Research & projects

The project collects data from beehives to provide a basis for informed decisions. In beekeeping, it can help solve issues with honey harvesting, such as timely expansion and timely harvesting. Winter losses can be minimized, and pollination of, for example, apples can be optimized.

Project period

November 1, 2024 – October 31, 2025

Project manager

The Project Manager at Åland University of Applied Sciences is Björn-Erik Zetterman.

Comprehensive Geriatric Assessment Skills Education Programme for Nurses – Can You See the Big Picture? is a project with the main objective to develop a new nursing education curriculum for Comprehensive Geriatric Assessment, which will be offered in the form of continuing and life learning education courses, and which is possible to be integrated into HEI, universities’, and VET institutions’ degree programmes.

The CGA education curriculum’s purpose is to bridge the geriatric assessment skills gap of nurses. The new curriculum improves the quality and relevance of nursing skills by introducing new CGA skills requirements and elements of entrepreneurship (homecare service provision) in the studies. By using authentic work-based learning as well as immersive digital 3D simulations, the project aims to make nursing education an attractive choice for both the nurses upskilling themselves as well as future degree programme students. The consortium brings together HEI, universities and VET providers, along with a company providing homecare service, a hospital, a health-centre, and a company specializing in creating virtual learning environments.

The project is funded by Erasmus+ Alliances for Innovation.

Project partners

• Turku AMK, Finland (lead)
• LudusXR, Denmark
• Nosileia Tora, Greece
• Riga Stradins University, Latvia
• Tallinn Health Care Collage, Estonia
• University of Iceland, Iceland
• University of Thessaly, Greece
• VARHA Southwest Finland’s Wellbeing Services County

Project period

April 1, 2024 – March 31, 2027

Project manager

The Big Picture Project Manager at Åland University of Applied Sciences is Anna Lundberg.

Email: annasofia.lundberg@ha.ax

Phone number: +358 (0)18 537 708

The Digital Island project aims to enhance self-reliance and resilience in European island regions through
digital technology. The project’s goal is to help island regions increase their use of digital practices and solutions in all parts of island life, with an emphasis on three main areas: business and industry, public services and facilities, and quality of life.

The project has partners from island regions across the European Union: Fryslân (Netherlands), Mallorca (Spain), Azores (Portugal), Madeira (Portugal), La Réunion (France), Mayotte (France), Cres (Croatia), and the South Aegean Region (Greece).

Project period

April 1, 2024 – March 31, 2028.

Project managers

Project Managers at Åland University of Applied Sciences is Anna-Lena Groos and Anna Lundberg.

You can read more about Sustainable flow here.

The goal of this project is to accelerate the development of Åland University of Applied Sciences’ competitiveness after the pandemic, through the development of digital blended learning pedagogy and the digitalization of the university’s study administrative system.

The staff’s expertise is being enhanced through professional development, particularly in modernized pedagogy for teachers. Team E-Hub is working to provide teachers, other staff, and students with the best possible digital working conditions. Within the framework of the project, digital tools will be updated, and new labs in the field of renewable energy will be developed and acquired. In addition to this, E-Hub is contributing to the digitalization of the university’s administrative management system. The team also supports the development of a new bachelor’s degree program and a completely new master’s program in technology, focusing on renewable energy and automation.

The project is the largest of its kind ever undertaken at the university, with a total budget of 2.7 million euros. It is funded through the EU’s Recovery and Resilience Facility (RRF) and the funds are managed through the Åland Government’s Department of Economic Affairs.

Project period

Åland University of Applied Sciences has been part of the GERDA project since 2020, which stands for Gerontological Regional Database and is an interdisciplinary research collaboration between universities in Sweden and Finland. The aim is to study and promote the health and living conditions of the elderly. The project conducted surveys among elderly individuals born in 1955, 1950, 1945, 1940, 1935, and 1930 in Västerbotten, Österbotten, and Southern Österbotten in the fall of 2021, and on Åland Islands in 2022. The results from Åland Islands are compiled in the university’s report series. In 2025, a new data collection is planned in the form of home visits to people who are 85, 90, 95 years old, and older. Erika Boman is the university’s representative on the steering committee and the contact person for the project on Åland.

