University and city representatives discussed cooperation

On Friday, 13 October, leaders of the University of Tartu and the city of Tartu met in the university’s main building to discuss the topics in which the university and the city can support each other’s development. Based on the agreements reached at the meeting, the university and city cooperation agreement will be renewed.

Toomas Asser, the Rector of the University of Tartu, and Urmas Klaas, the Mayor of Tartu, said that while the university’s and the city’s activities are closely linked, the cooperation agreement covers the most important issues for joint action.

The parties agreed at the meeting that in the coming months, they will work out how the city and the university can cooperate more closely, such as in developing and supporting entrepreneurship and innovation, to make Tartu an attraction centre for entrepreneurs and academic staff. They found that it would be possible to jointly apply for EU structural funding to develop sustainable urban space and for research cooperation. To improve international transport connections and plan the public space and urban mobility, the city needs to know the mobility needs of the university staff and students and the university’s long-term development plans for its buildings. In particular, the parties highlighted the need to work together on renovating the park on Toome Hill and to increase the city’s support to maintain free access to the outdoor botanical gardens for the residents and visitors of Tartu.

They emphasised the excellent cooperation between the university and the schools of Tartu. Both parties expressed their interest in expanding further the existing activities in the field of education. Rector Toomas Asser also pointed out the students’ concerns about the lack of affordable canteens and proposed that the city government, in cooperation with the restaurants of Tartu, should find ways to support students. “It is important to remember that Tartu is a student-friendly city, so students’ livelihoods are our common concern,” the rector said.

In the upcoming months, the parties will formulate more precise lines of action regarding the issues discussed at the meeting. The cooperation agreement will be renewed at the end of this year.