UEW Secures Three-Year Erasmus+ Mobility Grant with Finnish University

The University of Education, Winneba (UEW) has secured a three-year Erasmus+ mobility grant in partnership with Tampere University of Applied Sciences (TAMK), Finland, opening new opportunities for students and academic staff to gain international experience and strengthen research collaboration.

The programme will run from 2026 to 2029 and will support academic mobility, knowledge exchange, professional development and cultural experiences between the two institutions.

Under the partnership, academic staff from UEW and TAMK will have opportunities to participate in teaching, professional development and academic collaboration, while students will gain exposure to different academic environments, teaching approaches and international learning experiences.

The partnership is part of UEW’s broader internationalisation agenda and its efforts to establish strategic relationships with leading institutions around the world.

The successful acquisition of the grant followed sustained efforts by Prof. Stephen Jobson Mitchual, Vice-Chancellor of UEW; Prof. Benjamin Ghansah, Vice-Dean of the Faculty of Science Education; and Prof. Enoch Frederick Sam, Director of the Directorate of Research, Innovation and Development (DRID).

The three senior officials travelled to Finland to engage the leadership and relevant representatives of TAMK on the mobility programme and explore wider opportunities for academic, research and innovation collaboration.

During the visit, the UEW delegation met Dr. Ari Sivula, Vice-President of TAMK responsible for Research, Development and Innovation, and Ms. Krista Merikoski, International Coordinator for Erasmus+ funded mobility projects.

Discussions focused on implementing the Erasmus+ programme and building a sustainable institutional partnership that extends beyond student and staff exchanges.

The collaboration is also expected to create opportunities for joint research and innovation in areas including artificial intelligence and machine learning, digital transformation, educational technology, learning analytics, cybersecurity, sustainable development, smart technologies, health technology, agriculture, engineering, entrepreneurship and innovation.

The two institutions could subsequently pursue joint research projects, publications, conferences and seminars, postgraduate research collaborations, researcher exchanges and applications for international research funding.

The partnership is also expected to strengthen postgraduate research at UEW through activities such as joint doctoral seminars, research methodology workshops, researcher mobility, joint supervision and collaborative research teams.

Beyond academia, the collaboration could support industry engagement, innovation and knowledge transfer, with both institutions exploring practical solutions to challenges in Ghana, Finland, Africa and Europe.

UEW’s expertise in education, teacher training and science education complements TAMK’s applied focus on education, research, development, innovation and industry engagement.

The three-year Erasmus+ grant therefore provides UEW with more than mobility opportunities, creating a platform for sustained international cooperation, research, innovation and capacity development.

UEW is expected to begin implementing the mobility programme while exploring additional opportunities to deepen its relationship with TAMK beyond the current grant.