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1 STRATEGY STRATEGY

2 STRATEGY approved by the Board 15 February 2012 Turun yliopisto University of Turku FI Turun yliopisto, Finland Puhelin/Telephone Faksi/Fax

3 Contents 1. From a free people to free science and learning Research university based on multidisciplinary strengths Research-based teaching and a responsible study culture for lifelong learning Third mission: Interaction with the surrounding society is a joint matter Proficient staff and their international networking will create the University's success Strong finances and infrastructure as the footing for the basic missions Towards a smoother operation The implementation of the strategic aims will be monitored by indicators Strategy

4 1. From a free people to free science and learning Operational idea The University of Turku is an internationally competitive research university, the operation of which is based on high-quality multidisciplinary research. The University promotes free research and academic education and provides higher education based on research. The University is part of the international academic community and works in collaboration with society. The operation of the University is founded throughout on high-quality research and the profiling strengths that arise from it, which are complemented by selected development targets and special national assignments. The synergy is enhanced by cooperation between subject areas by merging related subjects and actively searching for new combinations of research and education on disciplinary interfaces. The University will pay increasing attention to the commercialisation of its research by applying its strong business competence to different areas of endeavour. Education at the University is based on academic research and lifelong learning. The students will acquire a scientific way of thinking, where creating new ideas, applying critical judgement and responsibility are emphasised. The University recognises its responsibility in training internationally competitive experts in a range of fields. It also reacts to the needs of society by creating new combinations of expertise across the traditional discipline boundaries. The University of Turku s graduates have the capacity to develop their expertise and professional field independently as well as to work in multi-professional and internationalising work environments. The University of Turku is an academic expert organisation the success of which rests on proficient staff, motivated students and an environment that encourages creativity. The University is a fair employer whose human resources policy is characterised by openness, the development of professional expertise and taking care of well-being at work. The students are an active part of the university community. The University is a socially responsible actor that emphasises its role as an educational and scientific university founded by citizens. Close cooperative relationships with international, national and regional operating environments are an essential part of the University s operation. The added value created by interaction is manifested as new knowledge, new viewpoints and the increase in general impact. This contributes to the University s development as an international research university, which enables the creation of social and technological innovations. Values The basic values of the operation of the University of Turku are ethicality, criticality, creativity, openness and communality. Freedom of education and research prevails at the University and it can independently determine the means to achieve the jointly set goals. Ethicality defines all activities within the University: aiming at good and appropriate decisions. Both in research and other operations, university staff and students follow the principles of high professional ethics and good scientific practice. Criticality is the foundation for scientific culture. It means aiming at the truth through questioning certainties and high-quality research. Genuine criticality leads to high quality and reliability. Strategy

5 The University s operation is based on looking for new knowledge and new meanings as well as disseminating them further. Creativity means the ability to see and do things in a new way so that the individual or the community gets both benefit and intellectual satisfaction from what they do and is ready to encounter new challenges. Openness is manifested as open operational culture and scientific freedom from prejudice: the University is open to different scientific viewpoints, research approaches and unexpected results. Openness also means commitment to communicating new knowledge and interaction with the surrounding society. The main themes of communality are trust, participation, commitment, motivation and closeness. Amid the pressure for change, it is crucial that the whole university community commits to the operation of the University. Vision 2016 The University of Turku is internationally well-known and recognised in its chosen areas of strength and nationally, it is among the top universities in all of its research fields. The University offers attractive higher education and it forms a network in conjunction with other higher education institutions, public sector research institutes and companies in the region. The University takes an active role in the network. The University is an open, motivating, interactive and international environment for research, learning and working, which attracts both staff and students. The needs of lifelong learning are taken into account in addition to undergraduate and postgraduate education. Administrative services are customer-oriented, flexible and cost-effective. The University has a well-performing service system that supports international researcher, teacher and student exchanges as well as participation in education leading to joint degrees. The University s international communication is efficient. The University has a specialised support system for acquiring and managing international research funding throughout the projects lifecycle. The University has a system for recognising and utilising innovation, which assists in processing inventions created within the University into products and business activities. The University works in close collaboration with the Åbo Akademi University in the field of innovation development. Target dimensions and requirement factors To connect the strategy and the measurement related to its implementation, the balanced scorecard model is used as a framework to guide thinking. The balanced scorecard was selected as the starting point because it emphasises the diversity, pluralism and multidimensionality of the operation of organisations as well as the measurement and guidance that can be applied to them. In the University of Turku scorecard, the operation is divided into two groups: the target dimensions and the requirement factors. The target dimensions are research, education and societal interaction. The requirement factors are staff and networks, finances, and infrastructure. Targets are set separately for each area and indicators that measure their implementation are selected. In the model, internationalisation is implicit throughout the whole operation of the University. Developing the operational structure is an on-going process. Strategy

