The UN’s Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization UNESCO has awarded LUT University a UNESCO Chair focusing on the promotion of the digital transformation in society and the economy in Africa. The chair’s official title is the UNESCO Chair on Digital Platforms for Transforming Economies.
LUT University’s UNESCO Chair holder is Pekka Neittaanmäki, professor emeritus of information technology.
“UNESCO highlights the role of education, science, and culture in fostering peace and development. The fair implementation of digitalisation is at the core of that work. I’m glad UNESCO acknowledges Finland’s expertise and role in promoting these principles. I’m also grateful that Finland’s most innovative university, LUT, has given me the opportunity to be involved in this project,” Neittaanmäki says.
Digitalisation in education and health care calls for international collaboration
Digital solutions are not distributed equally. People in developing countries, rural areas, or vulnerable positions often have limited access to technology and digital expertise.
“We use the internet, digital service platforms, and even AI-supported solutions in our daily lives. AI-powered platforms will provide increasing support for both education and health care in the future. Finland is one of the world's leading countries in this area – and that’s why our job is to develop and apply digital service platforms to promote education and health,” Neittaanmäki emphasises.
The UNESCO Chair Programme builds networks that connect universities, policy-makers, and non-governmental organisations. Collaboration and sharing good practices advance human rights, equality, and inclusivity in the design and use of digital solutions.
LUT provides doctoral education
LUT's applied mathematics professor Lassi Roininen explains that the UNESCO Chair is based on two decades of work in Africa, including Rwanda, Ethiopia, Uganda, Tanzania, and Kenya. Currently, LUT receives doctoral students from Africa.
“I supervised one doctoral student last year, and I’m supervising another one right now. The doctoral students complete a double degree at their home university and LUT. After graduation, they’ll have good career opportunities in their home country and a possibility to make a difference in important issues,” Roininen says.
One of the dissertations supervised by Roininen combines mathematics and economics, and the other one represents statistics and atmospheric physics. Natural sciences, technology, engineering, and mathematics play a significant role in solving problems in the Global South. Research related to the UNESCO Chair may also deal with LUT's other specialisation fields, such us energy solutions, sustainability science, or business administration.
“We aim to bring in more dissertation supervisors from different departments, because practical arrangements take work. We also mean to partner with more universities. A doctoral student from an African university will typically spend one semester – that’s four to six months – in Finland to get a double degree from LUT University,” Roininen outlines.
Conferences help spread knowledge
The UNESCO Chair will also organise international conferences and other events on vital issues such as adapting to climate change, the accessibility of education, harnessing technological innovations for the benefit of society, and related ethical questions.
One more goal is the development of a digital learning platform. The platform aims to apply artificial intelligence and draw on collaborative research on digital solution development by LUT and other EULiST universities.
“In a sense, the UNESCO Chair is a quality label. It tells us that the globally respected UNESCO is convinced by LUT's ability to promote human rights and sustainable development in the digital transformation of the Global South,” says Jari Hämäläinen, professor of computational engineering, who was in charge of LUT's application process for the chair.
LUT's chair increases impact in one strategic focus area
The use of data and digital technology is one of the strategic focus areas in LUT's recently released System Earth 2030 strategy.
“The UNESCO Chair demonstrates LUT's strong foothold and impact in the use of data and computational information to benefit society. It further strengthens our role in the global promotion of higher education, especially in developing African communities,” states Mari Kallioinen-Mänttäri, LUT University’s provost.
The UNESCO Chair creates networking and collaboration opportunities for researchers, stakeholders, and teaching staff at LUT and across the world. This collaboration is associated with development needs defined in the European Union’s Africa initiative for 2023–2030. LUT thus provides support for the Global South and development cooperation areas in Africa.
How does the digital transformation affect the economy and society?
- Professional world: Automation and AI change professions and competency requirements. New jobs are created but old ones may disappear.
- Economic structures: Traditional business models collapse and the platform economy gains emphasis. Data becomes a new factor of production.
- Social structure: Social media, algorithms, and data flows affect citizens’ engagement, opinions, and social cohesion.
- Education: Digital learning environments change the nature of education. New pedagogical and technological solutions become necessary.
What challenges does the digital transformation involve?
- Digital divide: Unequal access to digital services and expertise.
- Information security and privacy: Cyber threats and misuse of personal data.
- Decline of trust: Disinformation and the lack of transparency in algorithms erode trust in institutions.
- Ethical and legal questions: Decisions by artificial intelligence, discrimination by algorithms, questions involving responsibility.
How does LUT University's UNESCO Chair help address challenges?
- Education and competence development: Offering inclusive education in digital skills to various population groups and promoting lifelong learning in different countries – particularly developing ones.
- International collaboration: Building networks that bring universities, policy-makers, and non-governmental organisations together in spreading good practices, technologies, and approaches.
- Research and impact: Conducting multidisciplinary research on the impacts of digitalisation and producing information that supports ethical and sustainable decision-making.
- Ethical standards: Promoting human rights, equality, and inclusivity in the design and use of digital solutions.
- Local support: Providing digital transformation support to the Global South and development cooperation areas, such as Africa.
More information
Jari Hämäläinen
