Finnish National BUP-Centre

The Centre for lifelong learning (Centre of Continuing Education) at Åbo Akademi University has functioned as the Finnish National Centre of BUP since the Programme started in 1991. The centre is led by director Paula Lindroos. The main task for the Finnish National centre is to assist and co-operate with the secretariat in Uppsala, to support the Finnish universities participating in the BUP-network, to arrange BUP-courses at Åbo Akademi University and to participate in the development of the Programme.

The national BUP-centre at Åbo Akademi university was during 2004-2006, through fundings via the Finnish Ministry of Education, supporting Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) and the Baltic 21 E, within the whole BUP-Network.

From 2007 Åbo Akademi is within the BUP-Network coordinating the forum "ESD in Higher Education - a national resource centre" also funded by the Finnish Ministry of Education.

The centre is:

• arranging seminars, workshops and conferences (national and for the whole Baltic region) for teachers, researchers and educational planners (on educational and learning methods, case studies, concepts), encouraging and evaluating the implementation of the DESD in higher education.
• maintaining a national BUP webpage for the higher education and a ESD homepage, providing information on references (textbooks, publications, didactic methods), links to networks, departments, course descriptions and other tools promoting education for sustainable development.