6 2. Research university based on multidisciplinary strengths High-quality research is the basis of the University s operation. It is a prerequisite both for research-based education and for the creation of social and technological innovation. The University s international reputation is built on the visibility of its research. Success in research leads to international networking, which in turn improves the University s competitiveness and the quality of its operation. The research undertaken at the University is free and depends on the scholar. The emphasis is on self-directed basic research. This best leads to academic breakthroughs and the accumulation of knowledge. Applied research is also important to the University. It is an essential part of the University s integration into society and it improves the employment opportunities for young researchers outside the University. Cooperation with other actors such as research-intensive companies strengthens the University s own know-how and also opens up new problem settings for basic research. All cooperation must serve the University s basic missions and be ethically responsible. The University has several internationally-regarded loci of research formed on the principle of self-direction. These are called the areas of strength that profile the research activities. The University aims to ensure their operational preconditions and to support the creation of new areas with special strategic funding. However, it is strategically just as important that the research is nationally and internationally competitive throughout. This is the best guarantee for undertaking new major research and innovation. To reach the goal, strategic decisions are also required within different disciplines. The University will pay increasing attention to the quality of doctoral education and international cooperation in its implementation. A university-wide graduate school has been established at the University, the task of which is to organise systematic, highquality, supervised and efficient doctoral education. In order to recruit young talented Strategy

7 researchers, research collegia will be established and regularised, and the use of the tenure track model will be extended moderately. The aim is to increase the amount of international research funding by improving support services. Increasing attention will be paid to disseminating research results for the use of society (cf. Section 4). Areas of strength in research Research on molecular biosciences forms the largest area of strength in the University s research. The University, in conjunction with the Åbo Akademi University, the VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland and the City of Turku has made substantial investments in order to create a competitive operational environment for researchers in the field and for those who exploit the research results. The development work on the biocluster will be continued. The competitiveness of the research will be improved, especially by methodological development in the fields of bio-imaging and systems biology. The leading projects in the area of strength include host defence and auto-immune disease research, biomedical research, and plant biological research on photosynthesis and bioenergy. Cardiovascular and metabolic research is an area of strength in medical research in which experimental and clinical studies are successfully combined. One of the focal areas is the development of imaging methods for cardiovascular and metabolic disorders, their follow-up and therapy monitoring. Extensive follow-up studies are made on the origins and prevention of coronary artery disease and diabetes. Ecological interactions and ecological genetics research is an area of strength in which traditionally strong research on ecological interactions is integrated with cutting-edge ecological and evolutionary genetic research approaches. In ecological interactions and ecological genetics research, long-term field and experimental data are analysed using the latest methods in statistics and molecular biology. The area of strength covers research on the mechanisms of ecological interactions from the level of the ecosystem and populations to cellular and molecular levels. Central research themes include global challenges such as the impacts of climate change, environmental problems and the spread of introduced species on ecological interactions. Research on learning and education focuses on the cognitive, emotional, social and cultural conditions for learning and development in children, youth and adults as well as the institutions of education and lifelong learning. Important fields of study include the development of linguistic and mathematical skills, the social regulation of learning, the peer relationships and social well-being of children and youth, bullying at school, practising cognitive skills, the development of expertise as well as the reflection of international trends on the national educational policy and the relationship of education with working life. The special strengths of the University of Turku research on learning and education are multi-disciplinarity and good methodological know-how. Futures research combines content knowledge about history and the present produced by different disciplines as well as methodological knowledge with futures research in order to outline future prospects. This area of strength benefits from the wide scholarly base provided by a multidisciplinary University and offers possibilities for multidisciplinary research. Versatile international research cooperation is at the centre of activities. Futures research has close connections with social planning and decision-making. Research on institutional design and social mechanisms is directed towards the operation and development of social institutions, rules and interaction mechanisms. Institutional design studies the operational principles and interrelations of national and supranational social institutions and develops criteria that can be applied in evaluating them. Central fields of research include democratic processes and social Strategy

