Join UniPID at the Kevät päivät (Spring Forum) in May 2023

Join UniPID at the Kevät Päivät and contribute to the discussion on pathways to materialize new Vision for strengthening the international dimension of Finnish higher education institutions!

Internationality in transition is the theme of this year’s International Spring Forum for Higher Education (Kevät Päivä 2023), organized by the Finnish National Agency for Education in cooperation with Finnish higher education institutions, on 3-5 May 2023. But what does this theme mean in practice? Is Finland ready for a vision of internationalization?

Under the framework of the new Vision for strengthening the international dimension of Finnish higher education and research by 2035, the event seeks to provide a platform for thought-provoking discussions around the meaning of Finland as:

• a society guided by values and principles;
• a competitive economy that attracts talent;
• a responsible and receptive nation;
• an agent for resolving sustainable development challenges; and
• a country that builds on cooperation

As you might have guessed, these themes fit like a glove with UniPID priorities! The network will host, not just one, but TWO sessions, focusing on two important themes: how to host international scholars in Finnish HEIs and rethinking funding frameworks for building responsible academic partnerships:

• In search of good practices for welcoming international scholars in Finland. May 4, 2023, Parallel session 1, 10:30-11:30

Finland aims to welcome more international scholars, as a key step for solving global challenges. As a result, several Finnish higher education institutions have hosted researchers, visitors, students and partners from all over the world during the last years. The different experiences lead us to discuss and reflect on how well-prepared Finland and the HEIs are to attract students and scholars with a friendly and respectful hosting environment.

In this session, the roundtable speakers will discuss the different challenges that international talents are facing when establishing their lives in Finland. The session aims to address the issues, discuss the good practices, and find possible solutions. Collaboration between different institutions and organisations in the Finnish society is crucial to make Finland a country that welcomes and attracts students and scholars from all over the world.

• Rethinking funding schemes for responsible academic partnerships. May 4, 2023, Parallel session 2, 13:00-14:00

How can we ensure that funding supports equal global partnerships? Funding agencies constitute important drivers for resolving sustainable development challenges. What they prioritize and how they design, monitor, and evaluate their funding mechanisms has a direct impact on how global academic cooperation is created and fostered. It is in this context that funding agencies have the potential to influence equity and responsibility in academic cooperation. During this session, UniPID will convene a roundtable to discuss the role of funding agencies and their /funding instruments for building responsible academic cooperation with actors in the Global South.

What’s next: We will be more than glad to further discuss on these crucial topics with our community. The registration for the Spring Forum is open until 6 April 2023, ensure your place and join us in our sessions. Register here!

In case you cannot join onsite, stay tuned to our social media channels (Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn) for highlights on the discussion and our participation there!

See you in May!

Background photo credits: Arno Smit, 2016 on Unsplash