Metsä Group and the University of Jyväskylä have signed a partnership agreement that includes a plan to promote research and develop education related to forests, the forest industry and wood-based products to better meet the needs of working life. The agreement was signed in Jyväskylä today by Ilkka Hämälä, President and CEO of Metsä Group, and Jari Ojala, Rector of the University of Jyväskylä.

"Metsä Group considers it important that high-quality forest and nature research is carried out in Finland. We want to contribute to the work and believe that the cooperation will benefit all parties," Hämälä says.

Within the framework of the partnership, cooperation will be developed in the following research areas in particular: regenerative forestry and land use as a way of working that improves the state of nature; chemical analytics in the research of wood-based processes and products; and strategies and business models that support the sustainability transition of the forest sector.

In practice, the partnership includes joint research projects, guest lectures given by Metsä Group's representatives, and visits by university employees and students to Metsä Group's sites.

The partnership also aims to facilitate the transition of students from the University of Jyväskylä into working life and to improve the availability of highly qualified workforce in the region. Metsä Group offers students thesis topics and summer jobs, and can co-finance dissertations and other research, as agreed on a case-by-case basis.

"Our cooperation with Metsä Group will include for instance multidisciplinary research into solutions that support the sustainability transition. The University of Jyväskylä is able to offer our partners not only high-level research expertise and facilities, but also insights from the latest scientific research in a variety of fields. The cooperation also offers a great opportunity to support our students in making a smooth transition to working life," says Rector Ojala.