Read more about GERDA.

Light in the Dark – Increasing resilience in rural and coastal tourism in the northern Baltic Sea Region by developing off-season experiences is a large, transnational project involving universities, small and medium-sized enterprises, and development organizations from Finland, Sweden, Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania.

The project is funded by Interreg Baltic Sea Region. The project aims to create new services for modern and environmentally conscious tourists with an interest for nature, to extend the tourist season and attract visitors to the northern Baltic Sea Region outside of the summer season. The project focuses on expertise in business development and service development.

Åland University of Applied Sciences has produced the Challenge Inventory report for this project, you can read it in spread format here and in page format here.

Project partners

• Åland University of Applied Sciences
• Cursor Oy
• Klaipeda University
• Kurzeme Planning region
• Visit Åland
• Visit Stockholm
• Stockholm Archipelago
• Hiiumaa Development Center
• Estonian University of Life Sciences
• Estonian Rural Tourism

Project period

November 1, 2023 – October 31, 2026.

Project manager

For more information, please contact Project Manager Helena von Schoultz.

Read more about the project here.

The aim of the project Kolsänkor på Åland is to increase the level of knowledge about carbon sinks, and make an estimation of carbon sinks for Åland. Further the aim is to provide proposals for concrete measures to maintain existing carbon sinks and possibly increase the carbon sequestration. The results from this project can form the basis for political decisions regarding the possibilities and consequences of preserving and increasing the carbon sinks on Åland.

The project is funded by the Rural Development Fund.

Sustainable Flow is a Central Baltic Interreg project where The Åland University of Applied Sciences is a partner with seven other partners in the Baltic region. The project aims to reduce CO2-emissions in the project’s seven pilot ports and also develop an online open-access tool to assist in the process. Investments in solar panels and demonstrating the effect they have on CO2-reduction is also part of the actions in the project.

The project involves institutions from Sweden, Finland, Estonia and Latvia. The Åland University of Applied Sciences is one of the project partners and SAMK, Satakunta University of Applied Sciences, is lead partner. The project is funded by Interreg Baltic Sea Region.

Project partners

• SAMK – Satakunta University of Applied Sciences, Finland
• Åland University of Applied Sciences, Åland
• Fintraffic VTS, Finland
• Sjöfartsverket – the Swedish Maritime Administration, Sweden
• Swedish Confederation of Transport Enterprises, Sweden
• ITDA, International Transport Development Association, Latvia
• TalTech, Tallinn University of Technology, Estonia

The ports of Raumo, Pori, Mariehamn, Tallinn, Riga, Oxelösund and Norrköping are the pilot ports for the project.

Project period

May 1, 2023 – May 31, 2026.

Project manager

Project Manager at Åland University of Applied Sciences is Mattias Eriksson.

You can read more about Sustainable flow here.

Taste tourism in the Åland Islands aims to increase profitability and visibility for food tourism operators in the Åland Islands through sustainable commercialization of taste products and taste services. Together with a network of local actors, the project will create cooperation and coordination between actors in the value chain, so we can develop taste tourism in the Åland Islands together.

The main purpose of the Taste tourism-project is to sustainably commercialize taste products and taste services resulting in increased profitability and visibility for and demand among small and medium-sized entrepreneurs in the taste tourism segment. This goal is achieved through several sub-goals:

• Determine a strategy for Taste tourism.
• Increase and consolidate cooperation between actors active in taste tourism and through this also package existing products and services into new and flexible tourism products.
• Expand the range of bookable tasting experiences and easily accessible food and beverage products as well as tasting events.
• Create a digital platform that works externally.
• Commercialize the Axgan-brand.
• Increase the awareness of the taste culture in the Åland Islands.
• Identify and support an actor who can take responsibility for the operation and further development after the end of the project.

The project is owned by Högskolan på Åland and is co-funded by the European Union. It has a project manager, a steering committee, six working groups (Strategy for taste tourism, Axgan, Taste package, Digital platform, Events and Research around taste tourism) and a network.

