From 27 to 31 October, staff and students from Kaunas kolegija Higher Education Institution visited Tampere University of Applied Sciences (TAMK) in Finland. The visit marked the first Blended Intensive Programme (BIP) for staff organised by the European University Alliance UNINOVIS, bringing together representatives from higher education institutions in Lithuania, France, Germany, the Netherlands, Albania and Finland.

Kaunas kolegija was represented by Jolanta Valiaugienė, Coordinator for Development of International Partnerships/UNINOVIS project manager at Kauno kolegija; Dr Giedrė Jarienė, Vice-Dean for Studies at the Faculty of Medicine; Dr Kristina Grumadaitė, Research Quality Coordinator; Dr Jonas Cicėnas, Lecturer and Researcher at the Faculty of Computing, Engineering and Technologies; Assoc. Prof. Dr Jonas Cicėnas, Project Coordinator Lina Navalinskaitė; Šarūnė Ramanavičė, Communication Coordinator at the Alytus Faculty.

The visit to Tampere University of Applied Sciences provided an excellent opportunity to learn more about the experiences of partner institutions in conducting research, fostering innovation, and developing successful projects. Participants also explored various support systems that enhance institutional sustainability and international competitiveness.

In addition, the event offered valuable insights into integrating blended learning and internationalisation strategies into higher education programmes, with a focus on strengthening the links between academic teaching, research and innovation.

‘It was both interesting and highly valuable to learn about Tampere University of Applied Sciences’ experience in implementing UNINOVIS activities across the institution and its departments. It was also useful to familiarise ourselves with its organisational structure, upcoming project development plans and other initiatives, as well as to discuss how the joint activities between Kaunas kolegija and Tampere University of Applied Sciences could be further developed’, shares J. Valiaugienė, UNINOVIS project manager at Kauno kolegija.

‘I was most inspired by the extensive project management experience demonstrated by our partners – in both successfully completed and ongoing projects. I was particularly impressed by their systematic approach to planning, coordination and achieving results, as well as their openness in sharing good practices and experiences. Such a culture of collaboration and continuous improvement encourages learning, idea exchange and the application of effective solutions in one’s professional activities’, noted L. Navalinskaitė.

The event programme included seminars, academic discussions and workshops organised into two main strands: BIP, Collaborative Online International Learning (COIL) – focusing on virtual and blended mobility and institutional internationalisation – and Research, Development and Innovation (RDI), which centred on collaborative research processes and institutional capacity building. Participants also took part in networking activities and joint sessions with students from the parallel blended intensive programme Cyber4Care, which also involved students from Kaunas kolegija. The programme concluded with an interdisciplinary hackathon focused on digital innovation and cybersecurity in healthcare.

This intensive learning week in Finland marks the first of four Blended Intensive Programme (BIP) cycles within the UNINOVIS alliance, united by a common thematic direction ‘Service-based Learning between Higher Education and Business: Data-driven Sustainable Solutions’. Each annual BIP will be hosted by a different partner higher education institution, combining online preparation, interdisciplinary collaboration, and physical mobility with the analysis of sustainability challenges presented by associated partner companies. In the third year of the alliance, the intensive programme will take place in Lithuania, where Kauno kolegija HEI will host a BIP focused on addressing sustainability challenges in logistics and sales services. The entire four-year cycle of intensive programmes is dedicated not only to collecting and analysing data across different business sectors, but also to developing recommendations for social partners and strengthening sustainable study models within the alliance institutions.