This is the Karelia UAS community’s sustainable development and responsibility programme. By implementing the programme, we make Karelia more sustainable and responsible together. Responsibility is one of our three values (responsibility, pioneering spirit, working life orientation). Our efforts to act responsibly and promote sustainable development as an employer and university community are based on our values and strategy.
All universities of applied sciences are committed to Arene’s (the Rectors’ Conference of Finnish Universities of Applied Sciences) programme for sustainable development and responsibility, which also provides a framework for Karelia’s corresponding programme. In Karelia’s programme, we consider the ecological, social, cultural and economic dimension from the perspective of our university community, our education activities and our research, development and innovation activities. Responsibility means, among other things, that our operations in the Karelia university community are open and transparent.
A maturity level description has been prepared for each of the Arene programme themes (education, RDI, management and competent personnel, carbon footprint). The descriptions are available on Arene’s website. Universities of applied sciences carried out a self-assessment of maturity levels at the end of 2022. There are five maturity levels (beginning, progressing, controlled, advanced, strategic). Universities of applied sciences were also asked about their maturity level goal in 2025 and their means to achieve it. In Karelia, we have assessed our operations to level three, and our goal is to achieve level four by 2025. We describe the measures to achieve this goal in Karelia’s sustainable development and responsibility programme.
The sustainability and responsibility work of universities of applied sciences is guided by the United Nations’ 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the sustainable development guidelines by the Finnish Ministry of Education and Culture. Universities of applied sciences have a special task of building a sustainable way of life through education and research, development and innovation activities (RDI). This can be done together with talented and sustainability-oriented staff and students.
Karelia’s sustainable development and responsibility programme was published 14.2.2023. It has been built with a management and staff pilot group since spring 2022, and the entire staff and students had the opportunity to participate in the preparation of the programme at the end of 2022. The programme is a worksheet consisting of tables, and we continuously assess the implementation of its measures in the planning, operation, assessment and development cycle in accordance with Karelia’s quality management. The programme will be our tool until the end of 2030. We update the programme annually, taking into account the implemented measures and development areas. Karelia’s Sustainable Development and Responsibility Team is responsible for updating the programme and coordinating its implementation. The team promotes, develops and coordinates Karelia’s sustainable development and responsibility activities.
We communicate and report about the implementation of the programme both to our university community and external stakeholders in accordance with Karelia’s communication principles.
Let’s work together to make the future more sustainable.
Karelia UAS’ community
Karelia UAS’ community refers to Karelia’s staff and students. The tables in this section describe the environmental, social and cultural and economic responsibility choices concerning Karelia’s university community. The tables list the responsibility actions related to each responsibility choice taken in Karelia and the goals and development areas to promote the responsibility choices. Responsible parties have been defined for promoting and monitoring the responsibility choices. The responsibility choices are tied to the UN Sustainable Development Goals.
- We aim for a balanced and stable economy. We pay attention to economic risk management.
- We comply with the principles of good administration. Our operations are open and transparent.
- Our operations are of high quality. We act in a resource-wise and sustainable manner.
- We are a safe and responsible university community that promotes well-being.
- We treat all members of our community equally and equitably.
- We encourage our university community to engage in continuous learning and development.
- We participate in and influence social debate.
- We strive to implement environmental responsibility comprehensively.
- Our campus commutes and work or study trips are done responsibly and sustainably.
- Our everyday at the campus is sustainable.
Education activities
The tables in this section describe Karelia’s education activities’ environmental, social and cultural and economic responsibility choices that are related to one or more of the Karelia 2030 strategy’s choices. The tables list the responsibility actions related to each responsibility choice taken in Karelia and the goals and development areas to promote the responsibility choices. Responsible parties have been defined for promoting and monitoring the responsibility choices. The responsibility choices are tied to the UN Sustainable Development Goals.
- We support the growth and competitiveness of companies and organisations through education activities.
- We strengthen and support the vitality of the region through education and education-based immigration.
- We promote sustainable development competence, knowledge and attitudes through education.
Research, development and innovation activities
The tables in this section describe Karelia’s research, development and innovation activities’ (RDI) environmental, social and cultural and economic responsibility choices that are also related to the Karelia 2030 strategy’s choices. The tables list the responsibility actions related to each responsibility choice taken in Karelia and the goals and development areas to promote the responsibility choices. Responsible parties have been defined for promoting and monitoring the responsibility choices. The responsibility choices are tied to the UN Sustainable Development Goals.
- We implement RDI activities economically, to a high-quality standard and in a sustainable manner.
- Our research and learning environments are economically sustainable.
- We promote the sustainable well-being of the region through RDI activities and research and learning environments.
- We increase the number of sustainable development experts in the region and promote environmental innovation.
- We implement projects ecologically.
- We build research and learning environments in a sustainable manner and operate ecologically in them.