The project is a cooperation between Joensuu Municipality, Finland, and the High North Center at Nord University Business School in Bodø, Norway. Both Bodø and Joensuu are student cities that attract young people from across the country and around the world to their universities. However, once they complete their education, many graduates tend to move south.
This project aims to better understanding how to encourage more students to stay, live and work in the region.
StayInNorth is funded by Interreg Aurora.
The Interreg Aurora region share various challenges and interests. An ageing population leads to a considerable decrease in tax revenues for social services. There is also a shortage of qualified personnel, which creates an unmet need in the job market and poses a crucial obstacle to regional development.
Maintaining a vibrant population in the northern regions is also important for ensuring Nordic interests in the High North. University cities, like Joensuu and Bodø, play an important role in strengthening the population in the area.
StayInNorth is a small-scale project. Over the six-month project period, we aim to establish a knowledge foundation and build a network of partners and institutions focused on retaining young talent in the area.
We will gather information from research, statistics, and insights from other projects and organizations. Workshops will be organised to share ideas, build connections, and identify common opportunities.
The first planned meeting will be in Bodø on the 3rd of September 2025 at Kraft center for sustainable development. We will meet with partners and organise a workshop to kick-start the project activities. Contact us if you are interested in participating (contact information below).
Further work involves using this foundation in a larger Interreg Aurora project where ideas and knowledge can be transformed into innovative solutions across university cities and other partners in the region.
The primary target group for the project includes regional and local authorities, as well as research institutes in northern university cities.
Another key target group is, of course, the students themselves. The project will directly involve local students and youth organisations in addressing retention issues, allowing them to generate valuable insights the public sector can use.
Joensuu Municipality (Finland) – leading partner
High North Center at Nord University Business School (Norway)
Overall Project lead: Janne Eerola
Project Manager: janne.eerola@joensuu.fi
Project lead in Norway: Maja Wolland Blomberg, PhD student, maja.w.blomberg@nord.no
Project administration in Norway: Andrey Kazakov, Advisor, andrey.kazakov@nord.no