The Finnish cultural and academic institutes advance international mobility, visibility and collaboration of Finnish professionals in the arts, culture and research.
What are the Finnish cultural and academic institutes?
- non-governmental bodies promoting co-operation between Finnish and international cultural and academic organisations and professionals
- expert organisations supporting Finnish arts, culture and research around the world
- independent non-profit organisations maintained by a private foundation or fund
What do the institutes do?
- Create and maintain international collaboration and networks for Finnish professionals in the arts, culture and research
- Organise exhibitions, seminars, courses and other events
- Run residency and mobility programs for arts professionals and researchers
- Conduct academic research
- Support international operations of Finnish professionals in the arts and academic research
- Provide information on Finnish culture, research and society
- Collaborate with other Finnish organisations in the Team Finland network and with other European cultural institutes in the EUNIC network (European Union National Institutes for Culture)
Each institute has its own established function. However, the network consisting of the 17 institutes, the organisations maintaining the institutes and The Finnish Cultural and Academic Institutes (SKTI) is constantly evolving. Joint physical and virtual meetings and an ongoing internal dialogue support this development work. In 2024, we will work internally within the network, e.g. by developing ecologically sustainable operational models, by focusing on promoting equality and diversity in the institutes’ work and by developing the institutes’ administration.
The Institute network’s Ecological Guidelines can be found here.
Objectives of the Finnish Cultural and Academic Institutes for the Finnish parliamentary elections 2023 can be found here.
The Finnish Cultural and Academic Institutes oppose racism and discrimination. We promote equality and the diversity of Finnish culture and strive to diversify research and science globally.
The institutes and SKTI are subsidised by the Ministry of Education and Culture in Finland. Their projects receive additional funding from private Finnish and foreign foundations, companies and partners. In Finland, the institutes work closely with the information centres for arts, organisations for culture export, as well as with universities and other higher education institutions.
The Finnish Cultural and Academic Institutes (SKTI) is a Helsinki-based association that supports the institutes’ internal communication and collaboration, and assists the institute network in communications, administration and lobbying in Finland. SKTI represents Finland in the EUNIC network.
The board of the association comprises representatives of the organisations maintaining the institutes and of staff members of the institutes. The board is chaired by Ms Pirita Näkkäläjärvi and — is deputy chair of the board. The other members of the board are Mr Leif Jakobsson, Ms Kati Laakso, Mr Mikko Myllykoski, Ms Eeva Talvitie and Ms Fatim Diarra. Ms Hanna Snellman and Ms Sani Kontula-Webb serve as deputy members of the board. The members are appointed for three years and this period can be extended by three more years.