on rapid product development, the interplay between design and manufacturing technologies, and quality assurance. It provided a comprehensive overview of how 3D technologies and digital manufacturing methods are transforming production.

Building an Electric Car

The KATI (Innovations Enhancing Mechanical and Automotive Engineering) project is developing new expertise and solutions for metal, mechanical, and automotive companies in Northern Ostrobothnia. The project focuses on zero-emission energy sources and the autonomization of machinery and vehicles. It also explores future energy sources, powertrains, and electrification of vehicles and heavy equipment.

Industrial Wood Construction for Building Efficiency – Drawing Inspiration from the Ikea Concept

In industrial wood construction, building takes place in a factory environment instead of a construction site, with 60–90% of the work being done indoors. Both multi-storey and single-family houses can be constructed industrially, assembled like Lego bricks from ready-made modules or elements at the building site. Due to the high degree of prefabrication, construction quality and cost-efficiency are better than in traditional construction.

From Sci-Fi Dreams to the Reality of 3D Printing

In this blog, Antti Järvenpää tells about the development of technology he has witnessed during his lifetime:  "I was a child of the 1980s. There was no internet in homes, phones had cords, and computers were rare and expensive. But imagination soared. I watched Star Trek and Back to the Future – where objects appeared at the push of a button, robots answered questions, and cars flew through the sky. Those stories planted a seed: could the future really look like that?"

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