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SAC strengthens its links to Finland

SAC’s links to Finland were strengthened on 17 August when the Finnish Ambassador to the United Kingdom and 16 members of the Finnish ‘Middle of the Road Foundation’ visited the Edinburgh campus.

Organised by Dr Sarah Skerratt, a senior researcher and Team Leader of Rural Society Research within SAC’s Land Economy and Environment Research Group, the visit allowed SAC to showcase its wide-ranging activity and to highlight some key projects currently being carried out in partnership with Finland. These include:

  • A collaboration with the University of Helsinki focusing on sustainable development
  • The DESERVE Project with a number of partners, including the University of Oulu which aims to improve the viability of service provision in rural areas of both Scotland and Finland
  • Joint working on the European O4O project to provide services and support for older people in remote, rural and peripheral communities

The Middle of the Road Foundation exists to promote understanding between Finland’s rural and urban populations through economic and academic research and various cultural activities. Its visit to SAC was part of an urban-rural relations fact-finding tour of Scotland. The Finnish Ambassador, Pekka Juhani Huhtaniemi, joined the group and was keen to hear more about the ongoing links between SAC and Finland.

Reino Ruusunen, the Deputy Spokesman for Central Europe in the Finnish Parliament organised the Finnish side of the visit. He said: “All the visitors really enjoyed hearing about SAC and its links with Finland and there were many aspects of the visit that they found really interesting and useful. The Ambassador was also plans to hear more in the future about SAC’s relationship with Finland.”
Dr Skerratt said: “The visit by the Ambassador and the Middle of the Road Foundation was a great opportunity to exchange knowledge and experience. SAC’s collaboration with partners in Finland continues to be very important for us, as we learn much about the similarities and differences between our two countries.

“We both face similar challenges of remoteness, demographic change, and service provision – and we both have similar opportunities through the capacity of people on the ground and the policies supporting them.”

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