Why is there a desire for a new higher education and research vision?

Text Terhi Hautamäki Images Getty images Translation Marko saajanaho

Ministry of Education and Culture Senior Specialist Markus Ylimaa, why is this vision being reworked?

The previous vision work, done through the higher education community’s cooperation, was successful. The goals outlined in the vision have guided very long-term higher education and science policy.

Originally, the vision was not planned to be updated regularly, but the extremely positive experiences inspired the reworking.

The world has changed significantly since 2017. For example, questions of security and responsibility have emerged more prominently. Demographic trends are shifting, age groups have decreased in size, environmental change and digitalisation have intensified, and international competition over experts has increased. The higher education institution system is also experiencing internal changes.

Now is the right time to stop and think about longer-term goals with the whole higher education and research sector, goals stretching past individual government terms.

What effects has the vision published in 2017 had?

The vision most prominently highlighted the increase of research and development expenses to four percent of the GDP and the increase of highly educated young adults to 50 percent of the age group. Perhaps the most significant effect has been the fact these commonly agreed goals are shared by the higher education community and the political parties. These common goals have become central anchors that have also been promoted through practical political actions.

The recommendations presented by the previous vision are not obsolete. The goal of this reworking is not to update the old goals with new numbers, although that can also be discussed if necessary. The goals of the reworking are devised with consideration of, for example, what high-quality higher education and research will be when we enter the 2040s.

How is the preparation of the vision progressing?

This spring is about creating the situational picture. In the autumn, we will get to determining the goals, and the recommended actions will be outlined after that. The vision is being worked on throughout the higher education sector. Thus far, we have been attending higher education community and shareholder events. To make the situational picture clear, we conducted an online survey for shareholders, which received 1,060 responses.

At the Ministry, we have also utilised the Government Report of the Future’s change factor analysis when considering global change phenomena and what they might mean for higher education institutions and research.

What does the situational picture look like?

At this stage, the main message is that the higher education sector does not merely react and adapt to different phenomena. Even though the state of security, the economy, the environment, and academic freedom can often be a source of concern and anxiety, we want to highlight the fact higher education institutions also offer exciting solutions and hope.

One emerging theme is science, art, and higher education as the basis of a democratic society. Even though academic freedom and higher education autonomy are in good health in Finland, global developments are causing concern.

Science policy involves differing views and interests. How can these fit into a shared vision?

This is a challenge, of course. However, I dare say that as a small country, we have at least as many if not more common elements than dividers. The vision cannot solve everything, but if we could find the common key goals, that would be the measure of success.