The role of the academic profession in the knowledge society

Hanaholmen, Espoo

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30.1.2020 13:30 - 17:30

This seminar will address the role of the academic profession in the knowledge society.

The background of the Academic Profession in the Knowledge-based Society (APIKS) study is in defining the academic profession in the knowledge society. Over the last few years, APIKS has been created through the work of hundreds of people who have carried out earlier surveys from the Carnegie Survey (1992) to the Changing Academic Profession (CAP2008) and its successor studies. The themes of APIKS consist of the career and professional situation, the general work situation and activities, teaching, research, external activities, governance and management, international dimension of academic work and academics in formative career stages.

The role of universities in the knowledge society has been defined in the scholarly community from very different perspectives, and common to these definitions is the understanding of the social responsibility and impact of higher education institutions. The knowledge society refers in principle to the processes typical of post-modern societies. In the literature, the knowledge society is linked to the importance of utilization of knowledge, the phenomenon of the knowledge economy, internationalisation and more broadly, the theme of globalisation, and the relevance of markets and higher education. Although the global trends in the theme are strong, they are manifested in different ways in the participating countries of APIKS, and universal trends of change do not necessarily have direct consequences for the activities of higher education institutions.

This seminar is arranged by the Swedish, Finnish, Estonian, Lithuanian and Norwegian APIKS teams and Hanaholmen – the Swedish-Finnish Cultural Centre. The teams have collected valuable comparative data on the academic profession, and the aim is to use this knowledge base widely in societies. The purpose is to bring together key perspectives of unions, administration and scholars and thus refine analytical comparative knowledge. We will have keynote speakers with in-depth knowledge of the theme and panels for dialogue on the theme.

This will be a conference for university scholars, teachers and decision makers and other stakeholders of higher education. In addition to the public seminar with keynote lectures and panel discussions about current trends in academia and scenarios for the future of the academic profession and higher education in Northern Europe, there will also be scholarly seminars and workshops.

Thursday 30th of January – Public seminar on the role of the academic profession in the knowledge society

13:30 Welcoming words: CEO Gunvor Kronman, Hanaholmen

13:45 The APIKS study – what is it all about? (Professor Timo Aarrevaara, University of Lapland and the APIKS Consortium).

14:00 Keynote lecture – The funding of higher education and the academic profession:

Professor Dan Brändström, former director of The Swedish Foundation for Humanities and Social Sciences.

14:30 Questions and comments to Professor Brändström

First from a panel consisting of the following persons

  • Dr Johanna Moisio, Executive Director, The Finnish Union of University Researchers and Teachers
  • Professor Anna Maria Jönsson, Södertörn University and Science and Public in Sweden
  • Professor Thomas Wilhelmsson, Chancellor emeritus, University of Helsinki

and then from the public.

15:20 Coffee break

15:40 Keynote lecture – The role of the academic profession in the knowledge society:
Professor Emeritus Ulrich Teichler, University of Kassel, former Director of the International Centre for Higher Education Research Kassel

16:10 Questions and comments to Professor Teichler

First from a panel consisting of the following persons

  • Anita Lehikoinen, Permanent Secretary, Finnish Ministry of Education and Culture
  • Dr Raija Pyykkö, Head of Union Affairs, Finnish Union of University Professors.
  • Professor Lars Geschwind, Kungliga Tekniska Högskolan and the APIKS-consortium
  • Professor Liudvika Leisyte, Technische Universität Dortmund and the APIKS-consortium

and then from the public.

17:15 – 17:30 Closing words of the public seminar


Participation is free of charge, but registration is required.
Please register for the seminar no later than 28 January 2020 through the link below or here

Language: English

More information: Project Manager Janne Wikström, janne.wikstrom(at)hanaholmen.fi