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Harri Nieminen appointed Professor of Practice in Mobile Machinery

Published on 2.6.2026

Tampere University

Harri Nieminen taustalla Hervannan kampus.

As a Professor of Practice Harri Nieminen describes his role primarily as that of a bridge-builder between academic research and industrial practice, both in Finland and internationally. Photo: Jonne Renvall, Tampereen yliopisto

Automation expert and active collaboration builder Harri Nieminen has been appointed to the position of Professor of Practice at the Faculty of Engineering and Natural Sciences (ENS) at Tampere University. Through this five-year professorship, the University seeks to reinforce its international position in the mobile machinery sector and build bridges between academic research and industry. Nieminen will take up his new role on 1 June 2026, joining the University from his current position at VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland.

As the mobile machinery sector represents a significant export industry for Finland, Harri Nieminen feels that he is, so to speak, wearing the national team jersey in his new role as Professor of Practice. The ongoing global technological transformation presents not only challenges for this sector but also substantial opportunities for international growth. Nieminen describes his role primarily as that of a bridge-builder between academic research and industrial practice, both in Finland and internationally.

“Realising the sector’s tremendous growth potential requires a capacity for reinvention and the creation of new value. This, in turn, calls for world-class research and even closer multidisciplinary collaboration with industry. We can achieve a great deal by pooling our strengths. For example, the data collected by mobile machinery can give rise to entirely new forms of business activity,” he says.

Nieminen is enthusiastic about his new position and sees his strong practical orientation as a particular asset. He aims to promote a more goal-oriented, long-term approach to research and enhance the impact of research, development and innovation (RDI) activities.

“This work requires an understanding of the needs and motivations of different stakeholders. I believe I can offer up-to-date insights into the needs of industry as the global technological transformation continues. This will also support the development of expertise that is essential for the sector,” he notes.

Nieminen emphasises the importance of shared goal setting among all stakeholders. The professorship provides him with the opportunity to engage in more sustained, long-term activities. For example, the strategy period of the mobile machinery cluster operating within Sustainable Industry X (SIX) – a national initiative to strengthen sustainable industrial competitiveness, which Nieminen has led for six years – extends to the year 2035. The cluster is developing an operating environment and a research roadmap to support the growth and advancement of mobile machinery, with the aim of establishing Finland as a global leader in the sector.

Education and research drive growth in the mobile machinery sector

Tampere University is coordinating the Intelligent Work Machines (IWM) doctoral education pilot, which focuses on the study of intelligent mobile machinery. The pilot programme currently involves 31 doctoral researchers undertaking their studies at Tampere University, the University of Oulu, the University of Turku, Aalto University and LUT University. One of the goals of the pilot programme is to lay the foundation for a future centre of expertise in mobile machinery, thereby creating a sustainable and evolving framework for research and education in this field. As Professor of Practice, Nieminen is closely involved in these efforts.

The new professorship is funded by Tampere University and aims to strengthen Finland’s mobile machinery sector as a whole. According to Nieminen, the collaborative ecosystem surrounding the professorship will enable the rapid development and deployment of new solutions.

Professor Matti Vilkko, Head of the Automation Technology and Mechanical Engineering Unit at the Faculty of Engineering and Natural Sciences, notes that mobile machines have traditionally been associated with the engineering workshop industry. However, in the latest strategy for the mobile machinery sector, published in the autumn of 2025, this field is positioned as a specialised area of expertise driven by world-leading research.

“The national goal for the next ten years is to triple the sector’s annual turnover and double employment. This can be achieved by investing in the development of advanced research-based expertise and by educating professionals who are capable of addressing future challenges,” says Vilkko.

Given the ambitious goals of the overall growth strategy for mobile machinery, Nieminen points out that achieving this vision will depend on effectively translating research findings into innovations and commercial solutions.

“I am truly inspired by the opportunity to achieve meaningful results through collaboration. I look forward to contributing to these efforts to drive industrial growth,” concludes Nieminen.

Harri Nieminen

Professor of Practice, Mobile Machinery, Tampere University (2026–)
Head of the SIX initiative 2020-
Co-Creation Manager at VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland (2020-2026).
Has participated extensively in industrial collaboration networks, executive committees and working groups in the 2000s. These include, for example, industry-driven clusters within the SIX initiative, the Mighty Machines Powered by Finland strategic working group, the AI 4.0 SME working group, the innovation and competitiveness group of Technology Industries of Finland, the Advisory Committee of the Mechanical Engineering Programme at Tampere University of Technology (TAMK), the Aalto University’s Factory of the Future steering group, Intelligent Industry DIH, Trinity DIH, MEX Finland and the FMS Training Centre.
Chair of the Technical Committee of the Finnish Divers’ Federation (2015–2020) and President of the Federation from 2023 onwards.
Director, Innovation Development and Research, Fastems Oy Ab (2015–2020).
Has held several positions at Fastems Oy Ab between 1997 and 2015.
Graduated with a master’s degree in technology from Lappeenranta University of Technology in 1997. His master’s thesis was titled “New factory automation factory.”
Has published 16 co-authored publications.