Martti Ahtisaari Institute of Global Business and Economics at Oulu University -

The University of Oulu has founded an international economic research and training institute at its Faculty of Economics and Business Administration. The new institute is the Martti Ahtisaari Institute of Global Business and Economics. President Martti Ahtisaari inaugurated his namesake institute at the University of Oulu today.

Based on broad international cooperation, the Martti Ahtisaari Institute of Global Business And Economics will focus on development of teaching and research carried out at the Faculty. The objective is to train business leaders and specialists for emerging economies and developing nations with support from international organizations.

The Institute will also promote international business know-how and opportunities. The goal is to improve the availability of internationally competitive specialists especially in northern Finland.

Beginning next fall, the Faculty of Economics and Business Administration will include all key areas of business expertise. The Martti Ahtisaari Institute of Global Business And Economics will offer the following current and forthcoming English-language programs:

- Master's Program in Financial and Management Accounting (FMA), 2003
- Master's Program in International Business (IB), 2008-
- Master's Program in Finance and Economics (FE), 2008-
- Full time Master of Business Administration program (MBA), 2008-

A maximum of 50 students will be accepted for the programs in the first round of applications taking place next fall. The goal is to eventually double the enrolment.

President Martti Ahtisaari graduated as a teacher from the University of Oulu in 1959, which was the University's first year of operations. He has been awarded an Honorary Doctorate by the University. The Institute deals with the key issues of President Ahtisaari's life work. Thanks to research, our understanding of the interdependency between global trade and international conflicts has improved greatly in recent years although there is still much to be learned and understood.

For further information, please contact:
Rector Lauri Lajunen, University of Oulu, tel. +358 (0) 8 553 4071; Dean, Professor Kimmo Alajoutsijärvi, Faculty of Economics and Business Administration, University of Oulu, tel. +358 (0)8 553 2929.

Founded in 1958, the University of Oulu is an international university that engages in frontline research and trains specialists for demanding regional, national and international tasks. With 17,000 students and 3,000 staff, the University of Oulu is one of Finland's biggest and most multidisciplinary universities. The Faculty of Economics and Business Administration is responsible for research in its field in northern Finland and also becoming increasingly international. Its student enrolment is 1,200 and it has a staff of 100.