Turku’s Higher Education Institutions Explore New Opportunities for Collaboration with Wärtsilä

In the photo: Novia’s team at Wärtsilä Corporate Corner. Front row, from left: Ahmed Elhadi, Örjan Andersson and Kenneth Nordell. Second row, from left: Touko Herranen, Patric Granholm and Otto Långvik. Back row, from left: Bogdan Iancu, Mikael Manngård and Katariina Rantanen.

Collaboration, trust and interdisciplinary research were at the heart of Wärtsilä Corporate Corner, held at Aurum in Turku on 12 November 2026. The event brought together four higher education institutions and Wärtsilä to explore new opportunities for sustainable energy and maritime innovation.

Representatives from Wärtsilä, Business Turku, Åbo Akademi University, the University of Turku, Turku University of Applied Sciences and Novia University of Applied Sciences gathered to exchange knowledge and explore opportunities for joint research. 

Corporate Corner is a concept jointly developed by Åbo Akademi University and the University of Turku to strengthen cooperation between academia and industry. This event also demonstrated how higher education institutions can combine their expertise to address the needs of the maritime and energy sectors.

“Green is not black and white”

Wärtsilä President and CEO Håkan Agnevall opened his presentation with a message that captured the complexity of the sustainability transition: “Green is not black and white.”

Agnevall emphasised that decarbonisation requires long-term solutions that are both environmentally sustainable and financially viable. He highlighted new fuels, carbon capture, digital solutions and artificial intelligence as important areas of innovation, while stressing that no single solution fits every situation.

Developing these technologies requires close cooperation between industry and researchers from different disciplines.

Håkan Agnevall, President and CEO of Wärtsilä.

Combining expertise across institutions and research disciplines

A central theme of Corporate Corner was the importance of collaboration across institutional and disciplinary boundaries. Together, the higher education institutions in Turku offer expertise spanning engineering, maritime technology, seafaring, energy systems, economics, business development and the humanities.

Combining these perspectives enables researchers to address industrial challenges from technological, economic and human perspectives.

Presentations were given by Jerker Björkqvist, Senior University Lecturer at Åbo Akademi University, Markus Granlund, Dean of Turku School of Economics, and Jaakko Järvi, Dean of the Faculty of Technology, who delivered a joint presentation on behalf of the University of Turku.

Tero Niemi, Director at Business Turku, and Juhani Soini, Vice President at Turku University of Applied Sciences, also contributed to the programme.

The presentations highlighted how collaboration between higher education institutions can strengthen maritime research and support the industry's evolving needs.

Novia contributes maritime expertise to joint research

Mikael Manngård, Research Manager in Maritime Technology at Novia, presented Novia's maritime research expertise and the opportunities offered by its simulation environment at Aboa Mare in Turku.

Aboa Mare's ship bridge simulators, engine room simulators and remote operation centres provide opportunities for researchers and industry partners to test new technologies in realistic maritime environments.

Manngård highlighted the importance of combining maritime technology with human factors research, artificial intelligence and digital solutions. One example is Novia's Virtual Sea Trial project, which explores simulation-based virtual commissioning to enable earlier testing and integration of systems during ship development.

Novia also contributes expertise in sustainable business, circular economy and digital transportation, complementing the research capabilities of the other participating institutions.

In the photo from left: Minna Arve (Business Turku), Piia Seppänen (UTU), Gunilla Widén (ÅA), Juhani Soini Turku UAS and Örjan Andersson (Novia).

Trust and long-term partnerships

Trust was a recurring theme throughout the event, emphasising the importance of building lasting relationships between academia and industry.

A panel discussion explored how cooperation with higher education institutions can support Wärtsilä's sustainable development and future competitiveness.

The panel brought together Kenneth Widell from Wärtsilä, Patric Granholm, Dean at Novia, Jerker Björkqvist from Åbo Akademi University, Juhani Soini from Turku University of Applied Sciences and Paavo Kosonen, Development Manager at the University of Turku.

Following the presentations, researchers and Wärtsilä representatives continued discussions on potential joint projects.

Corporate Corner demonstrated how higher education institutions can work together across research disciplines to meet industrial needs. For Novia, the event offered an opportunity to contribute maritime expertise, strengthen partnerships and explore new avenues for collaborative research and innovation.

Photos: Nadine Karell, Novia and Antti Tarponen, UTU.