CoARA Action Plan 2024 - 2027 Oulu University of Applied Sciences

Oulu University of Applied Sciences (Oamk) is a multidisciplinary and international higher education 
community of 9,000 students and approximately 460 employees. Our close cooperation with companies 
and communities creates the basis for our students’ high-level and up-to-date competence. The 
cornerstones of our operations are transparency, sustainability, and effectiveness. The focus areas of our 
research, development and innovation activities are low-carbon initiatives, digital solutions, and business 
development.

Oulu University of Applied Sciences (Oamk) signed the Agreement on Reforming Research Assessment and 
joined the Coalition for Advancing Research Assessment (CoARA) in 2023. The first steps towards a new 
way to review research and development in Oamk were taken by evaluating the current state of operations 
and requirements of development to be fulfilled to achieve more responsible research and development 
assessment. In the preliminary Action Plan for research and development activities (for both R&D and 
educational activities), the joint title "applied research" is used to emphasize the application-oriented 
nature of the research and development activities of the university of applied sciences compared to the 
academic research of the university field.

In this document, Oamk describes the connection of CoARA Action Plan to other guiding documents, as well 
as presents the implementation plan for the years 2024–2027. The development plan is divided in two 
phases. During the years 2024–2025 Oamk will focus on the building up the required tools, mentoring 
programs, and operating model to be implemented in coming years. The second phase, the years 2026–
2027, will be focusing on the implementation of the Action Plan, evaluations, as well as the further 
development of the Action Plan for the years 2028–2032.