News

On 7 October, members of the Committee on Education of the Swedish parliament (Riksdag), accompanied by the Swedish Ambassador Charlotte Wrangberg and the Swedish Honorary Consul Madis Kanarbik, visited the University of Tartu.

UniTartu Summer School 2025 brought together participants from 25 nationalities for two weeks of learning and cultural exchange in Tartu. Participants emphasised the quality of the courses and activities, with 91% expressing high satisfaction.

In October, internationally observed as cybersecurity month, the university aims to increase the awareness of information security among its staff and students. Cybersecurity at the university starts from the behaviour of each member.

On 2 October, the UT Vice Rector for Research Mari Moora and Professor of Cell Biology Toivo Maimets met with the Ambassador of the Czech Republic Zdeněk Beránek, the Vice-Rector for Research and Doctoral Studies of Masaryk University Šárka Pospíšilová and Professor Michael Doubek.

A new Estonian-language poetry collection titled Kass on kassas has been published with support from the University of Tartu. The author Mohsen Shourgashti is originally from Iran, but now lives in Tartu and works at the university as a Specialist in Plant Ecology. The book explores the nuances and playfulness of the Estonian language in a humorous and thought-provoking way.

The University of Tartu and Tallinn Health University of Applied Sciences have strengthened cooperation in intersectoral doctoral studies to support academic succession at the professional higher education institution and enhance its research capacity. In September, the first intersectoral doctoral researcher began their studies in the collaboration between the two institutions.

At its board meeting on 18 September in Warsaw, the Alliance4Life network elected Professor Toivo Maimets from the University of Tartu as its new President.

The Estonian Maritime Museum and the University of Tartu Foundation have created a scholarship fund to popularise the research of Estonian maritime history and maritime heritage. Each year, one person will get a 7,500-euro scholarship.

The competence day “AI at the university. Vision, ethics and practice” was held in the University of Tartu Library conference hall on 22 September. The event attracted considerable interest, and the nearly 170 participants included lecturers, researchers and students from the university’s four faculties and support staff.

The University of Tartu has a Student Union (UTSU) of nearly 140 members, which has been steadfastly standing for students’ rights and solving their concerns for years. Full of initiative, student representatives have brought numerous ideas to life within the university and drawn attention to various institutional shortcomings.

The University of Tartu’s men’s eight team won the gold medal at the European University Rowing Championships in Bydgoszcz, Poland.

At the 11 September meeting, the council of the Institute of Pharmacy elected Associate Professor of Pharmaceutical Nanotechnology Ivo Laidmäe as the new head of the institute.

Until the beginning of September, a design competition was open to find a building signage solution for the University of Tartu buildings. Of the two eligible entries submitted, the winning design was “Kõik algab sinisest” (“Everything begins with blue”) by Unt ja Tammik OÜ.

The renovation of the area in front of the university’s main building, which began in May, has now been completed.

Triin Laisk, Associate Professor of Genomics and Reproductive Genetics at the University of Tartu, has become the first person from the Baltics to be selected as one of eight finalists in the Scientific Achievement category of the Inspiring Women in Science competition organised by the journal Nature.

During the Peeter Tulviste memorial week held from 27 October to 2 November, a memorial conference takes place in the university assembly hall, and the exhibition “Bibliophile Peeter Tulviste” opens at the university library.

Last year, Elmo decided to challenge himself by joining the University of Tartu mentoring programme. His mentee was Grete Sakteos, a bachelor’s student in astrophysics.

University of Tartu semioticians Andreas Ventsel and Mari-Liis Madisson, along with Junior Research Fellow in Information Resilience Diana Poudel, have developed tools for enhancing critical digital literacy in cooperation with international partners. The practical materials are designed for use in higher education, schools, companies and organisations to support navigating the digital landscape and countering the spread of disinformation.

On 6 August, Rector Toomas Asser signed the University of Tartu alumni relations strategy for 2025–2035. We spoke with Head of Alumni Relations Kaisa Hansson about the role alumni play at the university and how she envisions the future of collaboration with them.

A recent overview published by the Estonian Research Council (ETAG) reveals that Estonia has performed exceptionally well in the European Union’s framework programme for research and innovation, Horizon Europe (2021–2027). Among Estonian institutions, the University of Tartu has been the most successful participant in the programme, receiving almost €90 million in funding.