Urban and Regional Studies Group (Sente)

Purpose of the Group

The Urban and Regional Studies Group (Sente) is one of the research groups in the Faculty of Management and Business at Tampere University. Sente’s core mission is to develop a theory that explains the interplay between structures and agency in regional and urban development.

Sente’s main objective is to strengthen the conceptual foundations of regional development studies and economic geography, and to support the development of regions and cities in Finland and internationally.

At a general level, Sente’s research focuses on the following themes:

• Development and development of cities and regions

• Innovation policy and innovation ecosystems

At a more specific level, the research focuses on the following:

• Leadership and management in urban and regional development

• Spaces of opportunity in regional and urban development

• Knowledge-based regional development

• Competitiveness of urban regions and economic policy

• Resilience and sustainable development of cities and regions

The work and projects

Since its founding in 1998, Sente has carried out dozens of research projects. The group’s research is characterised by long-term international collaboration with other universities worldwide, as well as with urban and regional development organisations in Finland and abroad.

Sente has either led the entire project or the team Finland in numerous international projects. The international projects have been funded by the EU, the European Science Foundation, Nordic research funding bodies, the Research Council of Finland, Business Finland (Tekes), the Australian Science Council, and Länsförsäkringars Forskningsfond. In addition, Sente has carried out dozens of projects in collaboration with local and regional development organisations.

See ongoing projects HERE and all the projects HERE

Collaboration

Sente’s research activities are based on extensive international collaboration. The Universities of Lund and Adelaide have been particularly important partners. International research projects have been conducted with approximately 20 universities.
In regional development, collaboration with Seinäjoki and South Ostrobothnia has continued for over 30 years. Over the years, projects have been carried out in collaboration with, among others, the following organisations: Finnish cities and regional authorities, the Finnish Parliament, Finnish ministries, the Swedish Innovation Agency, and the OECD.