Biopsi ry is the student association for biotechnology students at Tampere University. Founded in 2001, the association works to represent students’ interests, promote their well-being, foster a sense of community, and connect students with the university, research, and working life. Biopsi’s activities are centred on Tampere University’s Kauppi campus, where the association has its own student association room, known as the *Kerhis*. At student events, Biopsi members can be recognised by their purple overalls. In 2026, Biopsi has approximately 180 members.
Purpose of the Association
According to Biopsi’s official rules, the purpose of the association is to serve as an advocacy and cooperation organisation for students of biotechnology and biomedical engineering at Tampere University, as well as to provide recreational and leisure activities for its members.
In practice, this means much more than organising student events. The association participates in student advocacy, provides information on matters related to studies, builds connections between the university and industry, and cooperates with other student organisations. Its rules also include academic guidance, discussion and presentation events, excursions, and research, communications, and publishing activities.
Administration
Biopsi ry is governed by the general meeting of members and the board. The annual general meeting elects the board’s chairperson, vice-chairperson, secretary, treasurer, and other board members. The meeting also approves the budget and action plan for the upcoming term. Additionally, two operational auditors and their deputies are elected.
Board members are generally responsible for one or more specific areas of responsibility. At the start of its term, the board appoints officials for these areas as needed and forms teams dedicated to specific responsibilities. Each team typically consists of one board member and one or more officials. The duties of officials are usually more focused and centered on a specific area of responsibility.
How do I join Biopsi?
If you wish to become a member of our association, please contact the treasurer at [email protected] or submit a membership request using the form provided.
You can become a member even if you are not studying in the Biotechnology and Biomedical Engineering degree programme at Tampere University. New students starting in the autumn join the association with the guidance of their tutors during their first few days of study.
The annual membership fee for Biopsi ry is 12 euros.
History
The Founding of Biopsi and the Beginning of Biotechnology Education
Biopsi’s founding in 2001 is directly connected to the history of university-level biotechnology education in Tampere. The first students in the University of Tampere’s biotechnology degree programme began their studies in autumn 2001, and Biopsi was founded in the same year. The history of the student association is therefore practically as long as the history of biotechnology education at the University of Tampere.
From the outset, biotechnology education was planned in cooperation between the then University of Tampere and Tampere University of Technology. The University of Tampere’s degree programme began in 2001, and students from Tampere University of Technology began participating in biotechnology studies during the following years. Tampere University of Technology’s own biotechnology degree programme admitted its first students in 2004.
Growth and Change in the 2010s
The early 2010s marked an important period for both biotechnology in Tampere and Biopsi’s activities. Cooperation between the University of Tampere and Tampere University of Technology deepened, and in 2011 the universities jointly established BioMediTech, bringing medicine, biosciences, and technology into closer collaboration.
Within this changing environment, Biopsi actively participated in the development of education. According to the association’s 2012 annual report, one of the year’s largest educational policy projects was the planning of the joint biotechnology curriculum of the University of Tampere and Tampere University of Technology and monitoring its implementation.
Feedback on the curriculum was collected from Biopsi members, while student representatives participated in reviewing matters such as course content, course scope, and overlap between courses. Among other initiatives, the association advocated for the introduction of a seminar connected with the bachelor’s thesis and additional teaching in oral communication.
The year 2012 also illustrates how diverse Biopsi’s activities had become during its first decade. The association conducted a survey on students’ studies and well-being, examining areas such as teaching, the study environment, dining services, and travel between campuses. The results were used both to develop the association’s own activities and to provide feedback to the university.
Tenth Anniversary and the First Student Association Magazine
Biopsi’s history, which began in 2001, reached its first major milestone in the early 2010s. Celebrations of the association’s tenth anniversary continued into spring 2012, when anniversary-themed *sitsit*—traditional Finnish academic dinner parties—were organised and Biopsi’s first student association magazine, which had been planned for some time, was finally published.
The magazine was distributed to members free of charge and included, among other things, the results of the aforementioned study and well-being survey, articles related to working life, and content about student culture.
In the same year, Biopsi organised a major international excursion to Lyon, France. Twenty-one Biopsi members participated in the trip, during which the students visited biotechnology companies, a university, and the WHO’s cancer research institute. The trip was financed through the association’s own fundraising activities as well as support from its partners.