8 decision-making structures, the philosophy of the foundations of social institutions, constitutionalism and basic rights as well as social and legal research related to the interaction mechanisms of society, politics and finances. Research areas in an advanced development stage Mathematical research focuses on research on discrete mathematics motivated by computer science and data transmission. The research has achieved an esteemed and advanced position in the international research field and nationally the University of Turku is profiled as the country s leading centre of research on discrete mathematics. On the basis of the pioneering research on cryptography, wide-ranging research in the field of data security is being developed. Other development targets in mathematical research include classical analysis, research on quantum phenomena, mathematical modelling and algorithms, especially in the bioscience fields both at the cellular and ecosystem levels. Business knowledge and innovation research is built on the research strengths of the Turku School of Economics, for which the University s active role in the region s innovation network offers many new multidisciplinary research topics. Research on business knowledge explores issues related to decision-making and management of companies and other organisations. Research on innovations, for example, focuses on product development, new production methods as well as marketing and organisational innovation. Management accounting, networks in business activities and entrepreneurship represent areas where research in these two interrelated research themes is proceeding rapidly and which are being given special emphasis. Research on cultural interaction processes focuses on migration patterns, multiculturalism and multilingualism, ethnicity and religion, social exclusion as well as the conveyance of cultural influences. Multidisciplinary research creates possibilities for deeply understanding these phenomena. Important areas of research include urban studies, the arts and popular culture as well as research on the cultural construction of gender and identity. Regionally, areas of interest include in particular the Baltic Sea region, East Asia and North America. As regards these themes and more generally, the particular regional interest focus is on the Baltic Sea region and its position in Europe and East Asia. Medieval and early modern studies is research in human sciences, especially archaeology, history, philosophy, linguistics and art studies, which focuses especially on medieval and early modern Europe. Research themes include the beginning of written culture, changes in language and writing at cultural turning points, urbanisation, as well as the forming of a European identity, the scientific worldview, the networks of society and power. Central measures Strategic funding will be directed to research in the areas of strength and the developing research areas. Departments and other units will be encouraged to create individual research profiles, which help to bring success in national and international competition. An incentive system will be introduced to reward researchers who have been successful in the Academy of Finland and European Union Framework programmes applications. Strategy

9 The options of postdoctoral researchers for conducting research will be improved by offering research periods during which the researcher is freed of other duties. The researchers will be selected according to an application process. The operation of the research collegia will be established and the tenure track system will be expanded in order to recruit young successful researchers. The University will commit itself to the operation of the established graduate school. Doctoral programmes will be developed, paying special attention to quality and participation in international projects on doctoral education. Cooperation with the Åbo Akademi University will be further increased. Measuring the success of research based on publishing activity, the quality of the publication forum and peer review will be regularised. The results will be taken into account in allocating resources. Research cooperation with the Åbo Akademi University will be strengthened by establishing research and learning environments that utilise joint infrastructure. The support services for research will be improved to meet the needs that the tightening competition for external funding and the responsibility stemming from the increasing financial autonomy require. Special attention will be paid to utilising funding from the European Union. Innovation knowledge and activities will be strengthened and the dissemination of research results for society s use will be made more effective (cf. Section 4). 3. Research-based teaching and a responsible study culture for lifelong learning The University of Turku educates experts in a range of fields for the needs of both working life and research. The educational development strategy is to commit teachers and students to a mutually responsible learning process. The aim is for the University of Turku to be known as a good and productive learning environment and that the standing of teaching will be increased at the University. Concrete aims include functional learning processes, teaching of high quality, an encouraging and inspiring atmosphere, better graduation rates, increasing internationalisation and for graduates to be satisfied with their degrees. High-quality teaching based on research and scholarship is the cornerstone of university education. The teaching staff s options for participating in pedagogical training will be supported as part of the quality assurance of education. Study environment and study processes In its operations the University emphasises participation and communality, which are manifested in the equal opportunities for all community members to participate in the University s activities and to develop their skills and knowledge. Participation also means taking into account the needs of the members of the university community in developing curricula and the forms of teaching, ensuring accessibility and the readiness to recognise the demands of a multicultural environment. The study environment will be developed so that it supports the students physical, psychological and social well-being. The learning outcomes listed in the curricula are the basis for planning, implementing and evaluating teaching. They also describe the Strategy

