University Business Forum 2025

AI-powered human performance for research, innovation and business — Get ready to be inspired!

AI is driving unprecedented efficiency and innovation — amplifying our abilities, accelerating innovation, and redefining productivity across sectors. We have begun to see how AI tools can transform our work and creativity, and we have also learned how to mitigate their risks and inefficiencies — and realized that AI is not only about technology. Or have we? What comes next? How do we lead this change responsibly and effectively?

Join us for an experience filled with inspiration, networking, latest research and collaboration opportunities.

Stay tuned — registration opens in August!

Preliminary program

• 08:30–09:00 Coffee, registration and networking (Saalasti Hall)
• 09:00–09:15 Welcome words by Petteri Alahuhta, Vice Rector for Cooperation
• 09:15–09:35 Keynote (Speaker will be announced soon)
• 09:35–09:55 Keynote: Lessons learned and visions for our AI journey, Sasu Tarkamo, Professor, University of Helsinki
• 09:55–10:25 Keynote: Insights from business: It's not only about technology.
  • Part 1: Global perspective, John Bailey, Director of AI, CGI
  • Part 2: Local perspective, Heidi Kananen, CCO, Kaleva Media
• 10:25–10:40 Introduction and transition to thematic sessions (Tellus)
  • Keep the conversation going — join us at Tellus for hot coffee, cake, and great discussions! Choose your two favourite workshops on AI-powered human performance, and explore collaboration in research, innovation, and business.
• 10:40–11:20 Short thematic sessions for focused discussions, part 1 (More information coming soon)
• 11:20–12:00 Short thematic sessions for focused discussions, part 2 (More information coming soon)
• 12:00–13:00 Lunch at Saalasti Hall

This half-day event is free of charge. The language of the event is English.

UBF is the University of Oulu’s main event for industry–university collaboration and is now being organized for the 7th time. The event has annually attracted around 150–250 participants on-site at the Linnanmaa campus. In recent years, over one-third of the participants have come from the university, another third from companies, and the rest from the public sector. Previous speakers have included, for example, professional board member Kaisa Hietala, Juha Vidgrén (Ponsse), Sari Heinonen (OP, now at LähiTapiola), Katarina Segerståhl (Aava, now running her own consultancy), Markku Heikura (Finnish Tax Administration), and Subho Mukherjee (Nokia).

Past UBF events

2024: People, planet, profit
2023: Future proofing and future boosting
2022: Power to renew
2021: Sustainable future