The Annual Forum of the international European Campus of City-Universities (EC2U) Alliance took place on 19–22 May 2025 at the University of Coimbra in Portugal. The event brought together staff, students and stakeholders from member universities to discuss how to build a more sustainable future. In 2026, the Annual Forum will take place in Turku.
University of Helsinki HY+ jointly with the University of Turku and the University of Eastern Finland will launch a new three-year teacher development project in Saudi Arabia starting in April 2025. The initiative, in collaboration with the National Institute for Educational Professional Development (NIEPD) and Tatweer for Educational Services (Talemia), supports the implementation of the new nationwide strategy for the teachers’ professional development (TPD) in the public-school sector. This optimization of the education system is a part of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030.
As part of an ongoing collaboration between the Punjab state in India and the University of Turku, a group of 72 teachers from Punjab participated in an intensive three-week training programme in March 2025. Following a similar professional training organised last autumn, the Through Joy and Play training programme continued to build on the fruitful collaboration between Finnish and Indian educators.
In September 2024, the Punjab Government in India and the University of Turku in Finland signed an agreement to promote the exchange of expertise in education. As part of this collaboration, a group of 72 teachers from Punjab participated in a three-week training programme in Finland.
The University of Turku hosted African Research and Education Day on 13 November. The event marked the final seminar of the Finland-Africa Platform for Innovation (FAPI), a network of universities focused on advancing multidisciplinary, innovative collaboration between higher education institutions and other actors in Finland and Africa.
The University of Turku was proud to host the Euro-Sino Symposium on Food, Health, and Sustainability, held from 3 to 4 October 2024 in Turku. The concluding event of the global pilot of Finland-China Food and Health Network (FCFH) gathered nearly 60 experts from leading European and Chinese universities and research institutions to discuss solutions to critical global challenges in food security, sustainable food systems, and public health.
University of Turku will host African Research and Education Day on 13 November, marking the final seminar of the Finland-Africa Platform for Innovation (FAPI), a network of Finnish universities dedicated to advancing the UN Sustainable Development Goals. The seminar will bring together researchers, and academics to discuss the future of education, research, and innovation in collaboration with African partners. The event aims to foster mutual understanding and explore opportunities for future cooperation.
A group of teachers from Hong Kong embarked on a five-week professional development programme at the University of Turku, gaining first-hand experience of Finland’s renowned education system.
The Finland-China Food and Health Network (FCFH), a global pilot by major universities and universities of applied sciences in Finland and in China will hold its concluding event at the Mauno Koivisto Centre in Turku on 3–4 October 2024 gathering top researchers from Europe and China to discuss the future of collaboration in food, health, and sustainability, bringing together top researchers from Europe and China to discuss the future of collaboration in food, health and sustainability.
Marc Lemaître, Director-General of the European Commission's Directorate General for Research and Innovation, visited Turku on 28-29 August 2024 at the invitation of the Rectors of the higher education institutions and the City of Turku. During his visit, Director-General Lemaître participated in the Europe Forum and a stakeholder meeting on the implementation and future of the European Union's missions.