CIMO strenghtening the InternatIOnalIsatIOn Of higher education InstItutIOns 2012

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1 CIMO strenghtening the internationalisation of higher education institutions 2012

2 CIMO, an organisation under the Finnish Ministry of Education and Culture, provides services and expertise on international mobility and co-operation. It helps to make Finnish society more international through co-operation in education, culture, at work and among young people. CIMO manages exchange, trainee and scholarship programmes and is responsible for implementing the EU s education, training and youth programmes in Finland. It is also a contact point for the EU s Culture Programme and a Europe for Citizens point in Finland. CIMO funds and supports international co-operation in higher education in many different ways. Institutions of higher education can make use of the programmes managed by CIMO and funded from EU, Nordic or Finnish sources, while individuals can benefit from CIMO s scholarship programmes. In addition to student and trainee mobility, support is also given to the mobility of higher education teachers, to intensive and summer courses in different fields and to international projects. Postgraduate grants are also available. Joint projects between higher education institutions in Finland and the developing countries are funded from the development co-operation appropriations channelled through CIMO. CIMO advances the teaching of Finnish language and culture in universities outside Finland. Editorial staff: Juha Ketolainen, Maija Airas-Hyödynmaa, Marjaana Kopperi, Marjut Vehkanen and Virve Zenkner ISBN (print) ISBN (pdf) Photo: Johanna Kokkonen, Finnish language summer course students Translation: Pirkko Hautamäki Layout: Satu Salmivalli Kopijyvä 06/2013, 1. edition 500 pieces

3 contents CIMO input in the planning of new EU programming period In focus: higher education collaboration with BRIC countries Finnish language summer courses now and then CIMO Fellowship Programme helps make Finnish universities more international Intensive courses make an impact Crisis management in international mobility: new guide for Finnish institutions of higher education Events Publications in English CIMOn has two websites for international customers CIMO s programmes, services and scholarships for higher education institutions Key figures 30 34

4 Korkeakoulujen CIMO input in the kansainvälistymisstrategian planning of new EU programming toteutumisen period The next programming period of the European Union is ahead of us. CIMO, too, has been making a contribution to the planning of a new generation of education programmes. These programmes mean a lot to Finland: not only have we been active partners, but the programmes have also had a central role in making Finnish higher education more international. As the national programme agency, CIMO has over the years amassed a wealth of experience and information in programme implementation. It is this expertise that we have wanted to bring to the agenda. At the time of writing, the target levels and the overall frame of the programming period have been adjusted, whereas funding and project details will take longer to finalise. The reshaping brings all higher education programmes under one single umbrella. There are also interesting new openings, such as strategic partnerships, which seek to promote even deeper first-class collaboration between European higher education institutions. This opening supports developments in Finland: many of our higher education institutions strive to concentrate their collaboration on key strategic partner institutions. Another significant reform are the collaborative possibilities with countries outside the European Union. The world beyond the European Union has already featured for some time in other CIMO programmes. Global responsibility is a strategic focus of CIMO s work. CIMO administers the development cooperation programmes funded by the Ministry for Foreign Affairs from the Finnish development cooperation appropriations. The year 2012 signified continuing collaboration, as the contracts were extended for the HEI ICI and North South South development co-operation programmes. The Ministry also extended the contract on CIMO s management in Finland of the United Nations Junior Professional Officer Programme (JPO) and the EU s Junior Professionals in Delegation Programme (JPD). In our nationally funded work, CIMO s attention and actions focus on the emerging economies. Of these, China and Russia have long been our geographical priorities. The year 2012 marked a breakthrough in Finnish-Brazilian co-operation: CIMO began to administer the student mobility to Finland in the Science without Borders programme funded by the Brazilian Government. However, there are other countries, too, especially in Asia, which are important in terms of higher education, such as India and South Korea. As the target areas and educational 4 CIMO strenghtening the internationalisation of higher education institutions 2012

