The University’s 2016 will be a year of preparations for the new strategy, education reforms and structural development on a number of levels, but it will also involve balancing finances according to the Change Programme as well as potential staff cuts. Guidelines for 2016 were drawn up in December when the University’s Board approved the University of Helsinki Target Programme.

One of the biggest decisions concerned the University’s upcoming operational structure. The new structure will be specified in greater detail in 2016 and adopted as of the beginning of 2018.

The position of the Helsinki Life Science Centre (HiLife) in the University's operational profile will also be determined. The goal of HiLife is to support top research in all life sciences and to promote the University’s international appeal and cooperation. HiLife will be integrated into the University’s research and teaching activities, particularly as a link between the respective strengths of the Meilahti and Viikki campuses.

The University’s research profile also involves the three strategic research areas decided on in June 2015: life sciences, the human mind in a changing world, as well as the structure of matter and materials science. The thematic content of these research fields will be specified in 2016.

In 2016 all administrative staff will be reorganised into a new service organisation encompassing the entire University. The goal is to cut administrative costs while ensuring continued sufficient support and services for both research and teaching in all of the University’s units. The possibility of carrying out support duties in cooperation with other universities will also be explored.

The preparations for the Big Wheel education reform will continue in 2016. The goal is to develop high-quality educational programmes that are attractive to applicants, to clarify the degree structure, as well as to increase mobility between different disciplines and institutions of higher education.  The programme curricula and admissions criteria for the programmes will be prepared in 2016.

Read the University of Helsinki’s Target Programme 2016 (PDF, in Finnish) and the  
Target programmes of faculties, independent institutes and Central Administration 2016 (in Finnish).

The English translation of the Target Programme will be published at the end of January.