University Business Forum 2024: Shaping a sustainable future and driving innovation together

Subhagata Mukherjee speaking on stage. Audience listening.

The atmosphere at the University of Oulu was electric as experts, business representatives, researchers, and students filled Saalasti Hall. University Business Forum 2024 kicked off with inspiring energy as participants gathered to exchange ideas and insights with familiar faces and new acquaintances alike. This year’s theme, People, Planet, Profit, put bold questions at the forefront: What can digitalization achieve at its best, now and in the future? How can it empower businesses and entrepreneurs even today? Can sustainability, quality of life, accessibility, and profitability truly go hand in hand?

Rethinking sustainability

The forum opened with Subhagata Mukherjee, Nokia's VP and Global Head of Sustainability, whose talk "There is no green without digital" highlighted Nokia’s ambitious goal to achieve net-zero emissions by 2040. Mukherjee stressed that technology and sustainability are not opposites; rather, they work together to build a sustainable future. He argued that digitalization’s real potential emerges when organizations, machines, and devices around the world are in sync with each other and the people they serve. This can drive more efficient processes that enable growth without environmental strain, and create a more inclusive society, where access to healthcare, employment, and education is within reach for all.

The Director General of the Finnish Tax Administration, Markku Heikura, expanded on sustainability from the angle of human-centered digitalization. Technology, he emphasized, is a means to build user-friendly and accessible services that improve people’s lives. As an example, he outlined the Tax Administration’s journey from an organization-centered approach to a customer-focused digital model. Much has changed since the days when people lined up to ask for guidance and fill out paper forms. Today, everything from the user-friendly digital channels to relatable social media communication at the Tax Administration reflects this customer-first philosophy. Through this lens, technology can enhance fairness, strengthen trust, and boost the efficiency of public services — all while encouraging taxpayers’ willingness and confidence to play by the rules.

Bridging research and business for breakthroughs

Kaisa Still, Manager of Business Collaboration at the University of Oulu, highlighted the impact of research-business collaboration on innovation. She introduced pioneering projects like CAAMA, a technology for purifying mining wastewater, and Ultrasense, a health-monitoring solution co-developed with VTT and Polar. These projects demonstrate that effective innovation stems from partnerships between universities and companies, benefiting society, business, and the environment alike. Furthermore, this collaboration helps connect students with businesses, creating job opportunities for fresh talent.

Following the keynotes, participants attended thematic sessions delving into sustainable solutions for healthcare, energy, and urban infrastructure. These discussions went beyond vision-setting, laying out concrete steps toward these transformations. The aim was a future where people, planet, and profit can thrive together.

Looking ahead to UBF2025 

UBF2024 offered a unique opportunity to meet current and future business partners and to witness how research and business mutually enrich each other. It invited everyone present to rethink how digitalization and university-industry collaboration can help create a more sustainable future. 

We’re excited to announce that we’ll continue this conversation at UBF2025, set for October 2025! 

In the meantime, we welcome feedback from UBF2024 participants to help us improve next year’s event. If you attended, please take a moment to complete our anonymous feedback survey and share your thoughts and ideas for UBF2025. 

We hope to see you next year, ready to be inspired by new collaboration and innovation! Stay tuned! 

Want to know how the University of Oulu could help your organisation succeed? Contact our business experts:

Maria Juurikka, Company Specialist
maria.juurikka@oulu.fi
+358294487646 

Petri Leukkunen, Customer Manager
petri.leukkunen@oulu.fi
+358294481162 

Kaisa Still, Customer Manager
kaisa.still@oulu.fi
+358294488030

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