According to the joint message of Finnish universities for the 2027–2031 parliamentary term, Finland’s future success and well-being will be built on groundbreaking research and top-level expertise.
Finland is seeking ways to secure its future growth and well-being in an uncertain and challenging economic and security environment. We are an economy with a shrinking population in a world marked by multiple crises and intensifying competition for talent and investments.
We must secure Finland’s future opportunities and growth by investing in high-quality higher education and groundbreaking research. Human capital drives productivity and economic growth. Finland needs highly educated experts to renew its society and business life, accelerate its productivity growth, and strengthen its civic and cultural foundation built on critical thinking, creativity, and the ability to learn. Groundbreaking research generates new knowledge, innovations, and solutions that also enable further leaps in new growth sectors.
Human capital is fostered at universities.
– Finland’s universities are strongly united in their goal to produce high-quality education and research that meet the needs of both individuals and society. Now we need political leaders to make consistent, long-term decisions that will help us increase our level of education and strengthen the conditions for research and internationalization. A research- and education-friendly policy is a winning policy – it benefits Finland as a whole,” says Rector Jari Ojala, Chair of Unifi.
Finland’s success comes from expertise
Finland cannot compete on low costs – instead, we must compete on the value produced through our expertise.
– Finland can achieve success through expertise, not by scale. Finland cannot grow any bigger, but it can – and must – become more skilled. Demand for higher education is growing steadily, both in the labor market and among young people. Universities want to meet this demand by offering high-quality degree programs to a growing number of students. The goal of universities is that by 2040, 60 percent of young adults will hold a higher education degree”, says Heikki Holopainen, Executive Director of Unifi.
Finland must also further boost the volume of doctoral education at universities. Finland’s goal of increasing R&D expenditure to 4% of GDP will require a significant increase in the number of highly educated R&D personnel. The next parliamentary term must also commit to extending the R&D Funding Act to 2040.
We can renew Finland when we trust in the power of science
Groundbreaking research is the key to developing society and fostering new and significant breakthroughs. Finland is home to world-class research, and we must safeguard the conditions for conducting research both today and in the future. We must also strengthen the core funding of Finnish universities and ensure their scientific freedom.
Learn more about the universities’ messages and goals, and download the background materials at www.unifi.fi/vaalit2027.
Further information:
Rector Jari Ojala, Chair of Unifi, tel. 0400 247 387
Heikki Holopainen, Executive Director of Unifi, tel. 0400 639 331