10 students skills to people outside the university community. The University will ensure that it is possible for all students to receive adequate individual study and working life guidance and will place special emphasis on guidance at the beginning of studies. The aim is to achieve a 75 per cent graduation rate in all fields by improving the study culture, study processes and supervision. The University will commit to recognising prior learning both in degree and nondegree education. Special attention will be paid to procedures with which learning acquired outside formal education can be recognised. Student selection Student selection will be re-evaluated from the perspective of the quality of education, efficiency and profitability. The number of subjects with separate admission procedures will be reduced and students will be selected for broader fields of study in those fields where it is appropriate. Doctoral studies will take place in the doctoral programmes established in the faculties. Internationality International teacher exchanges, high-quality teaching in foreign languages and the recruitment of foreign teachers will be increased. Thus teachers and students will be able to aspire to the principles of the international academic community and also to gain the preconditions for working as experts in international working communities. Master s studies in English are an important channel for recruiting international students. When evaluating the appropriateness of the master s degree programmes, more attention will be paid to the quality of teaching, the graduation rate and the graduates employment. Provision of teaching of the Finnish language and culture to researchers, teachers, international students and immigrants will be increased so that integration to Finnish society will become easier and employment opportunities will be improved. The orderliness of student mobility will be improved and it will be better integrated into the degrees. Central measures for increasing the share of international doctoral students include international master s degree programmes, utilising the University s and the research community s networks, and participation in the EU s Marie Curie programme. The aim of the University is that all degrees include a section that prepares the student for internationalisation, which will be defined in more detail by the faculty granting the degree. In addition to student exchange or international practical training, this may mean, for example, language teaching, intercultural communication skills, teaching in foreign languages and utilising foreign experts in teaching, for instance, with the help of data and communication technology. Lifelong learning The University is committed to realising the principle of lifelong learning both in degree education and the services directed towards wider audiences. The University s education is produced in accordance with the needs of both working life and the ideals of a research university with a strong role in societal interaction. It includes the possibility of supplementing one s degree within three years after graduation, continuing and management training, non-degree studies, open Strategy

11 university studies, education that improves employability as well as extensive programmes that supplement the degree and make specialisation possible. The University has an active national and international role in the research and development activities of lifelong learning. Export of education The aims and practices of the export of education will be clarified. The starting point is that the activities strengthen the University s basic mission and are financially profitable. In the practical implementation, cooperation will be sought with other universities, when incorporated educational export should be considered. Central measures: Making study processes more effective: Teachers and students will be committed to a mutually responsible learning process. Units will be rewarded for good graduation rates. Attention will be paid to the students ability to study and to the development of their study skills. The University will introduce a development plan for student guidance, in accordance with which the University will ensure that at least an adequate minimum level of guidance is available in all subjects and at all stages of study. Improving the internationality of studying: International student and teacher exchanges, good-quality teaching in foreign languages and the recruitment of foreign teachers will be increased. There will be rewards for international teacher exchanges and teaching in foreign languages. Process descriptions will be prepared on participation in international joint degrees. Training in information literacy will be expanded to cover all faculties. It will also be offered in English. Improving student selection: If appropriate, students will be selected for broader fields of study in those fields where there are currently small neighbouring fields with fewer than 30 students annually admitted. Student selection will be developed so that students applying for their first higher education study place will be admitted as soon as possible to a degree programme that is suitable for them. Learning across faculty boundaries will be made easier. International recruitment to doctoral programmes will be increased. Doctoral students selected for the EU s doctoral programme networks will be supported by ensuring funding for the fourth year. Lifelong learning: The diversified services of lifelong learning will be renewed by utilising research and development projects. The University will participate in designing a national system of specialisation training after students have completed a higher education degree and in the subsequent implementation of appropriate extension programmes. The guidance practices for different student groups will be clarified and made more efficient, taking into account the possibility of recognising prior learning. Strategy

