The International Research Advisory Board urges Uniarts Helsinki to profile its research
The Research Advisory Board (RAB) visited Helsinki in October. The theme of this year’s visit was research profiling.
RAB commended the university’s research community for enhancing collaboration between units. According to the panel, engagement both between academies and with the Research Institute has increased.
The panel also highlighted significant progress in the reform process of research activities and in the coordinated organisation of doctoral programmes.
“Uniarts Helsinki is emerging as a more cohesive organisation aligned with its strategic vision.,” the RAB report states.
In addition to university-level feedback, RAB also provided unit-specific feedback and/or responded to questions from the units.
Strategy for articulating research strengths
RAB’s first and most important recommendation to Uniarts Helsinki and its units is to develop a more expansive, visionary, and ambitious strategy for communicating their research strengths, in alignment with their overarching mission.
“Achieving a more prominent profile will require an institutional framework that systematically supports the articulation of both individual and collective research strengths to diverse external audiences, including funders, industry partners, business sectors, students, and society at large.”
This process should be collaborative and co-creative, enabling UniArts Helsinki and its units to identify and address potential gaps in knowledge production, align the research agenda with creative competencies, and clarify the role of AI and other technologies.
Advisory Group to Support Industry Collaboration
Once strengths have been identified and articulated, Uniarts Helsinki and its units should seek partnerships with businesses. According to the panel, this process requires a formal structure, such as an advisory group comprising representatives from relevant sectors of industry. The group would work together to define shared research goals and implement projects.
Financial Stability for the Research Institute
The panel also recommends allocating a top-sliced budget to the Research Institute, recognising its university-level role in research and providing financial stability while it continues to establish itself.
This budget would be distinct from the funding for specific inter- and transdisciplinary projects, which would continue as before.
RAB also suggests that the structural role of the institute be formally recognised by granting it representation in Uniarts Helsinki’s governing bodies and giving it a mandate to lead university-level initiatives related to the research profiles of the three academies and the university as a whole.
Research profile as a shared responsibility
RAB encourages Uniarts Helsinki to foster a research culture that includes all staff. This culture should be supported through individual mentoring and staff development programmes.
“In this way, research becomes a shared responsibility across the entire organisation,” the report states.
From comprehensive evaluation to research development
In 2021–22, Uniarts Helsinki conducted a comprehensive evaluation of its research, which now serves as the basis for developing research activities and environments. The international Research Advisory Board (2023–2027), appointed by Rector Kaarlo Hildén, supports these development efforts and the units evaluated in the comprehensive review: the Academy of Fine Arts, Sibelius Academy, Theatre Academy, and the Research Institute.
Following the evaluation, RAB visited Helsinki in February 2024 and October 2025. The theme of this year’s visit was research profiling. Annual visits will continue with different themes.