5 tarkastelua fields are so vast, it takes considerable skill successfully to allocate limited collaborative resources. CIMO supports the teaching of Finnish language and culture in universities outside Finland in multiple ways. Drawing on an evaluation conducted previously, we have further developed our support services in this area: the universities subsidy criteria have been reformed, and more emphasis is now given to teaching visits and summer courses. In the last years, CIMO-supported actions have been increasingly reviewed through various surveys and assessments. These have helped us to evaluate the impact of our work and to consider future pathways. In 2012, CIMO commissioned a study on the impact of the intensive courses funded by CIMO in Finnish higher education institutions. The findings were remarkably encouraging. Another survey, aimed at university departments on CIMO Fellowships, confirmed the importance of the programme. Only minor changes were made to the criteria of this scholarship programme for international doctoral students coming to Finland. The FIRST programme (Finnish Russian Student and Teacher Exchange) was also reviewed. This survey helped to create the first overall picture of the programme as a funding instrument promoting Finnish Russian collaboration in higher education. Two extensive research projects were also up and running, one on the significance of internationality in Finnish working life (with Demos Helsinki) and another on the equality of internationalisation in Finland (with the Finnish Institute of Educational Research, University of Jyväskylä). The findings of the first survey have already been published. The good news is that international experience was widely seen as contributing to language and communication skills as well as to tolerance, collaborative skills, integration and networking skills and open-mindedness. The conflicting news is that Finnish employers do not consistently value internationality in recruitment even if it fosters the very skills which the employers rate highly in their employees. In the light of this finding, too, it is important for CIMO to carry and make more visible the message of the benefits of internationalisation. Juha Ketolainen Juha Ketolainen is Assistant Director (higher education)at CIMO. CIMO strenghtening the internationalisation of higher education institutions

6 Korkeakoulujen In focus: higher education kansainvälistymisstrategian collaboration with BRIC toteutumisen countries Brazil, Russia, India and China are home to 40 percent of the world s population, and in recent years their economies have been among the fastest growing in the whole world. Where do these countries figure in the Finnish policies of higher education? What do the numbers tell of the co-operation and how do the figures compare to other Nordic countries? What does CIMO have to offer to promote higher education collaboration with the BRIC countries? At the time of writing, the delegation of Brazil s Minister of Science, Technology and Innovation has just left Finland, the Finnish Minister of Economic Affairs is getting ready to visit Brazil, and the visit to Brazil of Finland s Minister of Education is in the pipeline for this very spring. Brazil has swiftly made its way to the top of the Finnish agenda of international educational cooperation. We have been making a concerted effort for some time already to promote collaboration with Russia and China, while less attention has so far been paid to India. 1 Russia and China prominent in official settings Finnish universities and universities of applied sciences are steered by performance management by the Ministry of Education and Culture. This also applies to international co-operation, where the attainment of, for example, student mobility targets are monitored by various indicators. Key higher education policies are agreed every four years in the government programme. At the beginning of the government term, the ministry also draws up a development plan for education and research, which sets higher education development goals in more concrete terms. The previous government considered the internationalisation of higher education so central that it also drafted a separate strategy for the internationalisation of higher education institutions to steer the work of the institutions. This internationalisation strategy for the years makes mention of the emerging economies at a general level, but more concrete goals are only set for Russian co-operation and to a limited extent for China. The development plan for education and research for encourages increased co-operation not only with leading science nations but also with Brazil, Russia, India and 6 CIMO strenghtening the internationalisation of higher education institutions 2012

7 tarkastelua China. Despite this agenda, Russia and China are still the only BRIC countries discussed in more detail. Student mobility with Russia is even recorded in the government programme. The topic has also been discussed in high-level negotiations between Finland and Russia. There is clearly a lot of good will to promote the cause. Finland has also advocated stronger links in higher education between the EU and Russia. Initiative has recently been taken by India, which has approached Finland in order to create closer links between the Indian Institute of Technology and Finnish higher education institutions. Strong business interests seem to have forged closer contacts recently and with Brazil in particular. We look forward to seeing whether Finnish-Indian collaboration also gets a similar injection from business life. China keeps attracting exchange students China and now Brazil, too, have raised the interest of the current government. During the past year, Finnish-Chinese co-operation in higher education and research has been strengthened through ministerial visits and joint initiatives. Also in 2012, collaboration between the EU and China was extended to cover education and culture. India s position as a priority country of Finnish higher education collaboration raises more questions. The links between Finnish and Indian institutions of higher education are blatantly few and seem to rest on contacts between individual academics. It is fairly hard to see India as a priority of higher education co-operation, unless we make new openings and take concrete action to promote it. Finns took to student mobility in growing numbers, when Finland joined the EU s Erasmus programme at the beginning of the 1990s. In 1992, 633 Finnish Erasmus students headed abroad on an exchange for more than three months, while 154 Erasmus students came to Finland. In the past few years, some exchange students have made their way to Finland, and equally many Finnish students have headed abroad proof of balanced mobility. Another significant funding channel in student mobility is the Nordplus Higher Education Programme, funded by the Nordic Council of Ministers, which supports co-operation between higher education institutions in the Nordic and Baltic countries. Student mobility has been and still is very Eurocentric both for outgoing and incoming students. Of the CIMO strenghtening the internationalisation of higher education institutions

