University of Turku celebrates one year of international intersectoral working programme
The first year of the Turku Intersectoral Excellence Scheme (TIES), which started at the University of Turku on 1 September 2023, has proved to be a success. The pioneering programme has helped create new ways of working across disciplines and sectors.
TIES is located within the University’s Turku Institute for Advanced Studies (TIAS), a research collegium which aims to establish a community of interdisciplinary researchers dedicated to research excellence. The goal of the TIES programme is to develop a cohort of expert researchers who can identify and develop opportunities within and beyond higher education.
TIES has received €1.14M from the European Commission’s Marie Skłodowska-Curie Action programme to fund eight international research fellows, each of whom get three years to carry out their self-designed research projects. Uniquely, the TIES Fellows have to undertake secondments outside of higher education for periods of up to six months.
In order to do this, the University has forged a number of new links with organisations outside of higher education including the Filosofiska School in Stockholm, the Finnish Education Evaluation Centre (FINEEC), the Finnish Migration Institute, Historians Without Borders, National Audiovisual Institute (KAVI), Vapriikki Museum and Sexpo-foundation. TIES Fellows are undertaking secondments with such organisations in a spirit of cooperation for mutual benefit.
Other activities which have taken place under the TIES programme include holding a Workshop on Intersectoral Working and appointing local businessman Patrik Anckar as a Professor of Practice within the University. Anckar’s role will include helping the TIES Fellows in the dissemination and commercialisation of their research.
“The first year of the TIES programme has been a really exciting one. It has further internationalised TIAS’ work and galvinised new partnerships. It has been intellectually stimulating and established new ways of both interdisciplinary and intersectoral working,” says TIAS Director, Professor Martin Cloonan.
Hannele Seppälä, Vice Director at FINEEC, shares Professor Cloonan’s sentiments.
“We were delighted to act as host to one of the TIES Fellows, Xingguo Zhou, on her secondment. She brought us new perspectives and ideas about different ways to work,” notes Seppälä.
According to TIES Fellow Ranjana Saha, participating in the programme has broadened her horizons and inspired her.
“I am delighted to be part of the innovative TIES programme. This has been a life-changing experience and has opened up my eyes to a wide range of new possibilities and made me want to contribute to the University’s and Finland’s success,” Saha explains.
The TIES programme welcomes opportunities to collaborate and looks forward to hearing from potential partners.
Funded by the European Union. Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or European Research Executive Agency (REA). Neither the European Union nor the granting authority can be held responsible for them.
