Expert in higher education and research for the promotion of higher education and research cooperation between Finland and Great Britain

Birgitta Voorinen started her career as an expert in higher education and research at the Finnish Embassy in London at the beginning of January. Prior to moving to assignment in London, Voorinen was Director of the Area of ​​Responsibility for Higher Education Policy at the Ministry of Education and Culture. With this, Great Britain becomes the ninth country in which the Team Finland Knowledge network is based. Vuorinen will monitor higher education and research policy in Great Britain, promote opportunities for cooperation and visibility for Finland, and assist Finnish universities, research institutes and other players in the innovation ecosystem with the aim of increasing cooperation with British actors.

The Team Finland Knowledge Network consists of eight other experts in higher education and research, working around the world. In addition to London, there are specialists in Abu Dhabi, Buenos Aires, Moscow, New Delhi, Beijing, Pretoria, Singapore and Washington. Team Finland Knowledge specialists work in Finnish embassies in close cooperation with the Team Finland network. Team Finland Knowledge enhances Finns’ access to important research and development networks and promotes education-based immigration.

The UK differs from other countries of the spread because of the shared EU history of our two countries. EU programs have been instrumental in promoting mobility and research collaboration between countries, and collaboration between EU countries remains fundamental to building a new UK-EU partnership.

– Says that cooperation with other EU countries will also play an important role in the development of bilateral relations Birgitta Vorenen.

What happens with higher education, cooperation and mobility between countries?

Finnish and British universities have a large number of bilateral agreements and cooperate closely in the field of research. Both countries have set ambitious goals to increase and internationalize R&D funding, which also creates good conditions for the development of effective R&D networks and partnerships.

Finland is part of eleven different European university networks that are building new forms of university cooperation and cross-border educational cooperation. Two of the Finnish higher education networks also include a British university. The networks receive funding from the Erasmus+ and Horizon programmes. Operations are governed by the terms of program funding, which means that the UK’s exit from the EU as well as any agreements on programmatic cooperation will still be reflected in the operations of these networks.

Britain reached its 2030 target of 600,000 international university students 10 years early. A large part of British universities’ income consists of tuition fees, which means that international students are also of great financial importance. With the exit from the European Union, tuition fees for international students have increased and even quadrupled. Increasing costs, travel restrictions, the coronavirus pandemic and the resulting increase in distance learning opportunities have reduced the number of applicants and students from European Union countries. For example, the number of Finnish applicants in the so-called main application was close to a thousand in 2015-2016, but only 240 in 2021. However, Great Britain still wants international degrees, and in the employment of international students, it has They turned their attention to Asia and Africa in particular. According to statistics from the beginning of February, the total number of international degree students in British universities increased by 4% compared to the previous year.

Finland aims to triple the number of foreign students in higher education by 2030. The UK has a broad scope of higher education and a loan concept that balances tuition fees and takes into account income levels, which does not create a strong incentive for UK students to study abroad. However, mobility is being promoted by the UK to support its students’ study abroad with a total of £330m through the so-called Turing programme, at least for the next three years. The United Kingdom wants British students to become international, while Finland wants to increase the number of international students and exchange students. Both countries need a skilled workforce, so there is a strong desire to hire highly educated people. Collaboration between different policy areas is important when it comes to attracting knowledgeable people. This is why the UK and Finland are doing their best to review, among other things, entry regulations.

– At the moment, for example, it is difficult for interns to travel to Great Britain, and together with other EU countries, we want to draw the attention of the British government to this, says Birgitta Voorinen.

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