Closing Seminar 1–2 October 2026

The closing seminar of Future Challenges in the Nordics takes place in Hotel Pier 4 in Helsinki, Finland 1–2 October. The seminar is for invitees only.

Programme

Thursday 1 October

10:00 Registration opens

12:00 Lunch

13:00 Opening of the conference
The Nordic Countries and the EU in a New Trade Policy Era
Keynote by Anders Ahnlid, Diplomat, Director-General at the National Board of Trade Sweden

13:45 Coffee

14:15 Parallel sessions (open panel discussions with project researchers and commentators)

Session 1: Balancing Power: Trust, Tech, and the Future of Governance

Stefan Larsson, PI, Automated Administration: Governance of Automated Decision-Making in the Public Sector
Elena Raviola, PI, Digital Nordic Borders
Jacob Sohlberg, PI, The Future of Diverse and Disadvantaged Neighborhoods in the Nordic Welfare States — The Voices of Residents

Commentator:
Jan Erik Grindheim, professor of political science, University of South-Eastern Norway, affiliated to the liberal think tank Civita

Session 2: Who Carries the System? Labour, Elites and Inequality
Markus Jäntti, Tackling Precarious and Informal Work in the Nordic Countries.
Hanna Kuusela, PI, Keeping New Money on Board: The New Nordic Wealth Elites and the Future of the Welfare Model.
Karin Creutz, Ethnic Stereotypes Over Time: A Nordic Comparison.

Commentators:
Kaisa Kepsu, Head of Operations at the Nordic Welfare Centre
Ari Evwaraye, CEO of the Solutions Fund Effekt

16:00 You've Got Results – Now What?
Communication workshop for members of the research projects, led by Heli Suominen, Head of Media Department, Council of Europe

18:30 Dinner

Friday 2 October

10:00 Mind the Gap: Bridging Academic Freedom, Research and Political Decision‑Making
Keynote by Veronika Honkasalo, member of the Finnish Parliament and Chair of The Society of Scientists and Parliament Members TUTKAS

10:45 Coffee

11:15 Parallel sessions (open panel discussions with project researchers and commentators)

Session 3: Green Shifts: Energy, Innovation and the Nordic Path Forward

Erland Mårald, PI, Peripheral Visions: When Global Agendas meet Nordic Energy Peripheries
Linda Soneryd, PI, Fossil Free Futures – Divestment across the Nordic Countries

Commentators:

Tomas Kåberger, professor of industrial energy policy, Chalmers university of technology and Blekinge university of technology
Kalle Nieminen, director of innovations at the Finnish Innovation Fund Sitra, board member, Tiina and Antti Herlin Foundation

Session 4: Across Generations: Education, Youth and Ageing in Transition

Fritjof Sahlström, PI, Nordic Basic Schools as Past, Present and Future Sites for Solving the Challenges of Making Diverse Inclusive Knowledge-based Societies.
Kaisa Vehkalahti, PI, The Future of Nordic Youth in Rural Regions.
Helena Sandberg, PI, Demography and Democracy: Healthy Ageing in a Digital World.

Commentators:

Anna Ekström, Chair of RIO, Sveriges folkhögskolor, Rörelse- och regionägda folkhögskolor i samverkan
Niklas Wahlström, Head of Educational Activities, Svenska folkskolans vänner