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International cooperation The Ministry of Education and Culture, together with higher education institutions and other parties working in its branch of government, promotes international cooperation in higher education, science and research. The M...

International cooperation The Ministry of Education and Culture outlines national policy concerning cooperation with international organisations, councils and other bodies in matters within its remit relating to education and training, culture, yo...

EU and international cooperation The Ministry of Education and Culture participates in various international organisations in sport-related cooperation between different countries, as well as in the preparation of sport-related matters in the Euro...

EU and international cooperation The Ministry of Education and Culture participates in various international organisations in sport-related cooperation between different countries, as well as in the preparation of sport-related matters in the Euro...

EU and international cooperation in arts and culture The Ministry of Education and Culture is responsible for international cultural policy and participates in its development and implementation in international organisations and the European Unio...

EU and international cooperation in the youth sector The objective of international and European cooperation is to develop youth policy and support youth work through networking and exchanges of good practices. The Ministry of Education and Cultur...

EU and international cooperation in the library field When it comes to the international cooperation in the library field, the role of the Ministry of Education and Culture encompasses influencing decisions to be made at state and EU level already...

EU and international cooperation in arts and culture The Ministry of Education and Culture is responsible for international cultural policy and participates in its development and implementation in international organisations and the European Unio...

Nordic and regional cooperation Nordic cooperation The cornerstone of Nordic cultural, educational and research cooperation is the Cultural Agreement signed by the five Nordic countries in 1971. The Agreement covers the Ministry of Education and C...

International Agreements and Memorandums of Understanding (MoU) Finland has cooperation agreements, programmes and Memorandums of Understanding (MoU) with over 50 countries. The agreements are bilateral treaties covering all the Ministry's fields ...

The aim of the project is to develop a cross-administrative strategy for broadening the international scope of culture.

Vision for strengthening the international dimension of Finnish higher education and research by 2035 Brochure: Vision for strengthening the international dimension of Finnish higher education and research by 2035 Finland is a responsible, welcomi...

31.3.2026 | Minister of Science and Culture Mari-Leena Talvitie visited Ukraine from 29 to 31 March. In Lviv, she took part, at Ukraine’s invitation, in a meeting on culture that examined the state of Ukrainian culture, the protection of cultural heritage and international cooperation including practical support measures. During the visit the Minister held one-to-one discussions with Deputy Prime Minister ...

4.6.2026 | On 4 June, the Government appointed Charlotta Collén (Lic.Soc.Sc) Director General of the Secretariat for International Relations with effect from 1 August 2026. The Director is responsible for directing the activities of the Secretariat for International Relations at the Ministry.

2.6.2026 | The National Working Life Development Strategy to 2035 has been completed. The strategy aims to accelerate Finland’s economic growth by modernising the world of work so that Finnish workplaces become more innovative, more productive and better places to work. The Ministry of Economic Affairs and Employment, the Ministry of Social Affairs and Health, and the Ministry of Education and Culture published the strategy and an accompanying implementation roadmap on 2 June 2026.

13.11.2025 | International higher education students could play an even bigger role in driving Finland’s growth. Minister of Employment Matias Marttinen and Minister of Science and Culture Mari-Leena Talvitie invited businesses, cities, higher education institutions and students to find solutions to improve international students’ employment prospects in Finland.

11.3.2025 | The working group on responsible international cooperation set up by the Ministry of Education and Culture has published recommendations that emphasise openness, reciprocity and risk management in international cooperation in higher education and research. The recommendations aim to safeguard academic freedom while also ensuring that international cooperation upholds democracy and ethical choices.

13.6.2024 | The multiannual plan for the use of central government research and development funding focuses on strengthening cooperation between businesses and other R&D actors and encouraging businesses to step up their R&D activities in Finland. The plan also aims to improve the conditions for ambitious research that produces new skills and knowledge, to strengthen research and technology infrastructures and to promote international R&D cooperation.

Council of Europe The Council of Europe works in the fields of education, culture, youth and sport. The Finnish Ministry of Education and Culture is involved in the Council of Europe in its field in drafting international agreements and in impleme...

