The University of Eastern Finland will initiate negotiations on deepening collaboration and on potential ownership arrangements with Kajaani, Karelia and Savonia Universities of Applied Sciences and their owner cities. The aim is to assess whether a stronger university group could be gradually established in eastern Finland to bring together the expertise of the university and the universities of applied sciences, and to promote the vitality of the entire region.
The Board of the University of Eastern Finland decided on 19 March 2026 to initiate negotiations on possible ownership, group or other structural, collaborative arrangement pertaining to the universities of applied sciences in eastern Finland. The Board gave Rector Tapio Määttä the mandate to conduct the negotiations in close collaboration with the owners and representatives of Kajaani, Karelia and Savonia Universities of Applied Sciences.
“The negotiations will be launched at the initiative of the university, but the process will move forward collaboratively, taking all parties’ views into consideration,” Määttä notes.
The negotiations will also address the possibility of the University of Eastern Finland acquiring a majority holding in the three universities of applied sciences. The core missions of the higher education institutions would remain unchanged under the Universities Act and the Universities of Applied Sciences Act. Each university of applied sciences would also continue to operate as an independent company and institution. Any arrangements related to changes in ownership require clarification of the owners’ intentions as well as an assessment of the related impacts and preconditions.
“The university’s goal is for the owners to be able to decide on potential ownership arrangements in such a way that the Eastern Finland University Group could begin operations on 1 August 2027,” Määttä says.
The university has compiled an extensive information package for further discussions on the matter. Please note that the English-language information package is a slightly abridged version, and all statistics can be found in the Finnish information package.
At present, Karelia University of Applied Sciences is fully owned by the City of Joensuu. Kajaani University of Applied Sciences is likewise fully owned by the City of Kajaani. The majority owner of Savonia University of Applied Sciences is the City of Kuopio with a 51% share. The City of Iisalmi has a 22.76% share, the City of Varkaus a 22.28% share, and the City of Kiuruvesi a 3.96% share.
“The next step is to invite representatives of the owner cities to a summit on 7 April to discuss and agree on how we can jointly proceed with the preparations,” Määttä says.
Supporting regional vitality and competence needs
The negotiations concerning the Eastern Finland University Group will also examine how the higher education institutions could strengthen their profiles by deepening collaboration.
From the perspective of students, this could mean smoother progress of studies, stronger joint study paths and broader opportunities for cross-institutional studies. Research, development and innovation activities could be carried out in a more coordinated and impactful manner.
If established, the university group would strengthen the attraction and retention capacity of eastern Finland, supporting the competence needs of businesses and the public sector in the region.
For further information, please contact:
Chair of the UEF Board Siamäk Naghian, [email protected]
Rector Tapio Määttä, University of Eastern Finland, [email protected], tel. +358 50 575 1589