12 4. Third mission: Interaction with the surrounding society is a joint matter The University of Turku emphasises its role as a cultural and academic university founded by citizens. Societal interaction is a part of the University s operation that has been integrated into research and education. Each of the University s functional units will participate in societal interaction from their own starting point. The system that guides societal interaction will be clarified and the necessary support measures will be strengthened. The aim is to produce the best possible joint effect between the societal interaction activities of different units although they can be diverse in nature. To accomplish this aim, societal interaction will be monitored and managed as a single entity. The results will be taken into account in allocating resources to the units. In individuals career development, activity in societal interaction will be taken into account in addition to other academic merit. The impact of the University is based on the knowledge produced by research and expertise. Interaction with the environment requires that the staff have the ability to function on different interfaces in research, education and development activities. Interaction with companies, public administration and the so-called third sector of community and other organisations will improve the quality and impact of research and education. The cooperation can be seen in service-related research projects and in utilising their results as well as in international, national or regional development projects. Academic expertise is disseminated to society through the University s communication and publication activities and the University correspondingly utilises the expertise of interest groups (for example, alumni and mentoring activities). The cooperation is also manifested in ensuring the working life relevance of degree education, the services of lifelong learning and the export of education. The connection of studies to working life will be strengthened by offering worthwhile and a wider range of individual study paths for both degree and non-degree students. The ethical responsibility of the University is to ensure that the new knowledge it has acquired with public funds is provided for society s use. This new knowledge can be information that improves understanding about matters and phenomena and where applicable, products and services that ease and enrich life. The University of Turku will improve its innovation ability and enhance the commercialisation of its product and service ideas and will participate in establishing companies. The multidisciplinary University encourages its units to operate in this area and understands innovation not only as technological but also as social and service innovation. The University will define the emphasis areas of the commercialisation of innovation, taking into account the global trends, the market needs and the national innovation system. The connection of research on innovation, entrepreneurship and business activities with other research at the University will be strengthened. The University will offer centralised expertise to the members of its community on how to utilise intellectual property rights and how to commercialise innovation. The knowledge and networks of the alumni will be utilised both within the whole University and its different units in renewing the contents of education, finding traineeships and commissioned theses as well as in creating working life contacts. A precondition for regional cooperation is that the region s interest groups will be offered a clear picture of the expertise and services of the University and that the higher education institutions work together when it benefits different parties. Regional development is based on interaction where the parties listen to each other s expectations and divide the implementation responsibilities appropriately. The aim is long-lasting partnerships that create well-being in the region. The University will participate in developing the Baltic Sea region and in research on the protection of the Baltic Sea. Strategy

13 Central measures: The University will gather its services on societal interaction into one entity. A joint web-based database will be created for cooperation with stakeholder groups, where the necessary support material will be collected. The University s quality system includes a matrix relating to societal interaction, where the actors and responsibilities of interest group cooperation are described. The University will strengthen the search for, upgrading of and commercialisation of innovations by systematising the management of innovation processes. As part of this process, the University will take part in a TEKES development project on innovation skills. Within the University, criteria that measure societal interaction will be taken into use and they will become one of the bases for resource allocation. 5. Proficient staff and their international networking will create the University's success The University of Turku is an expert organisation with shared values: ethicality, criticality, creativity, openness and communality. An inspiring, encouraging and interacting working and learning environment is based on these values. All members of the university community do their best with their own duties and thus ensure the success of the University for their part. The University will ensure that it has proficient, motivated and satisfied staff. By following the principle of lifelong learning, staff members are encouraged to learn new things and to develop their work. Each member of staff is an important part of the University and an expert in their own work. An important value in a long-term human resources policy is the equal and fair treatment of all individuals. Well-being and coping with work are central targets of the University s human resources policy. In achieving these aims, good human resources management plays an important role, especially in an expert organisation such as the University. The University will create options for advancing in one s career and will ensure that its staff members have good capacity to work and the ability to function throughout their working career. The controlled anticipation and systematic execution of retirements as well as transferring silent knowledge to the remaining and new staff members in connection with retirements must be taken into account to ensure the preservation of adequate know-how and the correct dimensioning of staff in the future. The University is part of the international academic community and it recognises the need for increasing internationality in all activities. Diverse and close connections to the international academic community improve the University s performance and affect its public image, reputation and attractiveness. In recruitment, international experience and cooperation as well as participation in societal interaction will receive more emphasis in addition to competence in the basic tasks. The aim of the University of Turku is to offer a predictable and attractive career for researchers. In recruiting researchers, the University is committed to advancing the principles presented in the European Charter for Researchers and the Code of Conduct for the Recruitment of Researchers. Strategy

