Karelia UAS Sustain­able Devel­op­ment and Respon­si­bil­ity Programme

Intro­duc­tion

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. 

Respon­si­bil­ity choices

• 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. 

Economic respon­si­bil­ity

Respon­si­bil­ity choices	Respon­si­bil­ity actions. What has been done in Karelia?	Goals and devel­op­ment areas	Respon­si­bil­ity for assess­ing progress	UN Sustain­able Devel­op­ment Goals – 2030 Agenda
We aim for a balanced and stable economy. We pay atten­tion to economic risk management.	– Karelia’s strat­egy 2030 – reviewed and updated – Perfor­mance target decided by the Board: the economic perfor­mance target is posi­tive  – Economic moni­tor­ing – Manage­ment of oper­a­tions based on perfor­mance indi­ca­tors  – Procure­ment: procure­ment guide­lines  – Invest­ment guide­lines  – Secu­rity manage­ment  – Risk assess­ment portal: repu­ta­tional risks, busi­ness conti­nu­ity risks – Envi­ron­men­tal secu­rity	– Posi­tive economic perfor­mance target – Respon­si­bil­ity reporting	– Devel­op­ment and strength­en­ing of inter­na­tional busi­ness (TASO)  – Manage­ment Team – Direc­tor of Admin­is­tra­tion and Finance – Secu­rity Manager – Expand­ing contin­u­ous learn­ing services (TASO)
We comply with the prin­ci­ples of good admin­is­tra­tion. Our oper­a­tions are open and transparent.	– Oper­a­tional Regu­la­tions; Degree Regu­la­tions; Univer­sity Regu­la­tions  – Train­ing for the Manage­ment Team, the Board and office holders – Deci­sions made by the Board and office holders are open to staff through Dynasty – Inter­nal audit plan, imple­men­ta­tion and report­ing to the Board and the Group  – Prin­ci­ple of open science and research: we open research results for use and commu­ni­cate about them extensively	– Data manage­ment model – Elec­tronic archiving	– Manage­ment Team – Direc­tor of Admin­is­tra­tion and Finance – Moni­tor­ing of the Ministry of Educa­tion and Culture indi­ca­tor: publi­ca­tions, util­i­sa­tion plans
Our oper­a­tions are of high quality.  We act in a resource-wise and sustain­able manner.	– Quality Team’s estab­lished oper­a­tions  – Key processes are described – Partic­i­pa­tion in an exter­nal audit every six years – Feed­back surveys for students, stake­hold­ers and staff – Annual manage­ment reviews – Contin­u­ous devel­op­ment of oper­a­tional processes  – Prin­ci­ple of subsidiar­ity – Procure­ment: consid­er­a­tion of ecolog­i­cal, social and economic impacts (procure­ment guide­lines)  – Respon­si­ble investing	– Needs assess­ment in procure­ment – Better util­i­sa­tion of arti­fi­cial intelligence	– Manage­ment Team – Quality Team – Direc­tor of Admin­is­tra­tion and Finance

