The Finnish National Agency for Education organized a two-day event on October 9–10, 2025 gathering together Finnish project coordinators and actors in the Global South. The event focused on the future of responsible higher education cooperation. The objective of the event was to strengthen the networks of the Finnish project coordinators and envision the future of responsible cooperation in the Global South. Concerns for the narrowing of academic freedom were raised, and the importance of sustainable development through educational cooperation, as well as the common direction in the times of increased geopolitical tensions, were emphasized.
Responsible international cooperation in higher education
Keynote speaker Tiina Vihma-Purovaara (2025), Senior Ministerial Adviser at the Ministry of Education and Culture, noted that declining academic freedom in some countries has recently limited cooperation opportunities. Vihma-Purovaara described the changed geopolitical situation and the impact on increased uncertainty in international cooperation. Recommendations for responsible international cooperation in higher education and research were published in spring 2025, which Vihma-Purovaara strongly encouraged actors to implement in higher education institutions as well as other organizations.
A panel discussion followed with Mari-Anna Suurmunne from LAB University of Applied Sciences and Riina Subra from Aalto University to share experiences and practicalities on the topic of “Responsible international cooperation and projects for developing higher education”.
The EU’s Global Gateway strategy
During the day, the new funding and cooperation channels offered by the European Union’s Global Gateway initiative were examined. The EU’s Global Gateway strategy, aligned with the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals and the Paris Agreement, is a broad EU investment and partnership program aimed at strengthening the EU’s partnerships worldwide, especially in the Global South. The program supports sustainable development by investing in education, research, digitalization, energy, and health, aiming to boost economic growth and supply chain security for Europe by mobilizing investments and fostering sustainable development in partner countries through public-private partnerships. (European Commission 2025) Luisa Bunescu from the European Commission described the initiative as a shift “from donor to equal partner”, towards cooperation where the EU and partner countries build joint solutions for developing education and expertise.
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Networking; sharing experiences and creating new partnerships
Participants were inspired by the networking opportunity during the two-day event. The event enabled participants to exchange project experiences and connect with potential future partners.
During the first day of the event participants discussed in thematic groups (leadership and administration, green transition, teacher education, health and well-being, and digitalization) sharing the experiences. The second day of the event was dedicated for the networking meetings of the Erasmus+ capacity-building projects, Team Finland Knowledge (TFK) and Higher Education Partnerships (HEP) projects, with the aim of creating a forum for representatives to share experiences and insights in collaborating with the Global South.
Key discussion topics centered on maximizing project impact and establishing effective methods for impact assessment. Participants examined both immediate and long-term outcomes, emphasizing the importance of sustaining project activities beyond initial funding to enhance overall effectiveness. The group underscored the necessity of thorough needs analysis to accurately identify partner institutions’ requirements and highlighted that in-person meetings are essential for building trust and fostering mutual understanding within multicultural collaborations.
Author
Mia Ekman works as a Senior Lecturer in the Faculty of Business at LAB University of Applied Sciences. Currently works also as a project manager in the Developing Sustainable and Entrepreneurial Villages through Educational Living Labs in Namibia and Zambia (SmartVille) project.
References
European Commission. 2025. Global Gateway. Cited 17 Nov 2025. Available at https://commission.europa.eu/topics/international-partnerships/global-gateway_en. Cited 17 Nov 2025.
Vihma-Purovaara, T. 2025. Keynote speaker at Focus on the Global South: EDUFI Programmes’ Coordinators’ Meeting. 9.10.2025.