14 Central measures The University has a Human Resources Policy approved by the Board, the implementation of which is followed by a monitoring group representing different staff groups. Recruitment policy: In the main, vacancies are publicly advertised. International recruitment channels are always used when it is justified, taking into account the nature of the position. Beside public advertisements, the tenure track system will be used when recruiting teaching and research personnel. Recruitment to tenure track positions is public but after that, an individual who has been particularly successful in his or her career can move from one step of the career structure to another one without having to apply separately for the new position in a public recruitment procedure. Leadership: Supervisors are encouraged to engage in participatory leadership, which means listening to staff in matters concerning them as well as advancing communality and good cooperation. Those in supervisory positions are required to have the willingness to develop themselves as leaders. The staff s wide age distribution is taken into account in leadership training. Advancing well-being at work: Staff members are encouraged and supported in evaluating and maintaining their well-being at work. The University will implement the Early Support model, which is used to ensure that the staff members cope with work and that the University s basic mission is fulfilled. The sports services offered by the University advance the well-being of both staff and students. Human resources planning: During the strategy period, the significance of human resources planning will be highlighted as there will be changes in the university work because of clearer profiling and the number of staff reaching retirement will increase. The University annually prepares a human resources plan, in which the change needs in the units staff resources are anticipated. Increasing attention will be paid to the grounds for fixed-term employment relationships. 6. Strong finances and infrastructure as the footing for the basic missions Finances Having financially balanced operations is a precondition for the success of the University in meeting its research and education missions. The change in the legal status of universities together with the changes in the operating environment has meant that the need for financial expertise is accentuated. The units cost awareness and financial management will be improved with continuous unit-specific guidance. The most cost-effective model for managing supplementary funding, especially funding based on the full cost model for projects, is sought by learning from the experiences of other universities. The University s aim is to increase the proportion of funding it receives from supplementary sources. The University especially aims to increase the amount of funding from international funding sources for research and educational projects by offering centralised guidance on how to apply for this kind of funding. Good project management throughout a project lifecycle is ensured by reorganising and increasing support services. The amount of supplementary funding is one of the monitoring criteria for profitability. Strategy

15 The business activities conducted at the University must support the realisation of the University s basic missions and the so-called third mission. In conducting business activities, the University s operational idea and basic values must be followed and activities should be carried out in a responsible way for the needs of interest groups and society. Both added value and additional resources need to be sought for basic and applied research within the University s business activities. The University s innovation activities that started with the help of the Tekes-financed project From Research to Business (TULI) and the development project on funding and innovation abilities (IKK) will be secured in the strategy period by providing adequate resources. However, the University is not a risk financier but in the main participates in companies based on its research results and knowledge with in-kind capital contributions, unless the company is mainly owned by the University and is integrated into the University s basic research. The University policy is to be commercially conservative, aiming at long-term profit. The University applies the full cost model to projects with supplementary funding unless the conditions of the funding body require otherwise. Application of the model starts from the project budgeting throughout the lifecycle of the project. The full cost model is not applied to the activities of the separately named profit centres of business activities, but to these units overhead is allocated in accordance with the matching principle. In their pricing, the business units must also take into account overhead costs in addition to the target result set by the University s management. The University invests the assets in its basic capital profitably and safely in accordance with the investment policies defined by the Board. In handling the University s investment assets, the aim is to ensure that the actual value is maintained in the long term and that the profit is better than risk-free profit (protective and profitable). Financial planning and monitoring will be combined into an integral part of the University s steering system, which increases the profit centre s ability to manage their own finances. The University s financial administration serves the profit centres and projects in a centralised way. Premises In Turku, the University forms a large and continuous campus area in association with the Åbo Akademi University. In other cities (Rauma, Pori, Salo), university premises are also located in strategically good positions in close proximity to the city centres. The starting point in planning the premises and their use is to organise appropriate, healthy and comfortable work premises for the University s staff and students. When planning the premises, attention is also paid to their safety, accessibility and realisation of the principles of sustainable development. The premises and their use are based on long-term strategic planning. The premises in the University s use, forthcoming renovations and new building projects are viewed as one entity. The aim is thus to meet the users needs better and to use the premises in more flexible and versatile ways and to meet all the demands for the effective use of premises. With strategic facilities planning, it is necessary to ensure that matters relating to facilities are taken into account in all operational planning and when preparing decisions. At the same time, it is also necessary to establish whether it is possible to generate savings by giving up certain premises or by replacing them with more affordable premises so that the savings can be used for education and research. The aim is that the percentage of facilities costs of the state funding will not increase from the 2010 level. Strategy

