Education is the main responsibility of the BUP Finland. We arrange courses, workshops, and other programme for students, teachers and researchers in higher education.

The BUP network is coordinated by the Baltic University Programme Coordinating Secretariat at Uppsala University in Sweden. In The Baltic University Programme the BUP Finland is both a BUP Associate Secretariat and a National Centre.

The BUP Finland is one of three Associate Secretariats, which all have specialised tasks. Where the Finnish Secretariat’s task is education, the German Associate Secretariat deals with research development, and the Polish Associate Secretariat deals with the organisation of network wide courses and conferences. The BUP Finland National Centre coordinates the Finnish universities’ and polytechnics’ activities in the BUP network, such as students and teachers conferences.

BUP Finland, both National Centre and Associate Secretariat, is located at the Centre for Lifelong Learning at Åbo Akademi University in Turku. The German Associate Secretariat is located at Hamburg University of Applied Sciences, and the Polish Associate Secretariat at Lodz University of Technology

BUP Finland in 2023 – a short annual report.
BUP Finland in 2022 – a short annual report.
BUP Finland in 2021 – a short annual report.

Participating universities in Finland are (beginning of 2024):

The Baltic University Programme (BUP)

  • is a network of about 100 member universities and other institutes of higher learning in the Baltic Sea region. 

  • focuses on questions of sustainable development, environmental protection, and democracy in the Baltic Sea region. The aim is to support the key role that universities play in this development.

  • is an innovative network with the aim to enhance higher education both on a local and on an international level.

  • arranges international university courses and teachers conferences. Interdisciplinary research cooperation and participation in trans-disciplinary projects with authorities and municipalities are also supported.

A presentation about the Baltic University Programme:

How to join BUP

The Baltic University Programme is a member organisation for universities in the Baltic Sea region. The annual fee of €1000 entitles the member university to send students and teachers to BUP courses and conferences. Contact the BUP’s Coordinating Secretariat for joining the programme.

How it all started

The Baltic Sea region is understood as the drainage basin of the Baltic Sea. There are 14 countries completely or partially within the basin, including the Nordic and Baltic states, Russia, Poland, and Germany, as well as the major inland states of Belarus, Ukraine, and the Czech and Slovak republics. The region has 85 million inhabitants and constitutes 15% of the population of Europe.

The Baltic University Programme was initiated by Uppsala University in 1991. It has its roots in the major changes in the Baltic Sea region at the end of the Cold War. Only then was it possible, after more than 50 years of isolation, for the universities in the region to actively communicate with each other. The global efforts to promote sustainable development started in the same period, with the World Summit for Environment and Development in Rio in 1992. Sustainable development, that addresses environmental, economic, and social issues, became a widespread goal during the changes in the Baltic Sea region.

Universities, where the new generation receive their education, and with a long tradition in internationalism, have a major role in the changes towards a democratic, peaceful, and sustainable development in the region. The main goal of the Baltic University Programme is to support this development.