The University of Eastern Finland has been awarded over 240,000€ to coordinate three projects and partner in one project, in the Team Finland Knowledge programme 2024 call.
The Team Finland Knowledge programme supports the creation and strengthening of cooperation between Finnish higher education institutions and target regions and countries selected to the TFK network, and to design new operating models for cooperation. The awarded funding allows for the creation and strengthened cooperation between UEF and partners in the Ukraine, Ecuador, Peru, Indonesia and Tanzania.
The project "Borderlands in uncertain times: local and regional perspectives under stress" (BLUnT) aims to provide students from the UEF and its partner the V.N. Karazin Kharkiv National University (Ukraine) with a current understanding of the new reality(ies) that has emerged and is being faced by residents of borderlands in Europe, including both Ukraine and Finland, since the beginning of the war in Ukraine. Local and regional (national) perspectives on borders, including hard and soft (everyday) security in today’s unstable environment, will be addressed during the intensive course that will be implemented. Funding awarded for this project amounts to 51836€ at the UEF Department of Geographical and Historical Studies. The contact person at UEF is Adjunct Professor, University Lecturer Paul Fryer.
The project “Andean-Finland Forest Education & Research: Promoting Sustainable Management of forest resources” (AFFER) aims to enhance sustainable natural resources management education and professional training, by increasing the awareness of different methodologies applied in different ecosystems. AFFER is focused on developing an intensive course on forest and water management in tropical, Andean and boreal ecosystems, using case studies. Partnering with UEF on this project are the Universidad de Cuenca (Ecuador) and the Universidad Nacional Agraria La Molina (Peru). Funding awarded for this project amounts to 61,280€ at the UEF School of Forest Sciences. The contact persons at UEF are Professor Blas Mola and Doctoral Researcher Jessenia Polack Huaman.
The “Environmental Collaboration and Conflict Resolution course series and online teaching platform” (ECCR-ON) project aims to increase the quality of higher education and address global challenges through responsible and equitable academic partnerships developed between universities in Finland, Southeast Asia (Indonesia) and southern Africa (Tanzania). The ECCR-ON project is based on expertise from the Environmental Collaboration and Conflict Resolution (ECCR) teaching network. The international ECCR network aims to develop in-person courses, teaching materials and teaching platforms for online courses. Joint development of course materials will be based on the partners’ knowledge of environmental collaboration, conflict analysis, conflict resolution strategies and collaborative governance. The courses will also apply partners' expertise in pedagogy, educational technologies and online learning environments. The ECCR-ON project will provide students, researchers and practitioners with a deeper understanding of the complex relationships between nature and society as well as decision-making related to environmental collaboration and environmental conflict management in partner countries and elsewhere. Partnering with UEF on this project are the University of Jyväskylä (Finland), the University Muhammadiyah Yogyakarta (Indonesia) and the College of Business Education (Tanzania). Funding for this project amounts to 64,000€ at the UEF Department of Geographical and Historical Studies. The contact person for the project at UEF is Professor Irmeli Mustalahti.
UEF is also, through its School of Applied Educational Science and Teacher Eduaction, partnering in a project “Empowering Physical Education Programme in Tanzania and Finland” (EPEP) coordinated by the University of Oulu. EPEP aims to strengthening the role of physical education (PE) and understanding the importance of PE for learning, school well-being and community spirit in Tanzanian and Finnish teacher education and schools. Other partners in the project are the University of Dar es Salaam and the State University of Zanzibar, both in Tanzania. Funding awarded for this project amounted to 63,120€. The contact person at UEF is University Lecturer Tuomas Korhonen.
Source: Finnish National Agency for Education
Contact information for UEF researchers: UEF Connect