8 9 931 outgoing Finnish higher education students in 2011, 8.4 percent (831) opted for a BRIC country. Students of universities of applied sciences took this option rather more commonly than did university students. If, however, we also consider exchanges of fewer than three months, which are not included in these statistics, the number of students heading to BRIC countries almost double. More than 80 percent of these students come from the universities of applied sciences, and almost 80 percent of such short-term exchanges are to Russia. In exchanges lasting more than three months, however, the Finnish students favourite BRIC country is China, which covers just over half of all mobility to these nations. In ten years, the outgoing numbers to China have quadrupled. This is followed by Russia, with a share of over 30 percent. While these figures, too, have doubled from the early 2000s, the trend reflects the status of Finnish-Russian collaboration, where the political will and practice do not always seem to meet. Fewer than 5 percent of Finnish exchange students head to Brazil, and less than 10 percent make their way to India. This is a clear indication of Finnish national priorities and resource allocation. There are also differences between the universities of applied sciences and universities. With BRIC countries, the universities of applied sciences focus their student mobility on China and India, while the universities turn to Russia. The most active fields in the universities of applied sciences are business and administration as well as technology, whereas economics and business, and the humanities, are the key mobility fields in the universities. In comparison to the Swedish and Norwegian figures, the share of BRIC countries in Finnish higher education mobility is by no means small. Fewer than 600 Norwegian students chose a BRIC country for their exchange in , which represents slightly more than 7 percent of all student mobility. This figure also includes short-term exchanges lasting less than three months. The relative share of student mobility to BRIC countries from Sweden is at a similar level. 2 8 CIMO strenghtening the internationalisation of higher education institutions 2012

9 The share of BRIC countries of all student mobility in Finland has grown slowly, which can be seen in a comparison between the years 2001 and The trends have been less straightforward in incoming numbers: while the total numbers have grown, the relative share of BRIC students among incoming exchange students has only grown from 7.2 percent to 9.7 percent. Student mobility to BRIC countries from Finland Russia China India Brazil Russia China India Brazil Russia China India Brazil BRIC countries, total 326 All countries, total Share of BRIC countries of all mobility 4.4% BRIC countries, total 522 All countries, total Share of BRIC countries of all mobility 6.2% BRIC countries, total 831 All countries, total Share of BRIC countries of all mobility 8.4% The figures include mobility periods longer than three months. Source: CIMO CIMO strenghtening the internationalisation of higher education institutions

10 Student mobility from BRIC countries to Finland Russia China India Brazil Russia China India Brazil Russia China India Brazil BRIC countries, total 398 All countries, total Share of BRIC countries of all mobility 7.2% BRIC countries, total 497 All countries, total Share of BRIC countries of all mobility 6.5% BRIC countries, total 886 All countries, total Share of BRIC countries of all mobility 9.7% The figures include mobility periods longer than three months. Source: CIMO 10 CIMO strenghtening the internationalisation of higher education institutions 2012

11 A quarter of international degree students in Finland come from a BRIC country Of the international degree students in Finland in 2011, 27.7 percent came from a BRIC country, mostly from China (2 129 students) or Russia (2 107 students). While the strategic significance of these countries has grown, the relative share of BRIC nationals among international students has slightly decreased, especially in the universities of applied sciences. In 2005, nationals of BRIC countries amounted to 33.6 percent of all international degree students in Finland, when the corresponding figure was 26.4 percent in During this time, the number of international degree students has, however, doubled: universities of applied sciences alone had a thousand more students from BRIC countries in 2011 than six years before. The Nordic comparison shows that the relative proportion of degree students from the BRIC countries is clearly much higher in Finland than in the other Nordic countries. Of the around international degree students in Norway, 16 percent come from the BRIC countries. However, this figure includes a significant number of Russian students A gap exists in Finnish-Russian co-operation between official declarations and real life Co-operation with Russian higher education institutions has in many ways grown more common, but Finnish students still hesitate to choose an exchange in Russia. Russian institutions still do not offer much teaching in English, and there has been no increase in the number of Finnish students able to study in Russian. In the Nordic comparison, Finland nevertheless fares well: Norway sent only a little more than 70 exchange students to Russia in the academic year , while only 20 exchange students headed to Russia from Sweden. CIMO strenghtening the internationalisation of higher education institutions

12 The most common nationalities of international degree students in Finnish higher education China students 2. Russia Nepal Nigeria Vietnam Estonia Pakistan Bangladesh India Sweden Germany Ethiopia Iran Kenya Ghana United States Italy Poland Britain Spain Brazil 90 Source: Statistics Finland who are conducting their degrees as distance students from Russia. In Sweden, 18 percent of the or so international degree students are BRIC nationals. A striking feature in the Swedish statistics is the large proportion of Indian students: they numbered at in the academic year What about outgoing Finnish degree students? Do they head to China or Russia? Few do: according to the statistics on student financial aid by the Social Insurance Institution of Finland (Kela), there were only 22 Finnish degree students in China and 58 in Russia in There has been little change in these numbers during the past ten years. In terms of degree study, then, there is a strong imbalance with both China and Russia. With China, the overall situation is slightly balanced by the fact that more Finnish students head to China on an exchange (426 in 2011) than arrive in Finland from China (326 in 2011). With Russia, there is a strong imbalance also in student exchanges. In 2011, there were 294 outgoing exchange students to Russia, while 493 Russian students came to Finland. The overall picture is more balanced if we also consider Finnish students short-term Russian exchanges which last less than three months. There is a corresponding imbalance in other Nordic countries, too. 12 CIMO strenghtening the internationalisation of higher education institutions 2012