Social and cultural responsibility

Respon­si­bil­ity choices	Respon­si­bil­ity actions. What has been done in Karelia?	Goals and devel­op­ment areas	Respon­si­bil­ity for assess­ing progress	UN Sustain­able Devel­op­ment Goals – 2030 Agenda
We are a safe and respon­si­ble univer­sity commu­nity that promotes well-being.	– Well-being at work group and programme  – Occu­pa­tional health care   – Active caring model  – Karelia’s Safety Guide 2022  – Crisis Response Guide­lines  – Strate­gic staff plan – Safer space guide­lines  – Sustain­able devel­op­ment and respon­si­bil­ity programme – Prin­ci­ples of multi-loca­tion work   – Smartum vouch­ers for staff  – SYKETTÄ activ­i­ties   – Well-being theme weeks  – FSHS’s services for students – Student Union POKA’s activ­i­ties support­ing commu­nity spirit and group­ing -VIP activ­i­ties: a caring atmos­phere -Student well-being working group  –Student’s Quality Guide  – Student Welfare Offi­cers  –POKA’s Code of Conduct  –Karelia’s guid­ance and well-being plan for students	SDGs made visible in all the organisation’s programmes and plans	– HR Manager – Sustain­able Devel­op­ment and Respon­si­bil­ity Team – Secu­rity Team – Well-being at work group – Student well-being working group – POKA
We treat all members of our commu­nity equally and equitably.	– Gender Equal­ity and Equity Plan – Commu­nity rules and ethical prin­ci­ples – Person respon­si­ble for equal­ity and equity appointed   – Multi­cul­tural and inter­na­tional commu­nity – “Discrim­i­na­tion-free zone” and anti-racism activ­i­ties   – Strat­egy is commit­ted to promot­ing the open science oper­at­ing culture – Vipunen: open access to infor­ma­tion – Ethical and trans­par­ent commu­ni­ca­tions – Acces­si­bil­ity plan  – Acces­si­bil­ity on campuses	– Regular commu­ni­ca­tions – More English-language mate­ri­als for degree students	– Manage­ment Team – HR Manager – Well-being at work group – Strength­en­ing student well-being and improv­ing comple­tion rates (TASO)
We encour­age our univer­sity commu­nity to engage in contin­u­ous learn­ing and development.	– Work commu­nity devel­op­ment plan – Career programme – Compe­tence devel­op­ment tools – Compe­tence manage­ment – Free Open UAS studies for staff – Perfor­mance appraisals – Orien­ta­tion (Intro system) – Decla­ra­tion for Open Science and Research – Publi­ca­tions	– Devel­op­ment of staff’s compe­tence in sustain­able devel­op­ment and respon­si­bil­ity, Arene’s work­sheet – Inclu­sion of sustain­able devel­op­ment and respon­si­bil­ity compe­tence in perfor­mance appraisals and orientation	HR Manager
We partic­i­pate in and influ­ence social debate.	– National and regional expert working group work and expert state­ments – Publi­ca­tions, projects and theses – Repre­sen­ta­tion in Arene’s working groups on sustain­able devel­op­ment – Decla­ra­tion for Open Science and Research	Annual publi­ca­tion goal

Envi­ron­men­tal responsibility

Respon­si­bil­ity choices	Respon­si­bil­ity actions. What has been done in Karelia?	Goals and devel­op­ment areas	Respon­si­bil­ity for assess­ing progress	UN Sustain­able Devel­op­ment Goals – 2030 Agenda
We strive to imple­ment envi­ron­men­tal respon­si­bil­ity compre­hen­sively.   STRATEGIC CHOICE:   Carbon neutral solutions!	– Commit­ment to the City of Joensuu’s and North Karelia’s low-carbon objec­tives – Carbon neutral­ity by 2028 – Arene’s goal – Contin­u­ous devel­op­ment of energy effi­ciency: solar panels and reno­vat­ing the Wärt­silä campus to be more energy efficient	– Devel­op­ment of carbon neutral solu­tions – Consid­er­a­tion of the City of Joensuu’s climate programme – More energy effi­cient operation	– Manage­ment Team – Sustain­able Devel­op­ment and Respon­si­bil­ity Team
Our campus commutes and work or study trips are done respon­si­bly and sustainably.	– Employee bikes – Campus bikes  – Travel guide­lines  – Prin­ci­ples of multi-loca­tion work – Public trans­port route guide in use in the Tuudo application	– Devel­op­ment of monitoring/measurement (Arene’s matu­rity assess­ment) – Intro­duc­tion of a carbon roadmap – Reduc­tion in commut­ing – Community’s, POKA’s and SYKETTÄ theme weeks – Remote, on-site and hybrid model of students	– HR Services – Account­ing Services – Facil­ity Services
Our every­day at the campus is sustainable.	– Campus restau­rants operate more respon­si­bly and sustain­ably – More effi­cient use of facil­i­ties – Devel­op­ment of the circu­lar economy and recycling	– Fair­trade prod­ucts – staff coffee rooms -> inves­ti­ga­tion in progress – Devel­op­ment of the circu­lar economy and recy­cling – Taking biodi­ver­sity into account – Minimi­sa­tion of waste – Reduc­tion of energy consump­tion – Intro­duc­tion of a carbon roadmap – Support for envi­ron­men­tally friendly meals – Reduc­tion of paper consump­tion, elec­tronic archiving	– Facil­ity Services – Direc­tor of Admin­is­tra­tion and Finance – Infor­ma­tion Manage­ment – Campus restau­rants (Compass Group), the Restau­rant Committee

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. 

Respon­si­bil­ity choices

• 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. 

