Metropolia’s third quarter 2024: New educational and RDI solutions for building a sustainable future
Metropolia's third-quarter Impact Review highlights Metropolia’s achievements and financial figures. During the third quarter, Metropolia has, among other things, implemented a bilingual nurse degree programme aimed at immigrants, opened a new showroom focusing on the construction industry on the Myllypuro campus, developed a model for participatory RDI partnerships, and continued working on sustainable development, responsibility, and diversity.
“Building a sustainable future at Metropolia is a concrete, daily task. A key part of this work is the continuous reforming and development of existing structures, which we actively do together with our students, staff and stakeholders,” says Metropolia’s President, CEO Riitta Konkola.
Success story of bilingual nursing education
In the bilingual nursing education (TOKASA) developed in cooperation with Tampere University of Applied Sciences, immigrant students learn the Finnish language alongside their professional studies. The goal is for students to graduate as nurses proficient in Finnish. The project and the programme has generated widespread interest, with nearly 13,000 applicants in four rounds of admissions. The TOKASA model speeds up students' entry into the labor market and supports their integration into Finnish society. The Ministry of Education and Culture has provided additional funding to expand the model to other fields of education until 2025.
New showroom and participatory RDI partnership model accelerate new solutions
In June 2024, a new Myllypuro Showroom showcasing new technologies, methods, and materials in the construction sector was opened on the Myllypuro campus. The showroom is backed by the Future Construction Hub TITAN, which is a collaborative project between Metropolia, Aalto University, and Stadin AO. The project aims to raise the visibility and attractiveness of the construction industry and to generate new expertise through research and educational collaboration.
Metropolia has developed a participatory RDI partnership model that is openly accessible to all. In inclusive collaboration, different stakeholders participate in the various phases of the RDI project. Research shows that inclusive cooperation increases the meaningfulness, usability, and impact of RDI activities.
Supporting sustainable development, responsibility, and diversity
Metropolia's goal is to integrate sustainable development into studies so that every student at Metropolia can both address the responsibility challenges of their field and promote sustainable development in their working life and society. Degree programmes have particularly utilized a new sustainable development model that considers ecological, social, cultural, and economic sustainability.
In recent months, Metropolia has been preparing for new environmental responsibility reporting in accordance with the EU directive (CSRD). Although Finnish universities of applied sciences are not required to report according to the CSRD, Metropolia has voluntarily chosen to develop its responsibility reporting to meet the directive's requirements.
Diversity and equality are essential components of social sustainability at Metropolia. A survey on safer space principles was conducted for the entire higher education community in the autumn, and work has begun on a new Diverse and Equal Metropolia plan.
Third quarter’s turnover increased 27,5 % compared to the previous year
Metropolia's revenue in the third quarter was 37.9 million euros, representing a 27.5% increase compared to the previous year (Q3/2023: 29.7 million euros). The third-quarter profit amounted to 10.5 million euros (Q3/2023: 3.1 million euros). The most significant factors contributing to the revenue growth compared to the previous year were the increase in basic funding, the growth in the number of students paying tuition fees, and particularly the revenue from the Digivisio 2030 project, whose use is allocated to the years 2025–2028. The cumulative adjusted profit for the 9-month financial period stands at 5.1 million euros. The adjusted profit takes into account the income funding overpayment by the Ministry of Education and Culture in 2021, which pertains to 2024, as well as the advance payment for the Digivisio 2030 project. The third-quarter profit was particularly boosted by the 7 million euro advance payment for the Digivisio 2030 project.
Read the full Impact Report 3/2024 (available in Finnish).
More information:
Riitta Konkola
President, CEO, Metropolia University of Applied Sciences
Riitta.Konkola [at] metropolia.fi (Riitta[dot]Konkola[at]metropolia[dot]fi)