13 International degree students in Finnish higher education Total UAS Universities Source: Statistics Finland CIMO strenghtening the internationalisation of higher education institutions

14 BRIC countries and CIMO programmes Russia has long been a key priority in CIMO s work. We invest significantly in the teaching of Finnish language in various Russian universities, Russia is one of the priorities in postgraduate scholarships, and the CIMO Winter School, which is intended for talented young researchers from Russia, has brought bright young Russian scientists to Finnish universities since 1997 already. Since 2000, Finnish-Russian student mobility has been supported by the FIRST programme. It is funded by the Ministry of Education and Culture, and the programme is also prioritised in the allocation of CIMO s own grants. In 2011, FIRST accounted for 35 percent of outgoing mobility between Finland and Russia, while the share was 40 percent for incoming Russian exchange students. 4 Russia is a vast country, which poses great challenges of prioritisation. The FIRST programme has prioritised northwest Russia 5, for it makes sense on economic grounds already to limit the scope of the programme to cover only a part of Russia. Now that the co-operation has established itself and other Russian regions are making swift progress, the question has surfaced of redrawing the programme s geographical boundaries. Also, since the 1990s, CIMO has regularly arranged collaborative seminars for Finnish and northwest Russian higher education institutions to promote student mobility and higher education co-operation. That China is a strategic focus is evident in CIMO s work. This focus has grown ever more prominent in the past years. All Asian functions have recently been brought together under the Asian Programme, where China is the prioritised country of educational co-operation. This reform was preceded by an evaluation, where higher education institutions were also consulted. Finnish has been taught in Beijing s Foreign Studies University by a CIMO-posted lecturer for 10 years already. The Finnish Government Scholarship Pool and CIMO Fellowship programmes, aimed at international postgraduates, bring on average ten Chinese doctoral students to Finland annually. Finnish students may apply for grants through CIMO by the China Scholarship Council for studies in a Chinese university. CIMO s work placement programme also offers Finnish higher education students and recent graduates the opportunity to seek 14 CIMO strenghtening the internationalisation of higher education institutions 2012

15 traineeships in China. This has proved an attractive option, as students from Finland annually head to China on work placements. There are some major problems, however. CIMO s resources on China are limited, and the higher education institutions themselves find it hard to concentrate their resources on joint initiatives instead of working on their own projects and partnerships. In 2012, the Ministry of Education and Culture and the Ministry for Foreign Affairs posted a special adviser to the Finnish embassy in Beijing to improve the visibility of Finnish higher education institutions in China and to support further co-operation. This diplomatic-status post is partly funded by CIMO. CIMO also has a branch in Shanghai, established in 2009, for similar purposes. China and Russia and no doubt Brazil in future, too are prioritised when CIMO makes Finnish higher education better known internationally. In such international marketing of higher education, collaboration with Finnish embassies is crucial. Thanks to the Science without Borders programme, funded by the Brazilian Government, Brazil has gained more prominence in CIMO s work. In the next few years, this programme aims to send as many as Brazilian higher education students and researchers abroad. Of these, hundreds are expected to arrive in Finland. CIMO administers the programme s student mobility in Finland, while the Academy of Finland is in charge of researcher mobility. This programme is a most welcome addition to the CIMO palette. At the time of writing, Brazilian students are submitting their applications to Finland, and we already know that Finnish higher education institutions are very interested in strengthening their links to Brazil. The mobility statistics may look very different in a few years time. As this programme offers grants only to Brazilian students, we should ask what Finland could do to promote Brazilian co-operation. Several countries, such as Norway, have allocated funds to the Science without Borders programme, thus enabling reciprocal mobility from the outset. Brazil is also among the prioritised countries in the CIMO Fellowship programme, which allows doctoral students from Brazil to study in Finland. CIMO is currently investigating whether Brazil could be added to the list of countries included in international training programmes. CIMO strenghtening the internationalisation of higher education institutions

