Finland’s success hinges on skills – The next government will hold the fate of the country in its hands

A high level of skills and their flexible development are the key strengths upon which Finland’s future welfare is built. That is why investment in education, research and innovation must become strategic focus areas for the next government. The only guarantee of Finland’s future success is ensuring the provision of sufficient funding for higher education institutions, research and skills. 

Universities and universities of applied sciences have committed to carrying out their significant societal duties, flexibly developing their operations to meet the needs of society. The successful execution of their mission also in the future requires improved guarantees for the stability, predictability and sufficiency of their core funding. 

We need a long-term strategy for a scientific policy and an innovation policy that serve both the research and higher education sphere as well as the business sector in a sustainable manner. Funding allocated to education and research must be considered an investment that will secure our continued success.

Innovations and research that will lay a foundation for our welfare and growth for decades – even centuries – are being conducted right now.

Finland cannot thrive without unrestricted top-level basic research, state-of-the-art applied research and interaction between academic communities and society. From the perspective of fostering employment and economic growth, other central factors include improving the level of education, as well as developing models and funding for life-long education. 

A highly educated workforce, products with high added value and attractive competence clusters draw more international experts, investments and businesses to Finland. The work-related immigration of skilled experts must be further streamlined. 

When the government pursues a higher education policy with a forward-looking perspective, it will 

•    Offer Finland’s education, scientific and innovation policy a long-term direction based on a consensus that extends across government terms and in a sustainable manner serves both the research and higher education sphere as well as the business sector.  

•    Commit to supporting the achievement of the goal of increasing research, development and innovation investment to 4% of the gross domestic product by 2030, which also means a significant growth in contributions to research and development activities, as well as increasing the funding for institutions of higher education in the coming government term. The government will improve the stability and predictability of the funding allocated to higher education institutions, for example, by permanently reinstating their funding indexes. Currently, the core funding of higher education institutions has decreased throughout the 2010s. 

•    Steer research, development and innovation policy on a shorter term through various funding instruments by removing redundancies and focusing on larger entities, also in competitive funding.  Funding awarded by Business Finland and the Academy of Finland will be developed as broader and increasingly strategic entities. 

•    Choose education and research as the spearhead theme of its presidency of the Council of the European Union.

Signatories: 

Confederation of Finnish Industries
Finnish Education Employers
Confederation of Unions for Professional and Managerial Staff in Finland Akava
Finnish Psychological Association
Finnish Association of Speech and Language Therapists
Akava Special Branches
Finnish Association of Academic Agronomists
Association of Finnish Lawyers
Union of Diaconal Workers in Finland
Finnish Association of Occupational Health Nurses
Talentia Union of Professional Social Workers
Finnish Dental Association
Finnish Association of Public Health Nurses
Finnish Union of University Professors
Social Science Professionals
Finnish Union of University Researchers and Teachers
Union of Professional Business Graduates in Finland
Union of Professional Engineers in Finland
Trade Union of Education in Finland
Finnish Business School Graduates
Academic Engineers and Architects in Finland TEK
Finnish Pharmacists’ Association
Association for Managers and Professionals YTY
Union of Professionals in Natural, Environmental and Forestry Sciences Loimu
Union of Sales and Marketing Professionals
Universities Finland UNIFI
Rector’s Conference of Finnish Universities of Applied Science Arene
National Union of University Students in Finland SYL
University of Applied Sciences Students in Finland Samok 
Aalto University
University of Helsinki
University of Eastern Finland
University of Jyväskylä
University of Lapland
LUT University
University of Oulu
Hanken School of Economics
University of the Arts Helsinki
University of Tampere
University of Turku
University of Vaasa
Åbo Akademi University
National Defence University

Centria University of Applied Sciences
Diaconia University of Applied Sciences
Haaga-Helia University of Applied Sciences
Humak University of Applied Sciences
Häme University of Applied Sciences
Åland University of Applied Sciences
JAMK University of Applied Sciences
South-Eastern Finland University of Applied Sciences
KAMK University of Applied Sciences
Karelia University of Applied Sciences
Lahti University of Applied Sciences
Lapland University of Applied Sciences
Laurea University of Applied Sciences
Metropolia University of Applied Sciences
Oulu University of Applied Sciences
Police University College
Saimaa University of Applied Sciences
Satakunta University of Applied Sciences
Savonia University of Applied Sciences
Seinäjoki University of Applied Sciences
Tampere University of Applied Sciences
Turku University of Applied Sciences
Vaasa University of Applied Sciences
Arcada University of Applied Sciences
Novia University of Applied Sciences