On April 20, a delegation from Finnish Lapland led by Regional Mayor Hannu Takkula and Lapland Regional Council Chair Olli Rainio visited the Sanjiang Campus of Jiangxi University of Science and Technology (JXUST) in Ganzhou. The visit aimed to lay the groundwork for deeper cooperation in mining, education and clean energy. Officials from the Jiangxi Provincial People’s Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries and the Ganzhou municipal government also attended the talks.
JXUST Party Secretary Liu Zuwen welcomed the guests and outlined the university’s profile as an engineering-focused institution where mining engineering remains a traditional strength. He highlighted its complete disciplinary chains, advanced research platforms and growing international talent programmes. Liu expressed hope that the meeting would open the door to practical collaboration with Finnish universities and companies in fields such as mining, intelligent manufacturing, clean energy and environmental engineering, and called for closer integration between industry and academia. Both sides reached a preliminary consensus on areas of shared interest.
Hannu Takkula noted that Lapland and Jiangxi province share similar mineral endowments, with a mature mining industry serving as a cornerstone of Lapland’s economy. Stressing the region’s commitment to higher education—home to both the University of Lapland and Lapland University of Applied Sciences—he voiced confidence that this first exchange would build trust and lead to concrete cooperation in education, mining and beyond.
Riitta Rissanen, Rector of Lapland University of Applied Sciences, praised JXUST’s leading practices in research, innovation and programme design. She described her institution’s multidisciplinary portfolio, particularly its engineering pathways supporting the mining sector, and expressed keen interest in joint mining research, applied studies, industry collaboration and technology talent training. Aleksi Autti, CEO of Arctic Drilling Company, presented the firm’s achievements in mineral drilling and suggested a mutually beneficial partnership in the practice and application of mining engineering.
The discussions focused on mining-related research cooperation and talent cultivation, establishing a solid foundation for future collaboration between the two regions.
