The Academic Profession in Finland: Coping with Academic Duties and Societal Challenges

The academy in Finland has been changing on several fronts in recent years. In the taxonomy being used here, the academic profession comprises those who hold academic positions at universities and polytechnics in Finland’s binary system. Other scholars, however, are to be found in industry and in public sector research institutes, but these have not been considered in this chapter. Scholarly mobility tends to be quite low in Finland, both between higher education institutions and public and private research institutions, and between the university and polytechnic systems within higher education. The new generations demand the same work conditions as those enjoyed elsewhere in society. Younger cohorts want variety in work and duties that will enhance perceptions of their academic progress and merit, to set their own career development before the organisation’s interests. The substantive autonomy encourages researchers to undertake innovative research, in which success is defined at the academic unit level. The procedural point of view of autonomy brings with it the idea that it is not enough for researchers to succeed as independent players, but that they are also a part of university structures.