The Finnish Union of University Professors has issued a statement on the government proposal concerning the possibility of completing a degree through open higher education. According to the Union, Finns must continue to have the opportunity to complete a tuition-free higher education degree. Allowing fee-paying degree studies through the Open University would be a step…
The Finnish Union of University Professors has issued a statement to the Ministry of Education and Culture on the vision for higher education and research. In the view of the Union, the vision should be more ambitious. The success of society depends on the international competitiveness of scientific research. Finland has fallen worryingly behind in…
In the view of the Finnish Union of University Professors, an education and training voucher pilot is a good thing in principle, as long as it is implemented in accordance with the principles of university teaching and other activities. This means that open university education must be of the same level as education leading to…
The Finnish Union of University Professors is concerned that universities and universities of applied sciences will be subject to a total of EUR 83.8 million in savings. These are against the Government’s goals of increasing R&D funding and increasing the number of people with higher education. However, the Union is pleased that a total of…
In the view of the Finnish Union of University Professors, the Government’s public finance plan for 2026–2029 is contradictory. It proposes additional funding for universities’ research and development activities and available student places, but at the same time it proposes significant cuts to the core funding of universities. According to the Union, the emergence of…
The freedom of research guaranteed by the Constitution must not be curtailed. The direction of science must be realised primarily through criticism by the scientific community itself. According to the Union, the wording of the Government’s proposal on the Research Council of Finland has failed in terms of safety, and it should be changed. The…
Science, art and education are the foundation for well-being and international competitiveness. If the possibilities for research are not at least as good in Finland as they are in competitor countries, our finest will go elsewhere and Finland will wither intellectually and economically. Only freely distributed research funding can ensure that universities can quickly raise…
The Finnish Union of University Professors thanks the Finnish Government for investing in Finland’s research and development activities towards a 4% share of GDP. Government investments in RDI activities enable economic growth and encourage companies to invest in innovations and renewal of industries. The professoriate has participated and participates extensively in R&D activities in addition…
The draft Government proposal suggests that Academy Professors and Academy Research Fellows would no longer be mentioned in the Act on the Research Council of Finland (formerly Academy of Finland). The Finnish Union of University Professors points out that the Academy Professor position funded by the Research Council of Finland has increased in importance with…
In the view of the Finnish Union of University Professors, the multiannual plan for the use of government R&D funding and its policies includes many issues essential for R&D activities. However, the plan does not address the core funding of universities at all. Yet, raising the level of ambition of innovations and securing high-quality research…