Economic respon­si­bil­ity

Respon­si­bil­ity choices	Respon­si­bil­ity actions. What has been done in Karelia?	Goals and devel­op­ment areas	Respon­si­bil­ity for assess­ing progress	UN Sustain­able Devel­op­ment Goals – 2030 Agenda
We support the growth and compet­i­tive­ness of compa­nies and organ­i­sa­tions through educa­tion activ­i­ties. STRATEGIC CHOICE:   Experts for the work life of tomorrow	– Bachelor’s degrees, Master’s degrees – Contin­u­ous Learn­ing Team – Working life oriented train­ing through contin­u­ous learn­ing and service busi­ness – Working life cooperation	– Achieve­ment of degree goals – Increase in sustain­able devel­op­ment and respon­si­bil­ity train­ing in the contin­u­ous learn­ing offer­ing – Devel­op­ment of part­ner­ships around sustain­able devel­op­ment training	– Head of Contin­u­ous Learn­ing – Vice Pres­i­dent – Head of Educa­tional Devel­op­ment – Intro­duc­tion of smart automa­tion educa­tion and research envi­ron­ments (TASO) – Expand­ing contin­u­ous learn­ing services  (TASO)

Social and cultural responsibility

Respon­si­bil­ity choices	Respon­si­bil­ity actions. What has been done in Karelia?	Goals and devel­op­ment areas	Respon­si­bil­ity for assess­ing progress	UN Sustain­able Devel­op­ment Goals – 2030 Agenda
We strengthen and support the vital­ity of the region through educa­tion and educa­tion-based immi­gra­tion. STRATEGIC CHOICES: Educa­tion-based immi­gra­tion and inter­na­tion­al­i­sa­tion   Experts for the work life of tomor­row   Sustain­able well-being in a sparsely popu­lated area	– Train­ing talent for the needs of the region’s working life and its devel­op­ment – Support­ing the contin­u­ous learn­ing of the region’s compa­nies and popu­la­tion – Support­ing the avail­abil­ity of skilled employ­ees and services also outside admin­is­tra­tive centres – Enabling living outside growth centres – Expand­ing inter­na­tional degree educa­tion – Flex­i­ble oppor­tu­ni­ties for contin­u­ous learning	– Reli­able partner regis­ter – Inter­na­tional risk analy­sis – Ethical risk analy­sis – Devel­op­ment of remote and blended learn­ing opportunities	– Heads of Educa­tion – Head of Inter­na­tion­al­i­sa­tion – Vice Pres­i­dent – Head of Educa­tional Devel­op­ment – Meeting the work­force and compe­tence needs of the social welfare and health care sector (TASO) – Strength­en­ing inter­na­tional degree programmes and support­ing educa­tion-based immi­gra­tion (TASO)

Envi­ron­men­tal responsibility

Respon­si­bil­ity choices	Respon­si­bil­ity actions. What has been done in Karelia?	Goals and devel­op­ment areas	Respon­si­bil­ity for assess­ing progress	UN Sustain­able Devel­op­ment Goals – 2030 Agenda
We promote sustain­able devel­op­ment compe­tence, knowl­edge and atti­tudes through educa­tion.   STRATEGIC CHOICE:   Experts for the work life of tomor­row   Solu­tions for the green transition	– Compe­tence in sustain­able devel­op­ment as a compe­tence require­ment for all degrees – Envi­ron­men­tal respon­si­bil­ity included in all curric­ula – Sustain­able devel­op­ment and respon­si­bil­ity compe­tence offer­ing at the Open UAS – Climate change and solu­tions related to miti­gat­ing it are consid­ered in the imple­men­ta­tion of educa­tion – Promot­ing sustain­able campus life with students – National pioneer in wood and low-carbon construction	– Person respon­si­ble for sustain­able curricu­lum work (Arene’s matu­rity assess­ment) and contin­u­ous devel­op­ment of curric­ula – Measure­ment and assess­ment of educa­tion measures – Devel­op­ment of the sustain­able devel­op­ment and respon­si­bil­ity offer­ing at the Open UAS	– Vice Pres­i­dent – Educa­tion Devel­op­ment Team – Devel­op­ment of wood and low-carbon construc­tion (TASO) – Head of Educa­tion respon­si­ble for the strate­gic choice

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. 

