UT AND HANSABANK TO CREATE ESTONIA’S FIRST PRIVATELY FUNDED PROFESSORSHIP
The aim of the new Professorship is to create a top-level software technology research group at the University of Tartu, training world-class IT experts for the whole Baltic region. In the coming years, the University of Tartu intends to join the ranks of leading universities in the area of software development, catering to the need for new generations of computer science experts for the region.
Hansapank will pledge a total of 6m Estonian kroon in funds for the Professorship over a three-year period and the funding scheme is designed to allow the immediate formation of the research group by the Professor. All of the Professorship’s lectures and practice learning classes will be accessible on the Internet in order to create a continuing education opportunity for those outside the University.
“One of the cornerstones of Estonia’s development consists in top-notch tutoring in information technology delivered by leading specialists of the field. It is most welcome that Hansabank as one of Estonia’s most progressive adherents and users of e-solutions on the one hand and the University of Tartu with its research competence on the other have resolved to collaborate in order to raise the quality standard of teaching in the field of information technology yet further. Students and universities, businesses and the country as a whole, all stand to benefit from this project,“ said UT Rector Professor Jaak Aaviksoo.
Mr Aivo Adamson, Member of the Board of Hansabank and the Bank’s Chief Information Officer, points out that Hansabank and the University of Tartu have never before been engaged together in a cooperation project of such scale. “The field of information technology is of huge importance to Estonia as a whole and we are determined to give strong support to the University of Tartu’s endeavours to bring computer science teaching here up to speed with the best universities of the world and provide for the training of new generations of world-class IT specialists for the whole Baltic region,” said Adamson.
On December 1, 2006 UT will announce an international competition to fill the Professorship in Software Technology. The new Professor should assume his/her duties on September 1, 2007.
The Agreement Execution event commenced at 12 Noon in the building of UT Faculty of Mathematics and Computer Science and included addresses by Tiit Roosmaa, Head of the Insitute of Computer Science and Vice Dean of the Faculty of Mathematics and Computer Science; Aivo Adamson, Member of the Board of Hansabank, and Professor Birute Klaas, UT Vice Rector for Academic Affairs.
Hansabank’s earlier cooperation projects with UT have focussed on funding the University’s IT hardware and research publications acquisitions, organising several research conferences and enabling the participation of pupils of UT Gifted and Talented Development Centre in international science contests.
Additional information: Mr Tiit Roosmaa, Head of the Institute of Computer Science, tel +372 737 5870, +372 516 4221
Liina Jürgen
Senior Specialist for Public Relations,
UT Public Relations and Information Unit