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Multi-Community Center for Internet Excellence in Oulu, Finland

04/09/2008

A Center for Internet Excellence (CIE) is being set up in Oulu, Finland. A maximum of 100-200 Finnish and international researchers from the University of Oulu, Nokia, VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland, the Oulu University of Applied Sciences, and research groups from other future project partners will come to work at the Center for Internet Excellence to be set up at the University of Oulu. The City of Oulu will play a key role and Technopolis Oyj will also take part in founding the Center.

The goal of the Center for Internet Excellence is to produce research of a high international standard, pioneering technology, and innovations in the growing areas driven by the Internet and the service sector. Subjects of research will include the ubiquitous Internet technologies, interaction between people and the Internet, and new multimedia applications and means of communication. Priority in basic and applied research will eventually be determined in working groups made up of the member organizations. The Center is scheduled to begin operations in 2009.

Research and a product development model based on cooperation between research institutes, educational institutions, businesses and the public sector at the Center combined with a community-based work culture is a new concept in Finland. Broad multidisciplinarity, transparency, the benefits of global research networks, a joint testing infrastructure and also networking and a result-oriented mode of operations will be typical of the Center.

The Center of Internet Excellence will be an independent unit of the University of Oulu. The choice of the University as the site for the Center was based on the high standard of competence of the scientific community there and on multidisciplinarity, which will enable Internet research from the perspective of telecommunications, information technology and software research, economics and the humanities.

Information technology and wireless communications is one of the three main areas at the University of Oulu and there are numerous research groups in different sectors.

“The Center for Internet Excellence and its operational concept will enhance our basic research and promote our primary objective, which is to develop into a world-class research university. This is the profile that we have chosen in the Finnish university community. Hence we will also be able to contribute more effectively to the success of our operating environment,” says Rector Lauri Lajunen of the University of Oulu.



For additional information:

Rector Lauri Lajunen, University of Oulu, tel. +358 (0)8 553 4071
Nokia Press Services, tel. +358 (0)7180 34900, press.services@nokia.com
Mayor Matti Pennanen, City of Oulu, tel. +358 (0)8 558 41110
Deputy Mayor Timo Kenakkala, City of Oulu, tel. +358 (0)8 558 41112