16 Infrastructure The University has infrastructure that serves the University as a whole as well as other infrastructure that mainly serves research and research education. Some of the latter is held in common with the Åbo Akademi University. The infrastructure profile of the University of Turku s research are Turku Bioimaging, the astronomy and space physics infrastructure as well as the Finnish Long-Term Socio-Ecological Research network FinLTSER. Of these, bioimaging and FinLTSER were included among the 24 most important sets of infrastructure in Finland in a survey commissioned by the Ministry of Education. The equipment of the national PET (positron emission tomography) centre is the most important infrastructure in the field of bioimaging, but other in vivo and cell imaging equipment is also an essential part of this ensemble. The maintenance and renewal of the above-mentioned infrastructure requires strategic investments. Other infrastructure that requires substantial investment includes the systems biology and protein crystallography infrastructure at the Centre for Biotechnology, the spectrometers at the chemistry and biochemistry laboratories as well as the solid-state physics and materials science infrastructure. The University is preparing for the measures required after the biobank legislation has been passed. Along with the above-mentioned infrastructure, the University takes care of the funding needed for maintaining and renewing the basic infrastructure in the units. The advantageous joint acquisition and/or use of expensive equipment with other universities and research institutes and within the University will be further increased. The University is active in trying to attract EU-funded infrastructure to Turku. Information services Information services comprise the services offered by the Library, IT Management and portions of the services offered by University Communications. Good information services are crucial for the competitiveness of research, the fluency of study processes and the attractiveness of the University. Services are developed according to the needs of target groups and customers. Services are founded on customer segmentation, with the help of which the services aimed at researchers, teachers and students and other target groups are defined. By utilising the lifecycle model of service provision and customers, clear, specific service packages are created for different customer groups. For researchers, high-quality, scientifically high-grade data are offered in all fields. The data can be utilised efficiently independent of place and time with flexible user interfaces. Researchers information acquisition and communication skills will be improved with training. The areas of emphasis in providing services for teachers and students include teaching technology, organising its implementation and the supply and usability of data related to studies. An easy-to-use teaching and studying environment integrated into the electronic desktop will function as a central platform through which services are also offered for students to use with their mobile devices of different kinds. Students will be offered training on how to use the information services and on information literacy. The cost-effectiveness of the information services is ensured by seeking synergy benefits both from University internal cooperation and solutions at the national level. Strategy

