About us
The Baltic University Programme (BUP) is one of the largest university cooperations in the world, with more than 100 participating universities in the Baltic Sea Region, cooperating for education and research in Sustainable Development and Democracy.
The Baltic University Programme strives to find novel ways of interaction among universities and between universities and society. The main aim is to enhance strong regional educational and research communities but also to foster a greater awareness of our focus areas. The BUP focuses on questions of sustainable development, environmental protection, and democracy in the Baltic Sea Region. We support the key role that universities play in a democratic, peaceful, and sustainable development.
Group of students and teachers at a BUP Student Conference. Photo: Sylwester Nagórka
Our aim is achieved by being an open and inclusive organisation, developing and offering university courses, trainings, and conferences, supporting multi- and interdisciplinary research cooperations, and by participating in transdisciplinary projects in cooperation with authorities, municipalities, and others. We offer research themes intended as a source of information where BUP colleagues both collect and submit material. Our hope is that this will lead to more visibility and cooperation among researchers, teachers, and students.
The Baltic University Programme logotype. The logotype shows the earth and a satellite focusing on the Baltic Sea Region. This is our history, reflecting on how the BUP set up satellite TV arrangements in the early 1990’s. An innovative approach to teaching and networking is as much part of our legacy as it is how we wish to continue working with our aims in the future.
Introduction video about the BUP
Baltic Sea Region university cooperation since 1991
The Baltic University Programme has been around since the early 1990's, actively working for sustainable development and democracy in the Baltic Sea Region. Throughout the years, thousands of students, teachers, researchers and others have taken part in courses, conferences, projects, exchanges, excursions, sails, seminars, workshops and much more. Activities that are still ongoing today.
A photo from one of the first BUP student conferences during the early 1990s, held in the lecture hall at Lodz University of Technology Campus in Rogow, Poland. Photo: BUP archive
Structure of the Programme
The Programme is coordinated by The Baltic University Programme's Coordinating Secretariat at Uppsala University, Sweden. Moreover, three BUP Associated Secretariats have specialized tasks. An integral part of our organisation are the BUP National Centres who deal with the network coordination and student interaction in each BUP country. The long term development and the strategy of the BUP is attended to by the BUP International Board.
Contact information to the BUP organisational units.
Participating universities
From 2016 The Baltic University Programme is an organisation of participating universities in the Baltic Sea Region. The annual fee of €1250 entitles the participating university to send it's members to BUP activities, courses and conferences. Researchers, teachers and students from a participating university will get access to all of our activities.
Map of the location of the BUP Secretariats and participating universities. The black line denotes the drainage area of the Baltic Sea. Each blue dot mark one or several participating universities. The blue squares marks the location of the Secretariats.
Flagship project in the EU Strategy for the Baltic Sea Region (EUSBSR)
The BUP is pleased to partake as a flagship project in the policy area of education as part of the EU Strategy for the Baltic Ses Region (EUSBSR). Policy action processes, also known as flagships are designed to successfully deliver on the EUSBSR action plan. These are created to bring together key stakeholders to develop solutions to regional challenges. Having a collaborative focus is a key aspect of these flagships. The BUP is the oldest and largest regional programme for universities with a focus on sustainable regional development and contributes actively to this forum.