16 India figures in CIMO s programmes only through individual initiatives, and it has in fact lost some of its priority status as China s position has grown stronger. The previous CIMO India Fellowship programme, aimed at doctoral students from India, has been merged into the CIMO Fellowship programme, where India is one of the priority countries. India is also part of the Finnish Government Scholarship Pool, which similarly supports international doctoral students in Finnish universities. CIMO also offers work placements in India to Finnish higher education students and recent graduates. These programmes involved 25 students in 2012, 14 arriving in Finland and 11 heading for India. While all these CIMO functions are relatively modest in light of the size and volume of Brazil, Russia, India and China, such nationally co-ordinated openings and collaboration initiatives nevertheless have an impact. Co-ordination and joint actions improve Finnish visibility as a whole better than individual projects. They create more of an impact and they may also cut back unnecessary competition between Finnish actors. Maija Airas-Hyödynmaa Maija Airas-Hyödynmaa heads the CIMO unit of higher education co-operation. 16 CIMO strenghtening the internationalisation of higher education institutions 2012

17 1 As a member of the extension group of BRIC countries as a BRICS nation South Africa is not part of this framework in Finland. In the spectrum of CIMO s programmes, South Africa features in the higher education development co-operation programmes, which according to the OECD definition include all countries eligible to official development assistance (ODA). 2 Sources of Nordic statistics: State Education Loan Fund and Statistics on Higher Education DBH (Norway) and Swedish National Agency for Higher Education and Statistics Sweden. The figures are not totally comparable with the Finnish numbers, for the statistical criteria tend to differ from one country to another on, for example, the duration of exchanges. 3 Unesco Institute for Statistics: Global flow of tertiary-level students, (accessed 12 April 2013) 4 Most student mobility to Russia seems to take place within the institutions own exchange agreements. 5 Northwest Russia or the Northwestern Federal District comprises the Republic of Karelia and the Komi Republic, the Oblasts of Arkhangelsk, Vologda, Kaliningrad, Leningrad, Murmansk, Novgorod and Pskov; St. Petersburg; and the Nenets Autonomous Okrug. CIMO strenghtening the internationalisation of higher education institutions

18 Finnish Korkeakoulujen language kansainvälistymisstrategian summer courses now and then toteutumisen Finnish language summer courses were given their first impetus in the early 1960s, when the Nordic Council recommended that language and literature courses be arranged for language students in the other Nordic countries. The first courses were held in 1963, and in a few years time the courses were extended to students beyond the Nordic nations. During the past 50 years, these Finnish Studies summer courses have had more than students. The first course on Finnish language and literature for Nordic students was held in Tampere in The courses were opened to other than Nordic students, too, in At one time, there were as many as seven courses over the summer, two aimed at Nordic students, while five were intended for students from other countries. The number of Nordic students has gradually diminished, as less and less Finnish is being offered in Nordic universities. The exclusively Nordic courses have stopped, but Nordic students still funded by the Nordic Council of Ministers are invited on some of the international courses. Partnership with Finnish universities The courses were first delivered by the Commission of Language Courses before they were taken over, in 1969, by the Council for Instruction of Finnish for Foreigners (UKAN), both operating under the Finnish Ministry of Education. UKAN s work became part of the CIMO s remit in UKAN was previously in sole charge of the arrangements, drawing up the budget and programmes, recruiting and paying the teachers, booking premises and accommodation, selecting students, etc. Since 1999, the courses have been co-organised with CIMO and Finnish universities. The universities take care of the practical arrangements, while CIMO is responsible for providing information about the courses, the selection process and the costs. The course providers are selected in an annual bidding round. In the summer of 2013, the courses are delivered by the universities of Jyväskylä, Tampere, Turku and Vaasa. 18 CIMO strenghtening the internationalisation of higher education institutions 2012

19 tarkastelua Language in an authentic environment The summer courses are intended for university students of Finnish outside Finland. The aim is to activate their language skills in a Finnish environment. The courses, taught in Finnish, focus most of all on speaking the language, but grammar, reading and writing are also included in the programme. The courses come on four different levels. Levels 1 and 2 are meant for beginning students, while level 3 already requires that the students have a decent command of the Finnish language. On level 4, the students are expected to follow academic lectures and to read and write academic texts in Finnish. From kindred peoples in Russia to a translation course in Finland During , the Council for Instruction of Finnish for Foreigners UKAN also arranged a beginners Finnish Studies course open to all international students. When CIMO and UKAN joined forces, this elementary-level course on Finnish language and culture was taken off the agenda, as beginners courses are not part of the core remit of supporting Finnish Studies abroad. Finnish language and culture around the world Finnish language and culture has been taught in universities outside Finland for more than 40 years. Support for this teaching has played a significant role in CIMO s work. There are Finnish Studies programmes in about 100 universities in 30 different countries, with around students taught by 200 teachers. CIMO promotes in many ways the teaching of Finnish language and culture abroad. It posts visiting teachers and allocates grants, supports teaching visits and donates literature and subscriptions to magazines. Students of Finnish are eligible to attend summer courses, to apply for scholarships and to take part in a training programme called Finnish in Finland (Suomea Suomessa). CIMO strenghtening the internationalisation of higher education institutions

