Research and Impact Assessment

The EU does not require a separate research plan of the European Capitals of Culture. However, over the past few years the Capitals of Culture have begun to increasingly invest in research co-operation.

The Turku 2011 research projects of the University of Turku and Åbo Akademi University all feature a dialogue between disciplines as well as with arts and other fields of activity.

http://www.turku.fi/Public/default.aspx?contentid=155352&nodeid=23

The University of Turku and Åbo Akademi University have a total of seven ongoing research and development projects within the Turku 2011 framework. The projects deal with such topics as creative economy, well-being, urban culture and evaluating the impacts of Turku 2011. In addition, researchers from the universities participate in various cultural projects as experts and operators.

"These projects are fine examples of the solid multidisciplinary and cross-disciplinary research conducted in Turku. The interfaces between science, art and other industries provide a fruitful soil for various new innovations", says Keijo Virtanen, Rector of the University of Turku.

In 2011, as the European Capital of Culture, Turku will offer links between research and art.

"The unique hub of science and rich research traditions are definite strengths for Turku as the Capital of Culture. Moreover, various public events and shows provide a great opportunity to find new audiences for science", denotes Malin Brännback, Vice Rector of Åbo Akademi University.

In addition to research, the universities also co-operate with other instances in the fields of graduate theses, conference arrangements and communications, among other things. The universities are well represented in the Turku 2011 Foundation’s Board and advisory committee, which is chaired by Rector Virtanen.

Open project search for co-operation across all fields

Turku is the first city that has implemented an open search for research projects to contribute to the Capital of Culture activities.

There have been made nearly thirty suggestions on research projects, and many of them will be implemented with the partial funding of the Turku 2011 Foundation. The projects span all of the region’s universities and nearly all fields of research represented in them, according to Cay Sevón, Executive Director of the Turku 2011 Foundation.
Representatives of both art and science are encouraged to enter mutual co-operation research projects. The aim is to show Turku as a city of both art and culture.

The research project descriptions and contact persons (pdf)

2011 shall be a year of multidisciplinary scientific cooperation

Turku continues the line of scientifically strong Capitals of Culture and highlights research expertise in 2011.

When Turku 2011 will examine the Capital of Culture with regard to creative industries, well-being and the long-term effects the year will create, there shall be at the core of the Turku 2011 research project a wide definition of culture. The prime orientation will be to consider culture as interactive and communal activities involving learning and thinking.

“The scientific and research cooperation has had an excellent start. All Universities in the region have put equal emphasis in building the Capital of Culture together. The cooperation includes the humanist, pedagogical, social, medical and economic scientific domains and versatile research and development cooperation with the local Universities of Applied Sciences. We have motivated the artistic community to start a new kind of cooperation with the science field and vice versa,” says Jukka Saukkolin.

The Turku 2011 research is realised with multidisciplinary research projects that were selected through an open project application in 2008 and the Turku 2011 Evaluation Programme led by the University of Turku during 2010-2016. The projects include pure research projects and projects that combine science and art or science and communal working methods in new ways.

All announced research projects

Science-art cooperation projects in the Turku 2011 Programme

More information on the University of Turku research projects and the Turku 2011 programme Science Meets Art productions on the University of Turku web site.

The Turku 2011 Foundation organises resident surveys, a media and brand analysis and monitoring and evaluation studies regarding the Foundation as part of the Foundation’s research programme.

The research programme also coordinates student theses on Turku 2011.

Anyone interested to write a thesis about Turku 2011 Capital of Culture
should contact:

Research Programme Manager Jukka Saukkolin

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