Outotec finances Mongolian students’ metallurgy studies at Aalto University

Cooperation between the Finnish mining technology company Outotec and the Mongolian government has brought 15 Mongolian students to Finland to study metallurgy.


This is Outotec’s way of building connections with a country which is undergoing a mining boom. Rich deposits of iron, copper, gold, and coal have been discovered in Mongolia.

The Mongolian students will receive three months’ worth of training at the Aalto University. Outotec will finance their tuitions and fees, meals, and accommodation.

Male students Khudermunkh Davaatseren and Orshikhjargal Ulziibaatar and female student Oyunzul Erkhembayar explain at the opening gathering of the study module devised for them that they heard about the possibility to study in Finland from their university teachers.

“I hope to increase the knowledge base that I will need in the future”, Davaatseren says. Perhaps the educational cooperation will also improve international connections and communication, he ponders.

“I also plan to try out traditional Finnish foods and the sauna.” As yet, however, Davaatseren is unable to name any traditional Finnish dishes. Previously he has studied in Russia and in Australia.

Erkhembayar says that apart from her studies she is also interested in exploring the city of Helsinki. Having lived in an inland country she is also interested in seeing what the Baltic Sea looks like.

The study module was initiated during President Tarja Halonen’s visit to Mongolia in August 2011. At that time Outotec and the Mongolian Ministry of Mining and Geology agreed on the student cooperation as well as on Outotec conducting a study into how to develop further the refinement projects in Mongolia.

As a whole, Outotec is investing EUR 200,000 in the study module. Chief technology officer Kari Knuutila explains that for the company this is a question of a long-term investment.

“In two, three years’ time these students will be at work making decisions on how these processes should be developed. Mongolia is a very interesting country and we want to invest in it.”

In Mongolia, new mines are being launched and prospecting activities are carried out actively. Outotec wants a piece of the action and seeks to be included in those investing in the Mongolian mining industry.

Outotec has already sold mining equipment of different types to Mongolia but thus far the company has not run any large projects there.

There are plenty of international operators in the Mongolian mining sector. Russia and China both have a strong presence there. Mongolia would be able to benefit more from its ore resources if it could process the raw materials further domestically.

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