Erkka Frankberg appointed as Tampere Congress Ambassador

Tampere Congress Ambassadors represent Tampere University and the region’s scientific expertise globally and encourage their colleagues to host international congresses in the city. With the appointment of Erkka Frankberg, the City of Tampere now has 12 Congress Ambassadors across all the faculties at Tampere University. 

In addition to Frankberg, Tampere Congress Ambassadors include Professor of Sociology of Education Nelli Piattoeva, Professor of Information Studies and Interactive Media Frans Mäyrä, Emeritus Professor of Sociology Pertti Alasuutari, Professor of Signal Processing Atanas Gotchev, Emeritus Professor of Hydraulic Engineering Kalevi Huhtala, Emeritus Professor of Molecular Biology Howy Jacobs, Professor of Molecular Biology Katri Lindfors, Professor of Electrical Engineering Jari Nurmi, Research Director Tiina Soini-Ikonen, Professor of Regional Development Studies Markku Sotarauta and Industry Professor of Infrastructure Digitalisation Kalle Vaismaa. 

Peer support for early-career researchers

The Tampere Convention Bureau (TCB) appointed Academy Research Fellow Erkka Frankberg, 38, as its newest Tampere Congress Ambassador in February 2026. At Tampere University, Frankberg leads a research group that studies ceramic materials at the intersection of experimental and computational materials science. He takes an entrepreneurial approach to his work and is developing, for instance, an inorganic glass material that does not fracture but instead undergoes plastic deformation at room temperature. 

Frankberg is currently the youngest Tampere Congress Ambassador, and he has organised several events for early-career researchers across Europe. According to Frankberg, applying to host major international congresses is a lengthy and complex process that involves a great deal of public relations work.

“Personal relationships are essential in the application process. Besides my practical experience in organising scientific events, I bring a strong engineering perspective to my role as Tampere Congress Ambassador. I want to help other early-career researchers, so that they do not have to repeat the same mistakes,” he says.

He emphasises the importance of starting early and building a solid groundwork when planning to organise a congress. 

Alongside his research, Frankberg is currently busy preparing for Ceramic Day 2026, the annual meeting of the Finnish Ceramic Society, which will take place at Paidia in Nokia Arena in March. He serves as Secretary of the Finnish Ceramic Society, and he founded the international Young Ceramists Network ten years ago. Since 2025, Frankberg has also been a Board member and the national council representative of the European Ceramic Society. 

Erkka Frankberg, what is the congress you dream of hosting in Tampere?

“The European Ceramic Society has thousands of members and hosts a major congress every two years in Europe. The 2031 congress will be open for applications next. It would be great to bring this event to Tampere,” he says.  

Tampere Congress Ambassadors serve as key contacts for anyone interested in discussing the organisation of a congress in Tampere. Tampere University’s Congress Office provides practical support for organising congresses hosted by the University.