The 2/10/2019 was dedicated to the study visits to Vuokatti Sport Olympic training center and Measurement Technology unit in Kajaani. In Vuokatti, university level research in sport technology, and professional sports activities are linked. Vuokatti has become a good example of smart specialisation of the region. Moreover, the cooperation among different stakeholders strongly supports the tourism industry of the region. The strong support by the regional authority and the utilisation of EU structural funds have helped to develop Vuokatti from traditional leisure tourism into a professional tourism centre. Professionalisation of sports services and continuous research in sports technology proved effective talent rtention methods.
Image: Dr Olli Ohtonen presenting testing environment at the Vuokatti Sport Olympic training center
Image: Cross-country ski tunnel in Vuokatti at the Vuokatti Sport Olympic training center
The visit to Vuokatti was followed by a visit to the Unit of Measurement Technology Research in Kajaani. Dr Jarkko Räty, Dr Pekka Kilpeläinen and Dr Mari Jaakkola presented the work done there. The unit focuses on the development of modern measurement technology for environmental and process monitoring in the mining, forest, food and dairy industries and for non-invasive point-of-care biosensors and devices for health and wellbeing.
The unit is part of the Kajaani University Consortium (KUC), which is a networked academic community focused on scientific research, university teaching and community relations. The objective is to intensify cooperation between the universities and to develop collaboration with regional universities of applied sciences, business and commerce. The Kajaani University Consortium consists of four networked universities (Eastern Finland, Lapland, Jyväskylä and Oulu) that have units in Kajaani and Sotkamo. The Consortium is coordinated by the University of Oulu.
Image: Dr Jarkko Räty, Unit of Measurement Technology Research
