Once again, five people from TAMK had the opportunity to attend this major annual European higher education event, the EAIE Conference. The event brings together a vast number of higher education institutions and service providers in the sector. Once again, the programme offered an overwhelming number of sessions, making it genuinely difficult to choose.
From Education and Learning Services, Kirsi Jokipakka, Anna Tuusa and I attended the conference, while Eeva Heikkilä and Tiina Koskiranta represented our UNINOVIS alliance activities. TAMK had its own time slots at the Study in Finland booth, and UNINOVIS shared a booth with two other alliances. These dedicated spaces enabled us to meet several of our partners, agree on the next steps in our collaboration, hear about their latest developments and jointly plan our future activities.
Before the conference officially began, participants had the opportunity to visit a higher education institution, and the TAMK delegation split into three groups to visit Edinburgh Napier University, the Glasgow School of Art and the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland, and Abertay University. I visited Edinburgh Napier University’s Merchiston Campus together with Kirsi Jokipakka.
The Campus Experience – Edinburgh Napier University
This Campus Experience offered a closer look at how Edinburgh Napier University connects teaching with professional practice across areas such as business, computing, engineering, the creative industries, health and life sciences. We heard how the university supports students in building practical skills, gaining relevant experience and developing the confidence to make a difference in their chosen fields. We also heard two international students explain why they had chosen to pursue their degrees in Scotland. One was from Norway and the other from the United States. Both had found the application process straightforward, including the immigration-related procedures. They were particularly positive about their study experience: the teaching staff seemed genuinely committed to supporting students’ learning and goals; help was always available when needed; and integration into both the university and the university city had been systematic and seamless. If ever there was an opportunity to hear about an excellent student experience, this was it. During the campus tour, I also found myself thinking that there was nothing so exceptional about the facilities that our own could not compete very well with those of this university. However, a successful student experience is the result of many things coming together, and at this university the teaching staff’s enthusiastic and inspiring approach—both to their subject and to the student group—seemed to play a major role.
The Opening Plenary
The conference itself began on Wednesday. At the start of the opening session, we heard the Scottish folk band Whisky Kiss, after which EAIE Executive Director Mervin Bakker welcomed the participants. In keeping with the conference theme of creating new connections, he told us that we were all in exactly the right place at exactly the right time. The idea of change was further reinforced by the opening keynote speaker, world-renowned neuroscientist Beau Lotto. He took the audience on a dynamic exploration of change and emphasised four powerful principles: strive to be honest with yourself, take responsibility, treat life as an experiment and lead by example. With his final thought, “in nature, the fittest cooperate”, he laid a strong foundation for the week ahead and all it had to offer. During the opening session, we also heard an inspiring speech from Sara López Selga, President of the EAIE, about the week’s wide-ranging sessions and the opportunities to collaborate with existing partners and establish new partnerships.
The EAIE Exhibition
Once again, the conference reached another milestone this year: the EAIE Exhibition opened, and more than 1,200 institutions and organisations from around the world began forging new connections. The EAIE Exhibition is the global meeting place to develop partnerships, increase visibility and reach a diverse group of international higher education professionals. Sustainability also took centre stage on Wednesday: discussions at the EAIE Sustainability Hub covered topics including regenerative food and beverage practices and reducing emissions from conference travel. On the final day of the conference, EAIE sustainability partner Life Terra organised a tree-planting event together with representatives of Glasgow City Council and the Clyde Climate Forest. The event marked the official launch of a long-term partnership and a commitment to support the planting of thousands of new trees in the coming months. In this way, the aim is to give something back to the host city and show appreciation for the hospitality experienced here in Scotland.
The Closing Plenary
The week culminated in a memorable closing plenary, where Executive Director Mervin Bakker thanked the audience for “showing up with open minds and open hearts” and bid farewell to outgoing EAIE President Sara López Selga. She, in turn, thanked the participants for making her final conference week so special. She then introduced the new EAIE President, Tayyeb Shah, who shared some of his vision for the association’s next chapter.
Closing keynote speaker Lewis Iwu is one of the world’s leading experts on argumentation and persuasion. Lewis offered a compelling perspective on how ideas take root, how opinions change and how meaningful change is built through dialogue and collective action. The audience were then given a special glimpse of what awaits us next September. Tuna Feminina do Orfeão Universitário do Porto (TUNAF) took to the stage in traditional Portuguese style, filling the auditorium with vibrant harmonies and choreography that brought a taste of Lisbon straight to Glasgow. The plenary concluded with a special preview video of next year’s sunny host city, Lisbon. As the lights came up, participants left the auditorium with a sense of anticipation, already making plans for the future with colleagues and new friends alike. You could feel it: the first spark of next year’s “Luminous Perspectives” theme had already begun to glow.
The TAMK representatives also returned to Finland full of enthusiasm, new contacts and opportunities for collaboration with both new and existing partners. The week was intense, but it left us with plenty of ideas to think over.
Copilot, an AI application, was used to help with the translation.
Author
Tarja Kalliomäki-Linnas
Responsible Head of Education and Learning Services