17 Central measures Finances will be monitored and reported monthly to the responsible leaders of profit centres and profit centre groups. Deviations from the budget will be analysed and corrective measures will be introduced immediately. Reports will be given to the Board quarterly and on demand. Financial planning, process monitoring and cost-awareness will be improved by increasing training for supervisors and administrative personnel. The significance of the profitability of operations will be moderately increased in the University internal resource allocation. Facilities planning will be functionally reasoned and strategic. The starting point for long-term facilities planning is that the percentage of facilities costs of the University s budget funding will not increase, which requires rationalising facility use. Of the savings gained by giving up premises, 50 per cent remains with the unit. A publishing information system will be introduced, which will make it easier to evaluate the profitability of research and to produce information that describes the research activities for national and international comparisons. With the help of the electronic desktop, role-based services will be developed. The various learning platforms in use in teaching will be improved and harmonised and thus an easy-to-use studying and teaching environment will be formed. University Services will support internationalisation development by increasing the availability of services in English. In all activities, internal and external communications will be developed in both Finnish and English. A five-year purchase plan will be prepared for expensive research-supporting infrastructure acquisitions. The plan will be updated annually. 7. Towards a smoother operation The University reformed its departmental structure after the merger between the University of Turku and the Turku School of Economics that took place on 1 January 2010 so that the number of departments has been reduced by 40 per cent. Further development of the structure was being considered in 2011 by a working group appointed by the University Board. In the final report of the working group on structural development, reforms have been suggested in faculties and departments, special units, administration and the methods related to improving leadership. These proposals, the central ones of which are presented below, give the basis for further action. Central measures The synergies of the interfaces between joint and closely related subjects and different units will be utilised so that overlaps can be removed. Strategy

18 Faculty administration will be reduced by eliminating department councils. The representation of students and the middle group in the preparatory groups in the faculty, departments, subjects and subject groups will be ensured. In order to tighten the cooperation between the special units and the faculties, the advisory boards of the special units will be replaced with councils that have the representation of the faculties and other interest groups that are essential for the operation of the special unit. To coordinate the innovation activities, an Innovation Services unit will be established in the area of responsibility of the Chief Financial Officer. The unit will be supervised by the University s Business Development Manager. The unit will be responsible for protecting and commercialising the inventions and knowledge created within the University. The unit will be assisted in spreading innovation awareness by the University s Business and Innovation Development (BID) special unit, the task of which is to strengthen the University s innovation activities by increasing awareness on the commercialisation of research results and entrepreneurship in all faculties and special units with training and mentoring activities. The support services for external research funding will be strengthened by gathering the current project services staff and a significant proportion of the project finance staff into a joint Research and Project Services unit. The services will be produced so that project management can happen from the researcher s viewpoint on the principle of a single service point throughout the lifecycle of the project. A service centre (International Welcome Services) will be established to assist foreign researchers, teachers, experts and doctoral students. The services available to outgoing doctoral students and researchers will be clarified. Quality assurance will be separated out into its own functional area within University Services. The need for an operation that is situated other than on the main campus will be carefully considered and the extent of the activities will be scaled to the operation in question, and in accordance with the funding received from the region. 8. The implementation of the strategic aims will be monitored by indicators Strategy will guide the University s operations during the next performance agreement period. The University will implement its strategy with central University-level action plans as well the policies, aims and measures the units define in their annual plans and which are linked to the strategy. The strategy is made more tangible through six action plans: Research university based on multidisciplinary strengths Research-based teaching and a responsible study culture for lifelong learning Third mission: Interaction with the surrounding society is a joint matter Proficient staff and their international networking will create the University s success Strong finances and infrastructure as the footing for the basic missions Strategy

19 Towards a smoother operation Monitoring the implementation of the University s strategy is an essential part of the University s management system. The implementation of the strategy will be monitored by the indicators below, for each of which annual target values will be defined. Target dimensions matter to be measured indicator research publications number of scholarly publications (publication types A, C) published in journals with publication forum classification / year citations the citation index of publications competitive research funding Academy of Finland, EU Framework programmes education degrees bachelor s and master s degrees and doctoral degrees study credits and graduation average number of credits earned / full-time students student feedback university feedback system and facultyspecific commitment surveys international students degree students, doctoral students, exchange students societal interaction textbooks, professional books, handbooks, guidebooks, newspaper etc. general articles supplementary funding employment of graduates other than degree students participation XDW classes D and E (number) Tekes, EU structural funds, domestic and foreign foundations in accordance with data produced by UTU recruitment services and the national Aarresaari network number of students and the extent of studies available (ECTS): open university, continuing education etc. the participation of interest groups in UTU activities & UTU staff participation in interest group activities Requirement factors staff and networks matter to be measured work satisfaction participation in in-house training internationality of staff success in using the Early Support model success in international rankings indicator well-being at work surveys carried out in units together with workplace visits staff s international periods and international recruitment to UTU share of successful Early Support processes of all processes of the current rankings, networking and staff s skills are best measured by QS Higher Education Strategy