
Information and Knowledge Management

Tampere has a long history of research and education in the field of information and knowledge management. The first students started working towards their degree in this field in Tampere in 1999. The first academic department that brought together research and teaching in information and knowledge management was established 2002, thus laying the foundations for our current research and teaching activities in this field at Tampere University.
The Information and Knowledge Management Unit at Tampere University employs 6 professors and over 30 professionals working on research and teaching in the field. With the digital transformation reshaping our society, information and knowledge management serves as a bridge between, for example, the fields of IT, the built environment, signal processing, business, administration and health sciences. We have several multidisciplinary projects underway that address the current challenges facing our society, illustrating the ongoing shift towards increasingly multidisciplinary studies.
Information and knowledge management is a discipline that studies and develops tools, processes, techniques and practices for gathering, analysing, refining and using knowledge throughout an organisation. This holistic approach is needed when resolving practical challenges in both the private and public sectors.
Nina Helander
How do we create value from knowledge?
Our research is internationally recognised in the fields of Information Systems (IS) and Knowledge management (KM) and we maintain close ties with the international scientific community. We are committed to research that delivers practical benefits and to generating new knowledge, solutions and expertise that support informed decision-making across society.
Our research interests in Information and Knowledge Management focus on offering, utilising and managing information and knowledge relating to organisations and the broader society in order to improve their operations. We are looking to answer questions such as how information and/or knowledge is best used by different stakeholders, how it is offered, how it creates value, how it can be improved and why different challenges and obstacles emerge. In particular, we are interested in value creation mechanisms, such as information technologies, data assets, data analytics, work systems and different types of networks.
The NOVI Research Group is carrying out several ERASMUS/EAKR projects and projects funded by the Academy of Finland. We also maintain close collaboration with different organisations, companies, public administration and foundations.
Research projects (examples):
4APIs - From SaaS to Platform APIs
CORE - Collaborative remedies for fragmented societies – facilitating the collaborative turn in environmental decision-making
ECIU University - Explores ground-breaking and innovative educational model on a European scale. NOVI leads the activities on adoption of micro-credentials.
EdDiCo - Explores the development and certification of digital competences of educators.
INFOSTORY - Stories in IT implementation. A critical study of storytelling in developing software systems.
MicroHe - Explores the role of modular education in order to respond to the needs of the modern learner. NOVI examines the use of blockchain technology for managing micro-credentials.
Mosaic - Method for public Sector Approach for Innovation Culture
VAM Realities - Explores the adoption of Extended Reality technologies in European industrial SMEs. NOVI examines the adoption of multi-user or social virtual reality.
WeLearn - WeLearn is a project that aims to find ways to support teachers and students in higher education to support neighbourness in their multicultural learning environments.
VRinSight - Explores the adoption of Virtual Reality in Higher Education. NOVI examines the use of multi-user or social virtual reality for remote collaboration.
Education in the field of Information and Knowledge Management
Information and Knowledge Management
Our graduates (MSc, DTech, PhD) from the Degree Programme in Information and Knowledge Management are multidisciplinary professionals who are familiar with the tools of business economics and the opportunities that information technology opens for human collaboration, information and data management and the development of organisations. They possess not only the knowledge and skills to convert data into information and apply new information and communication technologies but also have the ability to navigate the latest organisational trends – such as digitalisation – to address business challenges and societal problems.
Tampere University welcomes you to study with us for a semester or two as an exchange student! You must first be nominated as a candidate for exchange by your home university before you can apply under the available exchange agreements, networks and programmes. The Degree Programme in Information and Knowledge Management includes a variety of courses taught in English.
The technology industry needs young professionals with an intercultural mindset and an in-depth understanding of the latest technologies. We at Tampere University welcome engineers and engineering graduates from all over the world to study in our MSc Programme in Business and Technology (B&T) in an intercultural, business-oriented learning environment.
B&T focuses on business development in international sales and sourcing networks. Companies operate in global networks; both managers and business development professionals need to understand how these networks work and how they can be managed.
As B&T is targeted at young engineers and engineering graduates, we place a special focus on technology-intensive products and services. This pedagogical approach ensures our students are able to take full advantage of their engineering background when repositioning themselves in the management field.
The Information and Knowledge Management Unit engages in diverse collaborations with different stakeholders at the local, national and international levels. We offer a broad range of opportunities for innovative collaboration in research, teaching and education. We work flexibly with companies and organisations to help them meet R&D needs and fill knowledge gaps. Examples of collaboration options are listed below.
Read more about our collaborative activities!
Please do not hesitate to contact us to explore potential collaborations!
Knowledge-Based Management
Nina Helander
Hannu Kärkkäinen
Henri Pirkkalainen

Hongxiu Li
Management of Information Systems
Samuli Pekkola
Henri Pirkkalainen

Hongxiu Li
Management of Digital Business
Nina Helander
Hannu Kärkkäinen
Marko Seppänen

Collaboration in education and teaching
Pasi Hellsten
Jussi Myllärniemi
Read more about the opportunities for collaborating with Tampere University
Professors and tenure track professors
Nina Helander
Hannu Kärkkäinen
Hongxiu Li
Samuli Pekkola
Henri Pirkkalainen

Marko Seppänen

Teaching and research staff
Rainer Breite
Gehan Ethugala Pathiranage
Jayesh Gupta

Pasi Hellsten
Saeid Heshmatisafa
Jukka Huhtamäki
Ilona Ilvonen

Henri Jalo
Prasanna Kukkamalla
Miika Kumpulainen
Jonna Käpylä
Prashanth Madhala
Karan Menon

Givemore Muchenje
Jussi Myllärniemi
Miikka Palvalin
Emma Partanen
Pasi Raatikainen

Tapio Salminen
Virpi Sillanpää
Ira Sood
Krista Sorri

Anu Suominen
Osku Torro
Hannele Väyrynen

Maija Ylinen
