The Eastern Finland University Group summit, convened by the University of Eastern Finland on 7 April 2026, brought together a wide range of key actors to discuss the deepening of collaboration and the continuation of the negotiations. The event was attended by representatives of the cities of Joensuu, Kuopio, Kajaani, Iisalmi, Varkaus and Kiuruvesi, which own the Kajaani, Karelia and Savonia Universities of Applied Sciences, and the leadership of the universities of applied sciences and the University of Eastern Finland.
At the summit, the opportunities provided by a deeper collaboration between the higher education institutions for education, research and the vitality of eastern Finland were discussed constructively and openly. The discussion highlighted the common goal of assessing collaboration in a forward-looking and step-by-step manner and of producing carefully prepared options to support decision-making.
– The university is hoping for broad public discussion on the models for deepening collaboration and the need for ownership arrangements. To promote fact-based discussion, we have opened a website on the preparations for the Eastern Finland University Group with up-to-date information on the progress of the process and answers to frequently asked questions, says Rector Tapio Määttä.
Määttä emphasises that instead of a merger, the aim is to examine various collaboration models. The university has expressed its wish to become the majority owner of the three universities of applied sciences.
The Preparations for the Eastern Finland University Group website can be found here:
https://www.uef.fi/en/preparations-for-the-eastern-finland-university-group
Negotiations will continue in joint working groups
Based on the discussions held at the summit, preparations will continue in broad-based collaboration. The negotiations will be led by a political monitoring group that will be composed of the political leadership of the owner cities. The steering group will examine the process from the strategic starting points of the cities. The negotiations will be coordinated by a steering group consisting of representatives of the owner cities, the universities of applied sciences and the University of Eastern Finland. A vision working group and a working group examining collaboration structures will operate under the steering group.
The task of the vision group is to refine the common situational picture, identify new collaboration opportunities in education, research and services, and to plan the inclusion of staff and students in the preparation. The vision group will also draw up a plan for the interim review of the Ministry of Education and Culture in autumn 2026.
The working group examining collaboration structures will assess the options for proceeding from the legal and financial perspectives, identify the key conditions of the parties and clarify the requirements for decision-making as regards structure and schedule.
The owners and the higher education institutions will appoint the members of the working groups during April, and the work will begin at the turn of April and May. In addition, the negotiations will be supported by a sparring group that brings in the views of local businesses, chambers of commerce, regional councils, Itä-Suomi Unioni and other key stakeholders.
Owners’ decisions by October
It was stated at the summit that the negotiations will progress in phases and based on the decisions made by the owner cities. The owners of the universities of applied sciences will assess participation in further negotiations independently in their administrative bodies.
The schedule for the negotiations is linked to the interim reviews of performance agreements with the Ministry of Education and Culture, which will be held separately with the university and the universities of applied sciences in October–November 2026. By the time of these negotiations, the owner cities are expected to have made their decisions on the direction of further preparations.
Lessons from Jyväskylä to support preparatory work
Experiences gained in connection with the forming of the Jyväskylä University Consortium were presented at the meeting by Jarkko Pirkkalainen, Director of Development at the University of Jyväskylä. According to Pirkkalainen, the keys to success are trust capital, clearly phased progress, open dialogue between the university, the university of applied sciences and the city, and that collaboration is developed in a balanced manner through strategic steering and by listening to the staff and students.
Further information:
Rector Tapio Määttä, +358 50 575 1589, [email protected]