The Taste Tourism Network

The Taste Tourism network consists today of 13 members from the taste tourism industry. It is a living network that is supplemented when necessary. By participating in the network, members receive information about the progress of the project and can also give their input, be involved and influence the project’s outcome.

• Landsbygdsutvecklaren vid Ålands Landsbygdscentrum
• Visit Åland rf
• Ålands Näringsliv rf Turism- och restaurangutskott
• Företagsam Skärgård rf
• Skördefestens Vänner rf
• Ålands Fiskodlarförening rf
• Ålands Fiskare rf
• Ålands producentförbund rf
• Lokalkraft Leader Åland rf
• Ålands Yrkesgymnasium
• Mathantverkare på Åland rf
• Ny Nordisk Mat Åland

Project period

September 1, 2024 – August 31, 2027.

Project manager

For more information or to volunteer to participate in the project’s network, contact project manager Jenni Laapotti.

E-mail: jenni.laapotti@ha.ax

Telephone +358 (0)18 537 767

Open competition for food craftsmen that leads to product development and knowledge exchange. The competition is arranged on Åland islands 18-20 March 2021 with competitors from Åland, all areas of the Nordic region and the Baltic countries. The purpose of the national competitions in food crafts is to preserve and develop local food cultures, make the food craft known and stimulate its development. The Association Mathantverkarna i Finland r.f. owns the rules for the competition. A contest motivates the food craftsmen to develop their company and their products as they receive feedback from a jury consisting of experts and consumers. The event promotes Åland islands as a food destination and leads to collaboration between educations and rural entrepreneurs on Åland. In connection with the contest, free seminars are arranged for visitors. An overarching theme for the seminars is sustainability.

The project “Active Ageing Online” introduced a new support service within the geriatric care on the Åland Islands as a qualitative and economically profitable complement to traditional home care.

The project started in March 2013 and ended in February 2015.

During the course of the project the goals were to implement the support service in a minimum of 10 municipalities and to have at least 50 elderly included in the use of the service, to have it used within the health service system and to have teaching of the subject included in the curriculum in the upper secondary school level education for practical nurses.

Åland University of Applied Sciences led the project. Ålands Yrkesgymnasium; programme for Lifestyle and Health, Nya Apoteket, Central Apoteket, the Public Health Activity House (Folkhälsans Allaktivitetshus) and the municipalities of Eckerö, Brändö, Jomala, Föglö and Mariehamn also participated in the project.

The project was financed by The Government of Åland (Ålands Landskapsregering)

The Bergkulla foundation granted the Åland University of Applied Sciences a grant of 20 000 € per year during 2012, 2013 and 2014 for a biogas project. The university employed a project manager to lead the project which is gave the teachers at the technology programmes additional possibilities for further education.

Project owner was Åland University of Applied Sciences and it was financed by The Bergkulla Foundation.

In 2012 and 2013 the Åland University of Applied Sciences participated in the EU project Intermar together with 17 other maritime colleges and universities with language training as a specialty. The goal of this project was for seafarers to use more languages on board and in contact with other nationalities.

Related languages are understandable when used in specific contexts, both oral situations and texts. With that attitude, life-long learning of several languages and deeper understanding of other cultures becomes inevitable. Improved communication will be a consequence of this. The fact that English remains the professional maritime language is a given thing, but in many situations, good communication fails due to a single-minded belief that anything that is not English is incomprehensible.

Sustainability in Finance, SuFi, is a Central Baltic Interreg project that started in the spring of 2020. The Aland University of Applied Sciences is one of the partners in this project.

The goal with the SuFi project is to develop a vocational Sustainability in Finance open online module for vocational education and training (VET) by involving students, teachers and stakeholders in new competence and modular development. The outcome of SuFi project is an open online finance module (15 etc) within business education to meet new competence needs. The module will be rooted in all partner institutions and made available for all, on an open educational platform (Moodle).

More information about the project can be found at www.sufi.fi.