Members of Swedish parliament’s Committee on Education visited the university

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.

Members of the parliament visited the University of Tartu main building and were taken to a short tour by Research Secretary of the UT Museum Ken Ird. This was followed by meeting with Vice Rector for Academic Affairs Aune Valk, Vice Rector for Development Tõnu Esko and Vice Rector for Research Mari Moora. Professor of Applied Technology Studies Kristjan Vassil and Head of International Cooperation Kristi Kerge also took part in the meeting.

Since the University of Tartu and Sweden are connected not only by rich research cooperation but also by shared history, the meeting discussed opportunities for collaboration between the Swedish state and the University of Tartu in celebrating the university’s upcoming anniversary.

In 2032, the University of Tartu celebrates 400 years of its founding. On 30 June 1632, King Gustavus II Adolphus of Sweden signed the deed founding the Academia Gustaviana. To mark the anniversary, the university would like to bring historic rector’s regalia currently stored in the Nordic Museum in Stockholm temporarily to Tartu to be displayed in the university’s museum.

After lunch with the Minister of Education and Research Kristina Kallas, members of the Committee on Education met with representatives of the University of Tartu Faculty of Arts and Humanities. Guests were welcomed by Director of the Institute of Foreign Languages and Cultures Terje Loogus, Head of the Department of Scandinavian Studies Antonina Kostina, Visiting Lecturer in Swedish Language and Literature Kristina Tolinsson Ting, and students of the institute.

After that, members of the Swedish parliament went to the Institute of Genomics to meet Head of the Estonian Biobank, Professor of Epi- and Pharmacogenomics Lili Milani and Director of the Institute of Genomics, Professor of Evolutionary Genomics Mait Metspalu. The day ended with a visit to the Estonian National Museum.