News

Speech by Rector of the University of Tartu Professor Toomas Asser at the ceremony marking the 105th anniversary of Estonia’s national university on 1 December 2024.

The Centre for Ethics of the University of Tartu has established a nationwide network to foster collaboration in artificial intelligence ethics.

The university’s next year’s budget will provide €15.8 million for renovating and constructing university buildings. The capital budget is 6% lower than this year’s, and no new objects are planned to start in 2025.

The analytics company Clarivate revealed its 2024 list of Highly Cited Researchers, which includes five scientists from the University of Tartu. A total of six representatives of Estonian research institutions made it to the list of 6,886 influential researchers.

The university’s main building and the observatory were lit up in orange to symbolise hope for a violence-free future. This initiative, led by the President Kaljulaid Foundation, aimed to spark dialogue, increase awareness, and inspire collective efforts toward a safer society.

In April, the teaching staff, researchers, students, and other staff members of all faculties of the University of Tartu were invited to present joint initiatives for ENLIGHT grants, provided that their projects encourage cooperation within the network. In total, nine educational projects launched with the University of Tartu were funded.

Today, on 21 November, at 16:00, Rector Toomas Asser presented the university’s honorary decorations at the ceremony in the assembly hall.

In summer 2025, IAREP conference comes to Tartu, Estonia! It will take place from 17 - 20 June and will feature distinguished keynote speakers Anu Realo, Liam Delaney, Elisabeth Costa and Jaan Aru.

Maarja Öpik, Professor of Molecular Ecology and Director of the Institute of Ecology and Earth Sciences of the University of Tartu, will take up the position of Editor-in-Chief of New Phytologist, a scientific journal of plant biology, for five years from January 2025.

On 15 November, the Estonian Research Council recognised outstanding science communicators at its annual science communication conference.

Starting on 25 November, the digital archive of the University of Tartu in DSpace will be called ADA. With the new name, the archive will also have a fresh homepage design that aligns with the design of the university’s website.

From an early age, Renar Kihho, a medical student who has actively contributed to community life, now leads the University of Tartu Student Union and defends the interests of students. He admits he simply does not know how to sit idly.

On 15 November, at a conference dedicated to the 150th anniversary of Johan Kõpp’s birth, Rector Toomas Asser was presented with Kõpp’s anniversary medal.

ENLIGHT has launched the campaign “Faces of ENLIGHT” to introduce those members of the community that stand out as role models with their achievements and personal traits. Over a span of three years, each ENLIGHT university will choose six people into the campaign. The first one to represent the University of Tartu is the Professor of Environmental Health Hans Orru.

Her term of office will start on 1 January 2025 and run until 31 December 2027.

On the occasion of the 105th anniversary of the national university, a delegation visited the University of Toronto and the local Estonian community.

On 7 November, the Mayor of Lviv Andri Sadovyi, together with the Ukrainian Ambassador Maksym Kononenko, visited the University of Tartu and met with the Vice Rector for Research Mari Moora.

All three women received the fellowships of €7,000 in recognition of their research so far and to support further research in their scientific fields.

The solo exhibition of world-famous Japanese artist and composer Ryoji Ikeda, for which the artist collected data and inspiration in cooperation with the University of Tartu Institute of Genomics, was opened on 2 November.

On 29 October, the University of Tartu and the Estonian National Museum signed a framework agreement for industrial doctorate studies to support the education of future researchers for the museum and intensify cooperation between the two institutions.