About the Institute

The University of Tartu Institute of Chemistry (IC) has approximately 160 employees (FTE) and is the leading chemistry and materials science research and higher education unit in Estonia. The institute is composed of 10 chairs and the Testing Centre. The latter is an ISO/IEC 17025 accredited unit providing contract services in measurement, testing and chemical analysis.

The institute carries out teaching of chemistry and materials science at all levels of higher education – bachelor, master, and Ph.D. There are also 4 interdisciplinary study programmes: “Materials Science” (B.Sc. and M.Sc.), the international master’s programmes: “Applied Measurement Science”, "Excellence in Analytical Chemistry" (Erasmus Mundus jointly with Uppsala, Lyon and Åbo) and “Materials and Processes for Sustainable Energetics” (jointly with the Tallinn University of Technology). There is also 1 interdisciplinary PhD programme in “Molecular technology”. During 2010-2014 IC participated in the Doctoral School “Functional Materials and Technologies”. The overall numbers of enrolled students of the three study levels are approximately 120, 60 and 60, respectively.

IC is a prominent chemistry and materials science research centre. It belongs to the 1% of most cited chemistry research institutes in the world. Around 10 Ph.D. dissertations in chemistry, materials science and environmental technology are annually defended at IC.

There are 6 large-scale Institutional Funding Projects from the Estonian Ministry of Education and Science in the IC. IC has intense collaboration, both national and international. IC is the leading partner or partner in several international/Estonian research and education networks:

• The Estonian Centre of Excellence "Advanced materials and high-technology devices for energy recuperation systems" (HiTechDevices), EU Regional Development Fund, 2014-2020.4.01.15-0011) (leading partner);
• The Estonian national research infrastructure object “Estonian Chemical Analysis Centre” (ECAC) (leading partner);
• ESS-European Spallation Source;
• The Estonian Beam Line at Max-IV Synchrotron Radiation Source;
• The Estonian Centre of Excellence in Mesosystems- Theory and Applications (MESO);
• The Estonian national research infrastructure object “Nanomaterials- Research and Applications;
• Erasmus Mundus Joint Master’s Degree Programme “Excellence in Analytical Chemistry” (EACH), Grant Agreement nr 2014 - 2613 I 001- 001- EMJMD (leading partner);
• Member of the European Platform of Universities Engaged in Energy Research, Education and Training;
• Member of four international scientific competence centres;
• Founding member of Scientific Computing Centre at University of Tartu (which is leading member of Estonian national research infrastructure object “Estonian Scientific Computing Infrastructure”).

IC additionally participates as a partner in a number of international projects, networks and technology platforms (EURAMET, METEFNET, "Measurement Science in Chemistry", “Fuel Cells and Hydrogen Joint Undertaken”, COST ACTION projects, etc.) and is active in industrial collaboration (Sumitomo, Pfizer, Neste, Molycorp, General Motors Global Research and Development, Elcogen, Elering, Skeleton Technologies, VKG, etc.).

IC operates in the new Chemicum building (opened in 2009), which has strongly benefited from the recent Estonian governmental research infrastructure projects being very well equipped with research infrastructure. Some examples of key instruments/setups: ultra-high resolution 7 Tesla FT-ICR MS system with ESI, APCI and MALDI ion sources, FIB-TOF-SIMS, 700 MHz FT-NMR spectrometer, ATR-FT-IR, GC-MS, LC-ESI-MS, in situ FTIR ,combined Raman/AFM, STM/ATM and high-temperature XRD for electrochemical interfaces. Part of the IC local IT infrastructure are two group-level computing and data storage facilities. In addition, via the HiTechDevices and ECAC networks the personnel of IC has access to the majority of chemistry and materials science research infrastructure available in Estonia.

Structure

The Institute of Chemistry consists of ten chairs and Testing Centre.

History of chemistry in Tartu University

On 21-22 April 1802 the university was reopened in Tartu (see more about the history of the University of Tartu). Among the different branches of science that were cultivated in the 19th sentury, chemistry had an outstanding place. The Chair of Chemistry in Tartu University was from its establishment in1802 during more than half a century the only centre of systematic scientific research in the field of chemistry in the Baltic Countries. (See more about the history of chemistry in the University of Tartu)

Address

Institute of Chemistry
University of Tartu
Ravila 14a, 50411, Tartu, Estonia

Phone: (+372) 737 5261
Fax: (+372) 737 5264
E-mail: chemistry@ut.ee
Web: www.chem.ut.ee