As vice-rector Anna Mauranen has a broad remit – international relations, engagement with society, personnel policy, academic quality assurance and library and premises issues. And of course she stands in for the rector.

“This is a good array of responsibilities because they’re all essentially linked,” Mauranen points out.

She is still on the lookout for new forms of knowledge transfer.

“Think Corner is a great example of new ways to bring knowledge to the fore. Going forward we have to get more and more people along, for example, telling us what they think the academy should be investigating."

And it’s just now, with the transition between parliaments and government in Finland, that the University has a key societal role with regard to the political decision-makers.

Mauranen is particularly keen to raise the international profile of Finland, Helsinki and the University. The strengths in the University of Helsinki’s research should be made more visible still.

“We have plenty to offer when it comes to attracting international researchers to Helsinki, but our strengths are still not sufficiently known about.

Mauranen concedes that there is some ground for optimism: the recent Times Higher Education Supplement’s World Reputation Ranking placed the University firmly back in the top hundred universities in the world.

A good example of raising the international recognition of the University came last autumn with a visit to Beijing: the University of Helsinki’s research was promoted in a week-long campaign focusing on four main research areas. With its megacities China is interested for example in the atmospheric particle studies conducted in the University.

And as for societal responsibility, the same applies to some degree: not all of the University’s activities are generally known. For example, there’s plenty of research going on in the University to promote good environmental stewardship.