Join us in October 2025 for a two-day event - Focus on the Global South: EDUFI Programme Coordinators’ Meeting.
Why participate?
- To increase awareness of current issues in higher education cooperation between Finland/Europe and the Global South.
- To strengthen connections among Finnish HEI colleagues working with partners from the Global South.
- To reflect jointly on the progress of educational cooperation and share insights from ongoing projects.
- To exchange practices and leverage collective wisdom in project administration and implementation.
Who is the event for?
- Colleagues at Finnish higher education institutions involved in:
- Higher Education Partnership (HEP)
- Team Finland Knowledge Programme (TFK)
- Erasmus+ Capacity Building in Higher Education (CBHE) and Vocational Education (CBVET)
- Other global and bilateral cooperation projects with the Global South (including both mobility and cooperation projects)
Please note: Due to limited space, we can accommodate only one representative per project.
Agenda
The two-day event encompasses a joint day for all participants and one programme-specific day:
Day 1 (joint day, Thursday, 9 October 2025)
9.30 Coffee and registration
10:00 – 10:15 Welcome and Introduction
- Minna Koutaniemi, Director, International Affairs, EDUFI
10.15-11.30 Session 1: Responsible international cooperation and projects for developing higher education
- Responsible international cooperation has been an emerging theme in Higher Education. This session will explore the current discussion in Finland and how responsible international cooperation affects educational projects.
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- Keynote: Tiina Vihma-Purovaara, Senior Ministerial Adviser, Finnish Ministry of Education and Culture
- Panel: Tiina Vihma-Purovaara, Mari-Anna Suurmunne / LAB University of Applied Sciences, Kirsi Kettula /Aalto University
11.30 – 12.30 Lunch
12.30-14.00 Session 2: Dialogue & networking
- An interactive session that invites participants to explore key themes through informal, small-group discussions. The session includes two 25-minute discussion rounds. When registering, you’ll be asked to indicate your preliminary interest in two discussion topics. The topics are:
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- Green Transition
- Teacher Education
- Health and Well-being
- Digitalisation
- Leadership and management
14.00-14.30 Coffee
14.30 – 16.00 Session 3: The transformative role of higher education and TVET partnerships for skills and societal development
- This session discusses the role of higher education and VET in creating global multi-stakeholder learning ecosystems for enhanced employability and links with working life. It will be based on input about the EU Global Gateway strategy and a recently published EDUFI review.
- Speakers:
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- Higher education and TVET in Global Gateway investments, European Commission, DG INTPA, Luisa Bunescu, Policy Analyst, Higher Education, online
- Presentation of HEI ICI/HEP Review: Higher education as catalyst for multi-stakeholder partnerships for skills development and employability in Africa, Annika Sundbäck, EDUFI
- EDUFI Comments by Hanna Alasuutari, Senior Adviser, Development Policy, Education Finnish Ministry for Foreign Affairs
- Update on EDUFI Team Europe initiatives with openings for higher education and VET providers, Niina Tenhio, Finnish Centre of Expertise in Education and Development FinCEED
16.00-16.15 Conclusions and end of Day 1
Day 2 (programme-specific, Friday, 10 October 2025)
The second day is dedicated to programme-specific coordinators’ meetings:
- Higher Education Partnership (HEP) projects,
- Team Finland Knowledge Programme (TFK) projects and
- Erasmus+ Capacity Building in the Field of Higher Education (CBHE) and Vocational Education (CBVET)
Please register according to your current project. Agendas for each meeting will be shared with registered participants. Preliminary time reservation: 8:00–14:00.
For more information on the event, please contact:
TFK-programme@oph.fi; erasmus.korkeakoulutus@oph.fi; hep@oph.fi
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