20 Korkeakoulujen kansainvälistymisstrategian toteutumisen From 1981 to 2007, UKAN also offered a course on Finland-Swedish culture. The course has since been arranged by the University of Helsinki. Since 1992, UKAN / CIMO has arranged a course for the kindred peoples of Russia aimed exclusively for students of Finnish at universities in the Finno- Ugric areas of Russia. Since 1994, this kindred peoples course has been provided in one of the following state universities: Marin, Mordva, Udmurt or Syktyvkar. The most students from Russia and Germany The first summer course in 1963 had 21 students: 17 from Sweden, three from Norway and one from Denmark. In 1967, when the courses were extended beyond the Nordic countries, the students numbered at 34; of these, 14 came from the Nordic countries and 20 from beyond the Nordic borders. The newcomers were Czechoslovakia, Hungary, the Netherlands, Poland, the Soviet Union, the United States and West Germany. Every two years, CIMO and the Finnish Literature Exchange FILI organise a translation course for advanced students or recent graduates with an interest and some experience of translation. The course has been in the programme since 2002 and will be offered for the seventh time in summer The latest addition to the course programme is the course on contemporary Finnish literature, first arranged in the summer of Another course will follow in In the boom years of the late 1990s, the courses had around 500 applicants, of whom about 250 were successful. Interest in the Finnish language increased in the wake of Finnish EU membership. The numbers have come down slightly since the discontinuation of the beginners Finnish course and the course of Finland-Swedish culture. In 2012, the courses attracted 304 applicants, of whom 181 were admitted. The most applications and admitted students come from Russia and Germany, which also have the most universities offering Finnish as an academic-level subject. At least 10 applications each were submitted from the Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Italy, Poland, Roma- 20 CIMO strenghtening the internationalisation of higher education institutions 2012

21 tarkastelua nia, Spain and the United States. There were 12 applications from the Nordic countries: eight from Sweden and four from Denmark. Applications were sent from 28 different countries. Priority given to major and minor students of Finnish Finland used to have bilateral cultural agreements with a number of countries. These agreements specified the number of participants on Finnish Studies summer courses. This practice stopped in 2005, giving CIMO more leeway in student selection. The heads of the summer courses are also involved in the selection process so as to ensure that the students are placed in the appropriate groups. The aim is still to create groups with students from different countries and universities. Other criteria include the status of Finnish in the applicant s degree (major subject, minor subject, optional subject) and the significance of the course for the students. For example, is the summer course part of the student s required language practice or is the student seeking to improve his/her Finnish skills because of the bachelor s or master s thesis? The teachers references also carry weight. Priority is given to those doing Finnish as their major or minor subject, but some places are also available to those studying Finnish as an optional subject. Kindle the flame The courses improve the students language skills on many levels, especially in spoken Finnish but also in other linguistic areas. The students learn about the different ways that Finns use language, which improves listening comprehension, too. What is more, the students learn not only language, but they acquire first-hand experience of Finnish ways of life and culture: the courses include lectures on culture, museum visits and sauna evenings. Most of the students have been overwhelmingly happy with the courses. At their best, the summer courses have kindled in the students a desire to learn more about the Finnish language and Finland. Many of these summer course students become lifelong friends of Finland. Leena Kärnä Leena Kärnä is Senior Programme Adviser at CIMO. CIMO strenghtening the internationalisation of higher education institutions

22 CIMO Fellowship Programme helps make Finnish universities more International CIMO has a number of scholarship programmes The responses were overwhelmingly positive. for doctoral studies and research at Finnish universities. The CIMO Fellowships programme is open making the universities more international. This is The programme clearly has a significant role in to young doctoral students and researchers from all why it was decided to maintain the programme as countries and from all academic fields. it is. Only minor changes were made to the application criteria. The primary target group in the CIMO Fellowship Programme are such doctoral students who will The Fellowship programme was seen as contributing widely to the internationalisation of differ- be doing their Doctorate (or Double Doctorate) at a Finnish university. The programme is open for ent academic fields by creating and strengthening applicants from all countries. However, when long-term partnerships and collaboration. The programme was also deemed to offer excellent start-up scholarship decisions are made, priority is given to applicants from CIMO s strategic priorities, that funding to doctoral students, as it enables the testing of the doctoral candidate before more long- is, Russia, China, India, Chile, Brazil and North America. The scholarship application is submitted term funding is provided. Common benefits also include joint publications and internationalisation at to CIMO by the Finnish university acting as the doctoral student s host. home. In 2012, CIMO conducted a survey on the impact of the Fellowship programme on the internationalisation of Finnish universities and on how the programme works in practice. /cimo_scholarships 22 CIMO strenghtening the internationalisation of higher education institutions 2012

