Projects at Novia UAS

About the project

KERÄ - for sustainable rural areas and a just transition (2024–2027) is a rural policy network that focuses on current sustainability issues at the national, regional, and local levels, and highlights all aspects of sustainability: ecological, social, cultural, and economic.

The network strengthens the Sustainability Week operational model as a platform for sustainability dialogues in rural areas. It promotes the ability of municipalities and organizations to incorporate various subareas of sustainable development into their own activities with the help of information and tools. KERÄ enhances diverse dialogue nationally, regionally, and locally. The network operates bilingually (Swedish/Finnish).

The network project is carried out in collaboration between the Association of Rural Advisory Centres (Svenska Lantbrukssällskapens Förbund), Novia University of Applied Sciences, and the Association for Rural Culture and Education (Maaseudun Sivistysliitto).

Project goal

The network's objectives are to:

Expand Sustainability Week into a nationwide operational model for sustainability work;

Develop mechanisms to enhance regional equality in sustainability matters;

Promote the development of indicators for monitoring place-based sustainability solutions and local initiatives;

Integrate sustainability efforts into the regular activities of organizations and municipalities;

Promote justice and inclusion in matters related to land use, the energy transition, and the digital transition;

Collect and disseminate information on rural sustainability issues at the regional and national levels.