Speech by Rector Minna Martikainen at the University of Vaasa Anniversary Celebration, 27 January 2026

Dear invited guests, colleagues and students,

Welcome to the University of Vaasa Anniversary Celebration, where science, education and the future come together.

It is a special pleasure to welcome our keynote speakers: Heidi Backman, Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Education and Culture, and Joakim Strand, Minister for European Affairs and Ownership Steering – warm welcome to you both.

At our university’s Anniversary Celebration, this year’s theme is Knowledge as the foundation for resilience – and referring especially to the resilience of Finland as a nation.
In a world shaped by rapid change and uncertainty, resilience is no longer only about military preparedness, infrastructure or material resources. It is the knowledge that strengthens our capacity to act and adapt. It is the knowledge that helps us anticipate change and gives societies the agility they need when times become more challenging.

It is the highest knowledge – only the highest knowledge – that can create wealth and financial capital in our country. This is because only the highest knowledge can be transferred into export products by companies. And only exports can bring more capital into our country – capital that is very much needed in all structures of our society.

And it is this knowledge that strengthens our economic resilience. It supports productivity, innovation and the ability to endure disruption. And as we have been reading lately in the news, major development is needed in our country, for instance in order to become a world leader in cyber security – a leader in technological solutions to protect our products, safety and resilience across all sectors of our society.

It is only the highest level of knowledge – and being world leaders in development across many knowledge areas we do not yet even know – that makes this possible.

Finland does not have vast natural resources or a large population base. That is why our most essential strength is knowledge – and especially high-level knowledge. Knowledge is the foundation on which our economy, growth and wellbeing are built.

Without a sufficient and predictable supply of skilled professionals, we are unable to attract the foreign capital needed to support investment and competitive, sustainable growth.

A better future does not happen by chance. It comes only by building high-level expertise in a timely and long-term manner.

While Finland is investing – quite rightly – in national defence and material security of supply, we cannot afford to weaken the security and resilience of our country’s knowledge capital. We cannot constantly save on education and research without simultaneously weakening our country’s future. By saving on education and research, we destroy our most important capital – knowledge capital, which is crucial for building the future and attracting capital into our small country.

Finland’s higher education attainment among young age groups currently lags behind many other OECD countries. The shared view of Finnish universities is that by 2040, 60 per cent of young people should hold a higher education degree.

In addition, Finland will need at least 2,000 new doctoral graduates every year between 2025 and 2030 for research and development tasks. These doctoral degrees must be completed at universities. Only this ensures that doctoral-level knowledge reaches the highest possible standard – safeguarding our national knowledge capital, our future and our security.

The Ministry of Education and Culture is currently conducting vision work on higher education and research. At the University of Vaasa, we see that Finland also needs a nationwide, evolving and productive university network, where institutions recognise their strengths and invest in them. Only this can ensure the development of competence across the country – and only in this way can we safeguard the wellbeing of companies, which are the key actors able to grow continuously in global markets and ensure capital flows into Finland.

In recent years, the University of Vaasa has been Finland’s largest educator in business studies. According to performance indicators, we are also Finland’s most efficient university. We are a multidisciplinary and international university where, in addition to business studies, students can study administrative sciences, technology and communication. As we grow and develop our education, we strengthen Finland’s overall competence base as a profiled university. This is an investment in our country’s competitiveness, economic growth and resilience.

At the University of Vaasa, our strategic focus areas are sustainable energy, business and society. Through these areas, we contribute to resilience, competitiveness and long-term societal development. We operate in the Vaasa region, known worldwide for its energy technology ecosystem. Here, companies and universities work in close collaboration.

At the same time, our vision is to be an internationally recognised research university with impact. We pursue high-quality research with ambition and long-term commitment.

Our high-quality research and education are reflected in international university rankings.
The University of Vaasa is ranked among the world’s top 500 universities in the Times Higher Education World University Rankings. In business studies, we are among the world’s top 300 universities. These rankings indicate the quality and international relevance of our long-term academic work.

Our students build the future. They will carry responsibility – now and in the future. They are one of our key assets – therefore, their wellbeing, energy and strength are among the cornerstones of our mission.

Finally, I want to emphasise that our national resilience is built on knowledge, competence and the ability to learn continuously together. High-level expertise gives us strength and room to manoeuvre and reduces dependency in a world marked by rapid geopolitical change and uncertainty.

Today, as we introduce new professors and recognise achievements in research and teaching, we celebrate the continuity of knowledge. We also celebrate the work of our entire university community.

I warmly thank all speakers, award recipients, our staff and students, as well as our partners and friends – all of you who are helping to build the future of the University of Vaasa.

I wish you a pleasant continuation of the celebration and inspiring discussions.

Thank you all for celebrating with us.

Minna Martikainen
Rector 
University of Vaasa