23 Intensive courses make an impact The impact of intensive courses in Finnish higher education has been assessed in a study commissioned by CIMO and conducted by the Levón Institute of the University of Vaasa. In the study, Anna Martin and Mia Mäntylä examined the long-term institutional impact of intensive courses in the Erasmus, Nordplus, FIRST and North South South programmes. The aim was to establish the benefits for higher education institutions of intensive courses and how these courses fit into the totality of international activity in higher education. The study was conducted through theme interviews with 76 teaching and administrative staff from 17 higher education institutions. Anna Martin Miia Mäntylä 2012: Impact of the intensive courses funded by CIMO in Finnish higher education institutions _intensive_courses The study shows that intensive courses make internationalisation easy for both students and staff, and that they engender further international collaboration between institutions. They also serve as a useful tool of assessing strategic partners for longer-term co-operation. Intensive courses also produce ideas, methods and materials to be used in ordinary teaching. In addition, the courses were carefully planned as steered by the funding application process which meant that the learning outcomes were met without fail. CIMO strenghtening the internationalisation of higher education institutions

24 Crisis management in international mobility: new guide for Finnish institutions of higher education A guide was published by CIMO in 2012 on emergency situations in international mobility. This guide for Finnish universities and universities of applied sciences is targeted at those involved in issues of international mobility in higher education and other professionals who may encounter such situations in their work. A shorter version of the guide was first published 10 years ago. The guide, which serves as a manual of crisis management, addresses a number of emergency situations. It contains checklists of how to prepare and combat emergencies; instructions on drawing up emergency plans and on taking action in a crisis; advice on how to assess one s own action after a crisis; and plenty of examples of real-life emergencies. Such emergencies may be related to health, accidents, crime, natural disasters or societal upheavals. Included are also some key issues on privacy and data protection, secrecy and the public domain as well as contact details to various bodies offering help and protection. The guide tackles questions of both incoming and outgoing student and staff mobility in higher education. The main emphasis is on student mobility, as students and trainees make up most of the mobility in higher education. The guide, published online, was prepared in cooperation with Finnish institutions of higher education and other professionals in different fields. The author of the guide Emilia Tolvanen has previously worked as a study advisor and international coordinator of International Services at the University of Jyväskylä. Tolvanen, Emilia: Kriisitilanteet kansainvälisessä liikkuvuudessa opas korkeakouluille [Emergency situations in international mobility: guide to institutions of higher education]. CIMO CIMO strenghtening the internationalisation of higher education institutions 2012

25 EVENTS Twenty years of Finnish membership in the Erasmus programme Finland joined in to celebrate the 25 th anniversary of the European Union s Erasmus programme. This coincided with the 20 th anniversary of Finnish Erasmus involvement. The Erasmus programme has played a key role in making Finnish higher education more international: over the years, Finnish students have headed abroad on an Erasmus exchange or traineeship, and international exchange students have found their way to Finland. The European Credit Transfer System ECTS, which is in use also in Finland, originated in a European pilot project funded by the Erasmus programme. The Finnish anniversary year came with an umbrella theme of equal opportunities of internationalisation, which was discussed in, for example, the anniversary seminar arranged for Erasmus coordinators. Paula Pietilä, Disability Co-ordinator at the University of Turku, who has learnt more about accessibility issues during an Erasmus staff exchange in Denmark, was nominated as the Finnish staff Erasmus Ambassador. CIMO also arranged a special event for students together with the Finnish Erasmus Student Network and a photo competition entitled My Erasmus experience. CIMO Winter School The 17th CIMO Winter School Building blocks of life: from biomaterials to living organisms took place at the Tvärminne Zoological Station of the University of Helsinki on March The Winter School is an annual scholarly workshop for young Russian and Ukrainian scientists, organised by CIMO and Finnish universities. The 2012 Winter School focused on bio- and nanomaterials, the course and treatment of neurological diseases and diabetes, the role of mitochondria in diseases and new imaging methods in neuroscience and cancer. The Winter School is devoted both to teaching and improving the selection process of doctoral students to Finland. Over the years, more than 150 young scientists from Russia and Ukraine have participated in the programme. CIMO strenghtening the internationalisation of higher education institutions

