Health Campus Turku Is Internationally Significant Cluster of Expertise

The Health Campus Turku network includes the Hospital District of Southwest Finland, University of Turku, Åbo Akademi University, Turku University of Applied Sciences, Novia University of Applied Sciences, and Turku Science Park as a new member.

The Health Campus Turku collaboration was initiated at the end of 2015. On Wednesday, 27 September, the members of the network signed an agreement on the objectives of the collaboration and Turku Science Park joined the collaboration as a new member.  

The Health Campus Turku network develops the Turku University Hospital area as a multidisciplinary, international and top-level cluster of expertise. The expertise within the network involves medicine and other fields of research and education related to health and well-being.  Turku Science Park joins the collaboration in developing innovation activities and business.

Several joint units of the different parties operate in the area, such as the national Turku PET Centre of the universities and the Hospital District of Southwest Finland, and the Auria Biobank of the University of Turku, Hospital District of Southwest Finland, and other hospital districts within its special responsibility area.

Members of the Health Campus Turku are highly committed to joint multi-professional and disciplinary operation, which is already evident in the development of education and RDI, and in business collaboration.

– The Health Campus Turku significantly supports the drug development and diagnostics cluster concentrated to Southwest Finland, as well as the development of future health technologies. The Health Campus Turku is one of the largest Nordic clusters of research and education in medicine and health that serves working and business life, says the Chair of the Steering Group of the Health Campus Turku, Vice Rector Juhani Soini from Turku University of Applied Sciences.

Actions listed in the agreement include, for example, developing the prerequisites for research and collaboration between researchers, promoting the education and research activities of the organisations within the network, as well as developing business and innovation activities in the area. The goal is to build the Health Campus Turku into a strong brand which, for example, supports recruitment.

Members signing the agreement at Forum Marinum on 27 September 2017. From the left: Tero Piispanen (Turku Science Park), Päivi Rautava (Hospital District of Southwest Finland), Örjan Andersson (Novia), Leena Setälä (Hospital District of Southwest Finland), Vesa Taatila (TUA), Kalervo Väänänen (UTU), Mikko Hupa (ÅAU), Ulla Achrén (ÅAU), Päivi Mikkola (UTU).