Economic respon­si­bil­ity

Respon­si­bil­ity choices	Respon­si­bil­ity actions. What has been done in Karelia?	Goals and devel­op­ment areas	Respon­si­bil­ity for assess­ing progress	UN Sustain­able Devel­op­ment Goals – 2030 Agenda
We imple­ment RDI activ­i­ties econom­i­cally, to a high-quality stan­dard and in a sustain­able manner.	– Risk manage­ment – Budget­ing; fore­sight – Quality manage­ment – Support services and processes (in the intranet) for apply­ing for funding – Inter­na­tional part­ners and network – Knowl­edge-based manage­ment – Guide to open RDI activities	Closer coop­er­a­tion with working life in RDI activities	– Research and Devel­op­ment Direc­tor – RDI Support Services – Project Managers – Strength­en­ing inter­na­tional research and devel­op­ment funding (TASO)
Our research and learn­ing envi­ron­ments are econom­i­cally sustain­able. STRATEGIC CHOICE: Intel­li­gent produc­tion and services	– Invest­ment plan­ning that consid­ers the sustain­abil­ity and life cycle perspec­tive – Attach­ment to all Karelia’s core func­tions and service busi­ness – Procure­ment guidelines	Improve­ment of life cycle thinking	– Research and Devel­op­ment Direc­tor – Heads of Educa­tion – RDI Support Team and Services – Devel­op­ment and produc­ti­sa­tion of Karelia’s research and learn­ing envi­ron­ments  (TASO)

Social and cultural responsibility

Respon­si­bil­ity choices	Respon­si­bil­ity actions. What has been done in Karelia?	Goals and devel­op­ment areas	Respon­si­bil­ity for assess­ing progress	UN Sustain­able Devel­op­ment Goals – 2030 Agenda
We promote the sustain­able well-being of the region through RDI activ­i­ties and research and learn­ing envi­ron­ments. STRATEGIC CHOICES: Intel­li­gent produc­tion and services Sustain­able well-being in a sparsely popu­lated area Experts for the work life of tomorrow	– Simula and Tarmo: we offer well-being services to the region’s resi­dents and working life – Tule­vaisu­u­den työ learn­ing envi­ron­ments are avail­able to the region’s compa­nies – Living Lab research concept	– Closer coop­er­a­tion with working life in RDI activ­i­ties – We develop contin­u­ous learn­ing studies in “soft skills” competence	– Manage­ment Team – Research and Devel­op­ment Direc­tor – RDI Support Team and Services

Envi­ron­men­tal responsibility

Respon­si­bil­ity choices	Respon­si­bil­ity actions. What has been done in Karelia?	Goals and devel­op­ment areas	Respon­si­bil­ity for assess­ing progress	UN Sustain­able Devel­op­ment Goals – 2030 Agenda
We increase the number of sustain­able devel­op­ment experts in the region and promote envi­ron­men­tal inno­va­tion.   STRATEGIC CHOICES:   Experts for the work life of tomor­row   Solu­tions for the green tran­si­tion   Intel­li­gent produc­tion and services	– Train­ing and coach­ing provided by the projects for compa­nies and stake­hold­ers – Support­ing educa­tion in the imple­men­ta­tion of compe­tence-based teach­ing in sustain­able devel­op­ment – Project port­fo­lios – Low-carbon construc­tion, perma­nent model – Devel­op­ment of ecolog­i­cal aspects in envi­ron­ments and provi­sion of services	Develop and imple­ment teach­ing, train­ing and coaching	– Research and Devel­op­ment Direc­tor – RDI Support Team and Services – Heads of Educa­tion – Devel­op­ment of wood and low-carbon construc­tion (TASO)
We imple­ment projects ecologically.	– Travel guide­lines – Procure­ment guide­lines – Funder require­ments (DNSH)	– RDI processes devel­oped from the envi­ron­men­tal perspec­tive (initi­a­tion, imple­men­ta­tion) – Devel­op­ment of Reportronic: icons, concrete actions and indicators	– Research and Devel­op­ment Direc­tor – RDI Support Team and Services
We build research and learn­ing envi­ron­ments in a sustain­able manner and operate ecolog­i­cally in them.   STRATEGIC CHOICES:   Solu­tions for the green tran­si­tion   Intel­li­gent produc­tion and services	– Energy park – Wood construc­tion labo­ra­tory – Simula – Tarmo – Construc­tion labo­ra­tory – Product and produc­tion devel­op­ment for the plastic and metal indus­try – Preci­sion engi­neer­ing labo­ra­tory – Dynamo – Tule­vaisu­u­den työ learn­ing envi­ron­ments – Procure­ment guidelines	Compet­i­tive tender­ing: guide­lines on how to choose and from whom to request tenders	– Research and Devel­op­ment Direc­tor – Heads of Educa­tion – RDI Support Team and Services – Devel­op­ment and produc­ti­sa­tion of Karelia’s research and learn­ing envi­ron­ments (TASO)