26 Students make good workers in St. Petersburg The Finnish-Russian Club, the Consulate General in St. Petersburg and CIMO co-arranged a job event for Finnish students in St. Petersburg on 16 March This event, now arranged for the third time, brought together 30 Finnish employers in Russia and 100 students with an interest to get a summer job, traineeship or an entire post-graduation career in Russia. The students learnt more about finding employment in Russia, and the programme also included presentations on jobs, traineeships and opportunities of Master s thesis placements, and informal networking. Seminar on Finnish Russian co-operation in higher education Together with St. Petersburg universities, CIMO arranged a seminar in St. Petersburg on higher education co-operation for Finnish and Russian higher education institutions on March The topics included structural changes in Finnish and Russian higher education and various forms and funding possibilities of co-operation. Now arranged for the eighth time, the seminar had some hundred participants. These seminars promote Finnish Russian collaboration between higher education institutions by providing a platform for discussion, information and networking. Seminar on higher education and development co-operation The role of higher education in capacity building in developing countries gathered almost 200 participants to the Finlandia Hall in Helsinki on 3 4 May CIMO administers the higher education development co-operation programmes which are funded by the Ministry for Foreign Affairs from development appropriations. Among the participants were representatives of higher education institutions and public administration as well as delegates from developing countries and, for the first time, from civil society. The seminar addressed issues such as the role of higher education in the new Finnish Development Policy Programme, adopted by the Finnish Government in February In addition to presentations and a panel discussion, the seminar also had workshops. The seminar is expected to foster collaboration of several kinds. 26 CIMO strenghtening the internationalisation of higher education institutions 2012

27 Spring Forum for international affairs in higher education The Spring Forum for international affairs in higher education was held in Lahti on May The annual forum provides topical information on higher education institutions international cooperation. The programme includes lectures, sessions, informational meetings and round table discussions. The Spring Forum also offers a platform to network with colleagues from other institutions. The event convened almost 500 participants who work with international affairs in universities and universities of applied sciences. The forum was organised by the Lahti University of Applied Sciences, the Lahti University Consortium and CIMO. Finnish higher education institutions take turns organising the event. Annual ACA conference held in Helsinki The 19 th annual conference of the Academic Cooperation Association ACA was held at the University of Helsinki on June 2012 under the banner Tying it all together: Internationalisation, excellence, funding and social dimension in higher education. The conference tackled issues on the internationalisation, quality, funding and social dimension of higher education, seeking to link them to one another. CIMO was in charge of the conference arrangements together with ACA. The conference was attended by almost 300 professionals from around the world, mostly from Europe. Teachers of Finnish language and culture come together on study days CIMO promotes the teaching of Finnish language and culture in many ways at universities outside Finland, by for example posting teachers to these institutions. The study days of these teachers were held in Helsinki on 7 9 August The annual study days give the teachers an opportunity to update their knowledge of Finnish language and culture, to learn about current research and to network with colleagues. The event was attended by more than 70 teachers, mostly from Europe. CIMO strenghtening the internationalisation of higher education institutions

28 Publications in English CIMO strengthening the internationalisation of higher education institutions 2011 CIMO s strategy Towards a global-minded Finland (pdf) Erasmus Mundus in Finland Finland A natural choice Impact of the intensive courses funded by CIMO in Finnish higher education institutions. Martin & Miia Mäntylä. University of Vaasa, Levón Institute, service study 3/2012. (pdf) Key Figures Internationalisation in Finnish higher education Living and learning abroad. A study of motives, barriers and experiences of Finnish, Norwegian and Swedish students. CIMO, Universitets- och högskolerådet & SIU (pdf) Make the most of Erasmus work placements! -flyer Scholarships for studies and research in Finland Study in Finland (incl. Universities in Finland & Universities of applied sciences in Finland) In addition CIMO has several publications in Finnish and Swedish, available at To order please contact: julkaisutilaukset@cimo.fi 28 CIMO strenghtening the internationalisation of higher education institutions 2012

29 CIMO has two websites for international customers CIMO maintains three different websites. Two of them are also available in English. For international partners The English version of the website is intended for CIMO s partners and stakeholders across the world. The site provides an overview of CIMO s activities, programmes and services. More detailed information is given about programmes and funding opportunities that are targeted to other than Finnish and Swedish speakers. In addition, you can find news, statistics and surveys relating to CIMO s work as well as all CIMO s publications in English in pdf-format. Higher education in Finland for students and education professionals tion about living in Finland. An important feature of the website is a database containing about 500 English-language study programmes. You can use a number of different criteria to search information about the programmes. For young people interested in studying, training or voluntary work abroad Furthermore, CIMO s website net is intended for young Finns who are interested in studying, training, volunteering or in any other international experience abroad. The website is in Finnish and Swedish. Maatieto.net provides additional information about studying abroad by country. provides all essential information about higher education in Finland for degree and exchange students interested in coming to study in Finland and for those working in international affairs in higher education institutions. The website is only in English and consists of the following sections: Destination Finland, Study options, Institutions, How to apply?, Tuition and scholarships and Living in Finland which provides practical informa- CIMO strenghtening the internationalisation of higher education institutions