Tampere University's GPT Lab and Etteplan Team Up to Build Practical Industrial AI
Published: 9.1.2026
Etteplan and Tampere University have kicked off a two-year research collaboration to advance industrial AI. The work centers on two high-impact areas: autonomous AI agents that can run end-to-end workflows and turning tacit knowledge into reliable, searchable knowledge bases.
The project is led by Professor of Software Engineering Pekka Abrahamsson with Tampere University's GPT Lab. Doctoral students will work alongside Etteplan's specialists, with Etteplan purchasing research services for the duration of the project.
What's being researched
- Autonomous AI agents: Identify and validate capabilities for agents to orchestrate entire industrial workflows, manage complex tasks, and apply domain-specific context safely and consistently.
- Tacit knowledge to knowledge bases: Develop methods to convert expert know-how into structured data for faster retrieval, less knowledge loss during staff changes, and quicker decision-making. See also: Tacit knowledge.
Why this matters for IT and Development
- Automation at the process layer: Move beyond single-task assistants to multi-step agents that coordinate tools, data sources, and approvals.
- Knowledge as an API: Turning undocumented practices into versioned, queryable assets cuts onboarding time and reduces outages caused by "tribal" know-how.
- Lower operational risk: Better retrieval and audit trails reduce errors in maintenance, compliance, and production planning.
- Faster delivery: Teams can standardize decision paths and reuse validated agent behaviors across sites and product lines.
What to watch from a technical standpoint
- Agent orchestration patterns (task planning, tool use, guardrails, escalation).
- Data pipelines for knowledge capture (transcripts, documents, logs) with strong governance.
- Evaluation frameworks: scenario tests, safety checks, and human-in-the-loop review.
- MLOps integration for versioning, monitoring, and rollback of agent behaviors.
Project setup
The collaboration runs for two years. GPT Lab, led by Professor Pekka Abrahamsson, provides research expertise with a team of doctoral students working closely with Etteplan's domain experts. Etteplan will purchase research services from the university throughout the project.
What they said
"Autonomous AI agents and tacit knowledge management are areas where deep expertise is not yet widely available. Therefore, a research-driven approach is essential to ensure we can continue to offer innovative solutions to our customers in these fields. This collaboration also supports Etteplan's strategy to integrate AI into our service solutions and strengthens our position as a technological frontrunner," says Maaret Henriksson, AI Program Director at Etteplan.
"Autonomous AI agents and the utilization of tacit knowledge are critical factors for the future competitiveness of the industry. Working with Etteplan enables us to research and develop these themes in a genuine industrial context," says Pekka Abrahamsson, Professor of Software Engineering and Head of GPT Lab at Tampere University.
Further information
Pekka Abrahamsson, Professor, Faculty of Information Technology and Communication Sciences, Tampere University, Tel. +358 40 541 5929
Maaret Henriksson, AI Program Director, Etteplan, Tel. +358 50 482 0782
Outi Torniainen, SVP, Marketing and Communications, Etteplan, Tel. +358 10 307 3302
About GPT Lab
GPT Lab is a research group at Tampere University focused on applying generative AI in software development. The team includes professors, doctoral candidates, and researchers. The group explores new methods, models, and ethical questions in software engineering and provides companies with a secure environment to test generative models.
Etteplan in brief
Etteplan is a growing technology service company with the purpose of bringing people and technology together to change things for the better. With customers among the world's leading manufacturing companies, Etteplan helps make systems, processes, and products smarter, more efficient, and more sustainable. In 2024, revenue was EUR 361.0 million with around 4,000 professionals in Finland, Sweden, the Netherlands, Germany, Poland, Denmark, and China. Etteplan's shares are listed on Nasdaq Helsinki Ltd under the ETTE ticker. www.etteplan.com
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