Corporate Cooperation and Working Life
Connections with working life have long played a prominent role in Biopsi’s activities. The same approach continues within the association today. Biopsi cooperates with companies and, for example, organises coffee events for research groups on the Kauppi campus.
Many students in the field find summer employment in research groups during the early years of their studies, and some continue working in these groups after graduation. Building connections between companies and the university is also formally included in the association’s rules as part of its purpose.
This is particularly natural in a field such as biotechnology, as students’ career paths may lead not only to academic research but also to pharmaceutical, diagnostics, health technology, and biotechnology companies.
Student Culture and Community
Although educational advocacy and professional connections form an important part of Biopsi’s activities, for most students the association is most visible in everyday life as a community.
Throughout the year, Biopsi organises events including sitsit, checkpoint-based student events, interdisciplinary events, and annual social dance parties. The association cooperates with other student associations and guilds across Tampere University’s different campuses.
A central physical meeting place is the "Kerhis" on the Kauppi campus, Biopsi’s own student association room. It provides students with a place to meet others between lectures, spend time together, and participate in student association life in an informal and accessible setting. Biopsi members can also enjoy free coffee, tea, or hot chocolate there.
Welcoming new students has also long been an important part of the association’s activities. Every year, Biopsi organises extensive tutoring activities, campus tours, events for first-year students, and introductory sitsit. In 2026, the programme admits 33 bachelor’s students, 10 transfer students, and 20 master’s studens, for a total of 63 new students.
Through Changes in the University Landscape
Biopsi has operated through exceptionally significant structural changes in Tampere’s university landscape. The association was founded during the era of the former University of Tampere, but its students’ education involved cooperation with Tampere University of Technology from an early stage.
BioMediTech deepened this cooperation during the 2010s, and at the beginning of 2019, the University of Tampere and Tampere University of Technology merged to form the present-day Tampere University
The current Biotechnology and Biomedical Engineering degree programme reflects this development: the programme combines biosciences, biomedicine, and engineering, and students can graduate with either a Master of Science degree or a Master of Science in Technology degree.
Within this broader framework, Biopsi has retained its position particularly as a community for biotechnology students. The Student Union of Tampere University (TREY) currently lists Biopsi among Tampere University’s student associations affiliated with degree programmes, and the association’s premises are located in room F108 of the Arvo building on the Kauppi campus.
Biopsi Today and Towards the Coming Decades
The year 2026 marks 25 years since the founding of Biopsi. Over a quarter of a century, biotechnology education, Tampere University, and the entire operating environment of the life sciences sector have changed considerably. However, the association’s fundamental purpose remains recognisable: advocating for students’ rights, supporting their well-being, and bringing biotechnology students together.
Biopsi’s history also demonstrates that it has never been merely a student association organising leisure activities. It has participated in educational reforms, maintained student representation, built connections with companies and research organisations, organised international excursions, welcomed new students, and provided students with a community during a period in which the university and educational structures surrounding them have undergone substantial change.
So much time has passed since the association was founded that the story behind the origin of the name “Biopsi” has not been preserved.
References
- Biopsi ry. Annual reports from years 2012 - 2026
- Pitkänen, K., Hyttinen, J., Kaunonen, M., Kellokumpu-Lehtinen, P.-L., Lehtiniemi, J., Mustonen, J., Puronurmi, N., Sarmala, S., & Visakorpi, T. (toim.). (2022). Arvon mekin ansaitsemme: Kohti monitieteellistä lääketieteen, teknologian ja terveystieteiden koulutusta ja tutkimusta Tampereella. Tampereen yliopisto, lääketieteen ja terveysteknologian tiedekunta. Trepo-julkaisu
- Suomen Solubiologit ry. (2025). Solubiologi, 1/2025.
- Tampereen yliopisto. (2022). Celebrating MET publishes a history book on development and co-operation. Accessed 23.9.2026. Tampereen yliopiston uutinen
- Tampereen yliopisto. (2026). About Tampere University. Accessed 23.9.2026. About Tampere University
- Tampereen yliopisto. (2026). Lääketieteen ja terveysteknologian tiedekunta. Accessed 23.9.2026. Lääketieteen ja terveysteknologian tiedekunta
- Tampereen ylioppilaskunta. (2026). Järjestöt yhteisössämme. Accessed 23.9.2026. TREY: Järjestöt yhteisössämme
