TechTurku Week Builds Networks Both Locally and Globally

TechTurku Week, which focuses on new technologies, will once again feature many familiar elements, albeit some of them adapted for the new era. Entirely new components are, among others, the TechTurku Walk tours and an evening session for students organised by Boost Turku.

TechTurku Week is an annual week of events in early March that showcases the expertise and networks of the Turku region, Finland, from the perspective of the latest technologies. This year, TechTurku Week is again organised in cooperation between higher education institutions and business organisations; coordinated by the regional development company Turku Science Park Ltd. Coordinator Michael "Micce" Lindholm, TechTurku Network Manager at Turku Science Park Ltd., says that due to uncertainties caused by COVID-19, the week will take place as a hybrid event from from March 7 to March 11, 2022.

- Most of the events will take place at the Visitor and Innovation Center Joki. As the COVID-19 situation will probably still limit the number of participants in early March, we will also stream all events online. This will also serve our international networks, who will be able to participate in the events from wherever they are.

The week's programme is structured around five daily themes. Monday will focus on clusters and networks, Tuesday on cybersecurity, Wednesday on manufacturing, Thursday on student ideas, and Friday on electrification. The days will follow a similar pattern, where the “deep tech” sessions of the mornings will be followed by online matchmaking meetings, talks by company representatives, and sessions on internationalisation.

- The week is set to feature many interesting speakers and topics. Aura Salla, Head of EU Affairs at Facebook, now Meta, will speak on Monday afternoon. On the same evening, the European ICT Alliance consortium will hold an open table chaired by the ITCorner cluster in Wroclaw, Poland. The joint remote meeting will build networks and cooperation between Finnish, Polish and German ICT actors, says Lindholm.

Other familiar events from previous years include the Information Security Day on Tuesday 8 March, organised by Turku University of Applied Sciences, and the ICT Showroom on Thursday, 10 March, which will present ideas from student teams from Turku's higher education institutions, as well as the TEEMA seminar organised by the Turku Chamber of Commerce.

- Unfortunately, the ICT Showroom, which traditionally attracts large crowds to the ICT-City lobby, has to undergo some changes. Usually, a key part of the event involves meetings between experts and companies and demonstrating ideas to the public. This year, the teams will pitch their ideas to a panel of judges and the rest of us will be able to follow along online, says Jerker Björkqvist, a university lecturer at Åbo Akademi.

After the ICT Showroom, an evening programme for students organised by Boost Turku is also planned for this year. The TechTurku Walk tours are a new addition as well. If the pandemic situation allows, those interested can take part in a walking tour on the grounds of Turku’s Science Park area. Tour destinations include at least the premises of the Machine Technology Center Turku Ltd. and the Futuristic Interactive Competence Centre (FIT Turku). Participants will get to know their RDI work and services for companies.

TechTurku Week 7.-11.3.2022. For more information on the week's programme and sign-up details, visit www.techturkuweek.com.

More information for media:

TechTurku Network Manager Michael Lindholm, Turku Science Park Ltd, tel. +358 40 502 0089, [email protected]

PHOTO (link at the end of this press release): TechTurku Week 2022 takes place as a hybrid event. Pictured is the studio for 2021’s fully online event.