7.9.2026 | Minister of Science and Culture Mari-Leena Talvitie has been invited to visit Saint-Paul-de-Vence near Nice, where the high-level film industry conference Sommet Lumière will be held on 6 and 7 September. The aim of the Summit is to bring together cultural ministers from different countries and key actors from the audiovisual and cultural industries. The conference will focus on the future of the audiovis...

United Nations The United Nations (UN) works for human rights, equality, social rights, tolerance and peace. Finland became a member in 1955. The implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the achievement of its goals are to...

17.8.2026 | Maija Mattila, Doctor of Social Sciences, has been appointed as Senior Specialist in the Team Finland Knowledge network for higher education and research at the Embassy of Finland in Washington, D.C., starting on 1 October 2026. Mattila's term will run until the end of July 2029.

8.7.2022 | On Thursday 30 June, the sports ministers of 35 like-minded countries issued a second joint statement stating that the national administrative bodies of Russian and Belarusian sports should be suspended from international sports federations. The collective of like-minded countries issued their first statement in March.

14.7.2026 | EU ministers for sports have asked the European Commission to consider whether EU funding should be restricted for international sports organisations that have allowed Russian and Belarusian athletes to participate in international competitions during Russia's war of aggression against Ukraine.

26.7.2026 | The UNESCO World Heritage Committee has decided to inscribe the Aalto Works on the World Heritage List at its 48th session held in Busan, Republic of Korea, from 19 to 29 July 2026. The property comprises 13 modern architectural sites across Finland designed by Alvar, Aino and Elissa Aalto.

24.10.2023 | A Barents Scholarship for Cultural Cooperation in Finland has been awarded to Koli Art Residence. The value of the scholarship is EUR 10,000. Barents Scholarships for Cultural Cooperation were awarded on 24 October in Joensuu in Eastern Finland. Scholarships were also awarded to recipients from Sweden and Norway.

Policy and development in higher education and science The Ministry of Education and Culture helps promote the Government's higher education and science policy targets, and develops the higher education and science system in cooperation with stake...

United Kingdom – London The specialist follows higher education and science policy in the UK, foster opportunities for cooperation, promote Finland’s visibility, and assist Finnish higher education institutions, research institutes and other innov...

Duties and objectives of the Ministry of Education and Culture In Finland the Ministry of Education and Culture is responsible for the development of education, science, cultural, sport and youth policies, and for international cooperation in thes...

Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and its effects in the administrative branch of the Ministry of Education and Culture On this page, we will update information on the impacts of the situation in the administrative branch of the Ministry of Education a...

Latin America – São Paulo The Team Finland Knowledge role in Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC) focuses especially on Brazil and, according to the needs of Finnish higher education institutions and Finland's missions abroad, on Mexico, Chile, C...

United States and Canada – Los Angeles The Team Finland Knowledge specialist in Los Angeles covers the western United States and Canada. California, where the specialist is based, has a strong focus on innovation. Work in the region must encompass...

Southern Africa – Pretoria This Team Finland Knowledge region covers all the member states of the Southern African Development Community (SADC) and Rwanda. Work is most active in South Africa, a global key player in science and geopolitics and the...

United States – Washington, D.C. The Team Finland Knowledge specialist in Washington, D.C. follows US science and higher education policy, builds connections that serve the Finnish research community and acts as a link between research administrat...

Sports and physical activity In the central government, the Ministry of Education and Culture is responsible for creating favourable conditions for sports and physical activity as well as for the reconciliation and development of sport policy. The...

Youth The Ministry of Education and Culture is responsible for coordinating and developing youth work and youth policy and creating prerequisites for it in central government. This work is carried out in cooperation with a range of different secto...

Frequently Asked Questions for the Team Finland Knowledge Network On this page we have compiled questions and answers for the Team Finland Knowledge network and its operation. What services does the TFK network offer to higher education institutio...

Libraries The Finnish system of municipal libraries is of high quality by international standards. Library services are among the most frequently used municipal services. Libraries are used not only for obtaining information and borrowing material...

Higher education and science The Ministry of Education and Culture is responsible for the planning and implementation of higher education and science policy and preparing statutes, national Budget proposals and Government decisions that apply to t...

Cultural tourism The Ministry of Education and Culture promotes the development of cultural tourism and cultural routes. This can enable the creative industries to operate better, encourage more sustainable tourism and engage in European cooperati...

