Alar Karis received Ph.D. in Parasitology from the Estonian University of Life Sciences (1987). He has served as a Visiting Scientist in the University of Hamburg (1991) and as a Research fellow and Senior Research fellow in Estonian Institute of Animal Breeding and Veterinary Medicine (1981-1987), Estonian Biocentre (1987-1992), National Institute for Medical Research, London (1992), Erasmus University Rotterdam (1993-1998) and University of Tartu (1996-1999). 2003-2007 Alar Karis served as a Rector of the Estonian University of Life Sciences.

His main field of research include Developmental biology, molecular genetics, transgene technology. He has published scientific articles in academic journals Nature, Nature Genetics, Science, Cell, Development and others. 4 MSc and 2 PhD dissertations have been defended under his supervision.

He is a member of President's Academic Advisory Board, Board of Estonian Development Fund, Board of Estonian Fund for Nature, Board of Archimedes Foundation and member of the Advisory Committee of the Enterprise Estonia.

Fourth Class Order of the White Star of Estonia was donated to Alar Karis in 2007.

Email: rektor@ut.ee

“It gives me great pleasure on behalf of the University of Tartu to congratulate all the students and scholars of the University of Latvia on the occasion of the 90th anniversary of their institution. As we at Tartu are also preparing to celebrate the 90th anniversary of our national university this year, we know from our own experience how immense a task, but also a privilege, it is to fulfil the duties of a national university in a small country. I therefore wish our sister university on the banks of River Daugava strength and determination in carrying out its mission in the service of Latvia and its people, and hope that the congenial relationship that our universities have shared to date will continue to flourish in the years to come ”

Academy and Society – on the perspective of cooperation and development

It is a privilege for a society to have a national university, utmost mission of which is to serve the nation, its national culture, its national spirit. Language is the main guarantee of maintenance of a nation. National sciences can only exist in national language - not only main national sciences like literature, folklore, humanities, but also natural sciences, medicine, mathematics practiced in mother-tongue are important factors of maintaining the viability of a nation. Science is an international phenomenon, education otherwise is national, internationalization still is of utmost importance in both science and education.

Small society needs educated people. University can produce educated society, but in the same time it also lies in the crossfire of ambivalent hopes of the society. How should universities be lead and controlled? Which interest groups should be in control of the universities? The strategic leadership of the universities should very much more be taken care by the society. For this aim social leadership bodies should be formed which represent the interest of variety if social partners of the university. 

Hope that the higher education system creates the economic growth, gives rapid practical solutions or education corresponding to the needs of labour market is controversial to the general ideology of science. Science is not practiced for rapid practical solutions. Still, understanding that employees with PhD degree can guarantee the progress in the way of innovation is the first step for producing feasible solutions for the development in the society.

Current trends in European higher education demonstrate that the direction is set to internationalization and foundation of so-called super-universities via compounding smaller educational institutions. This is the practice for example is in Finland and Denmark. These alliances predict the rise of competitiveness in small nations’ higher education.