21.12.2021 | The Sports Ministers of the European Union Iceland and Norway have signed a statement calling for transparency, democracy and respect for human rights in the work of international sport federations.

Policies and development related to youth affairs The Ministry of Education and Culture is responsible for the overall management, coordination and development of youth work and youth policy and for creating general prerequisites in central govern...

Futures work in comprehensive schools The vision work assesses the type of needs that exist for further developing comprehensive schools and the capabilities that education should offer for the future. The work focuses on changes that demand a soc...

Safeguarding of cultural heritage The UNESCO Convention concerning the Protection of World Cultural and Natural Heritage, adopted in 1972, responds to the concern about the conservation of the world’s threatened cultural and natural heritage and p...

Vision for higher education and research in 2030 The vision for the Finnish higher education and research in 2030 was drawn up in cooperation with higher education institutions and other stakeholders and was published in October 2017. NB: This pro...

Higher education institutions, science agencies, research institutes and other public research organisations The Finnish higher education system consists of universities and universities of applied sciences. A total of 13 universities and 22 unive...

Culture Finland’s cultural policy comprises the different sectors of arts and culture, museums, cultural heritage, libraries, cultural exports and creative work. Arts and culture are supported by both central and local government. The Ministry of ...

1.12.2021 | The Ministry of Education and Culture, together with Finnish higher education institutions, research institutes and other stakeholders, has prepared recommendations for academic cooperation with Chinese partners. The recommendations help to identify the key challenges of cooperation and the features of the academic environment in China. The recommendations seek to ensure that it is possible to uphold the principles that are important for Finnish HEIs and research institutions.

22.2.2022 | Birgitta Vuorinen joined the Finnish Embassy in London in early January as a senior specialist in higher education and science policy. She relocated to London from the Ministry of Education and Culture, where she worked as Director of the Division for Higher Education Policy. The UK thus became the ninth area of expertise for the Team Finland Knowledge network. Vuorinen’s task is to follow higher educat...

Cultural policy framework and development in Finland The cultural Policy Report (2024) defines the direction of cultural policy until 2040. The cultural Policy Report is Finland's most important national strategy for the cultural sector. The repor...

Finnish National Framework for Qualifications and Other Competence Modules In the framework of qualifications and other competence modules, the qualifications, syllabuses and other extensive competence modules belonging to the Finnish National Fra...

The areas of expertise The Ministry of Education and Culture is responsible for the development of education, science, cultural, sport and youth policies, and for international cooperation in these fields. The Ministry’s mandate covers early child...

South-East Asia – Singapore The Team Finland Knowledge specialist in Singapore works across South-East Asia. Besides Singapore, the main focus is on Malaysia, Thailand, Vietnam, the Philippines and Indonesia. As the countries in the region differ ...

Frequently asked questions Here you can find answers to some of the most frequently asked questions. If you couldn’t find the answer to your question on our website, you are also welcome to contact us kas.okm(at)gov.fi How are you developing Finni...

Ministry of Education and Culture The Ministry of Education and Culture is one of the twelve ministries that together with the ministers heading them form the Finnish Government. The Ministry of Education and Culture participates in the work of th...

Visual arts in Finland Visual arts comprise painting, sculpting, graphics, photography, media and cartoon art, arts and crafts, performance and location-based art. The Ministry of Education and Culture funds visual arts with appropriations from th...

Contact information of the personnel E-mail: [email protected] Address: P.O. Box 29 FIN - 00023 GOVERNMENT FINLAND Leadership: Minister and Permanent Secretary Communications Secretariat for International Relations Department for Early Childhood E...

Team Finland Knowledge network Team Finland Knowledge promotes international cooperation in higher education and research. Our network works to attract students, researchers and other talent to Finland. We report on policy developments in our host...

1.3.2022 | An overall international evaluation of the Academy of Finland has been completed. According to the evaluation, the Academy functions well as a whole given its financial and operational constraints. It may be necessary to review these constraints in order for the Academy to achieve the best results as part of Finland's research and innovation system. The Academy could be a stronger international pla...

Current issues Latest news RSS (Opens New Window) (Opens New Window) PISA 2025: Students in Finland still perform well above OECD average in science Type: Press release Publication date: 8.9.2026 10.30 Minister Talvitie to attend the first meeting...