LUMA Centre Finland is a network of 11 Finnish universities

Our goal is to inspire and encourage children and young people to study and engage with STEM subjects (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) through science education. We do this mainly by organizing study visits to universities, developing experimental work instructions for schools, and offering science clubs and camps. We also support lifelong learning of teachers, from early childhood education to higher education, across Finland, and strengthen the research-based development of teaching practices.

13 regional LUMA centres

LUMA Centre Finland serves as the umbrella organization for the regional LUMA centres located in all Finnish universities of science and technology. Some of the centres are also situated in universities of applied sciences. Åbo Akademi is responsible for coordinating the national Swedish-language activities of LUMA Centre Finland. In total, there are 13 regional LUMA centres across the country.

National task

LUMA Centre Finland has been granted a national task by the Ministry of Education and Culture for the period 2025–2028. This nationwide mandate aims to ensure a strong future for STEM competence and teacher education, while also enhancing Finland’s competitiveness. The funding for the national task is distributed among all 13 LUMA centres. The task is evaluated based on the centres’ annual goals, as well as through self-assessments and peer reviews.

This is already the third term during which the network has been assigned a national task. For the upcoming period 2025–2028, the network has set the following goals for itself:

The network utilizes the latest research to develop its activities and introduces scientific research to children, young people, and teachers. It also strengthens STEM competence and awareness of LUMA activities among students in education and teaching fields.
The network organizes high-quality study visits that utilize the unique strengths of each university. The implementation methods and operational models of these visits take into account both geographical and socio-economic accessibility.
The network offers high-quality continuing education tailored to identified needs. Whenever possible, the training programs are carried out in collaboration with both local and international partners, and teachers are engaged as part of the LUMA ecosystem. The network also participates in sector events, such as the Educa fair.
The network offers opportunities for children and young people to engage in science and technology activities during their free time. The activities are designed to promote equal and equitable access, with a particular focus on gender and immigrant backgrounds. To ensure accessibility, the network collaborates with regional stakeholders, including youth services and libraries.

Our activities in numbers during the national task period 2021–2024

Our activities engaged approximately 100,000 individuals annually. For comparison, during our national task period from 2017 to 2020, we reached around 61,300 people per year.
We provided in-service teacher training to an average of 4,600 teachers each year.
We published an average of 130 research papers annually (50 per year from 2017 to 2020).
Our science and technology classrooms and LUMAlabs welcomed an average of 34,000 pupils and teachers for study visits each year (20,000 annually from 2017 to 2020).
We organized events and workshops that supported education, with an average annual participation of 34,000 pupils and teachers.
Our after-school activities, including summer camps and science clubs, reached 3,400 children and young people each year.

Read the report on the national task for the period 2021–2024 from this link.

For more detailed information on the reach of our activities, please refer to our annual reports. We archive reports that are more than three years old. Please contact us if you would like to access the annual reports from 2014 to 2021 (these are available in Finnish).

Annual Report for 2024
Annual Report for 2023
Annual Report for 2022

We co-design new approaches through collaboration

LUMA Centre Finland promotes interaction among various actors in the fields of mathematics, natural sciences, and technology, and aims to build sustainable models of collaboration. The centre brings together pupils, students, and teachers across all levels of education, from early childhood to university, as well as children and young people outside of school, their guardians, and other societal stakeholders such as companies and communities.

Students studying to become early childhood, classroom, or subject teachers play a significant role in the activities of the LUMA centres. We support teachers’ lifelong learning from the beginning of their university studies through training and courses. Many LUMA activities, such as study visits to science classrooms and LUMAlabs, are planned and guided by teacher students. Depending on the discipline or subject, student involvement may be part of degree studies and research, or it may involve paid work alongside their studies.

Research is closely connected to nearly all of our activities. The methods of science education themselves are studied and developed based on the latest research findings. The impact of our activities is examined by collecting data from participating children, young people, guardians, and teachers.

All our activities aim to follow the principles of sustainable development, which are reflected in choices such as material selection, energy consumption, waste reduction and recycling, as well as avoiding unnecessary travel for meetings. Explore our commitment to sustainable development on the Sitoumus 2050 website.

History of LUMA Centre Finland

There has been active LUMA activity in Finland since 1996. The so-called LUMA project of the Finnish National Board of Education aimed to develop mathematics and science education from 1996 to 2002. In 2003, the work continued under the name Development Program for Mathematics and Science.

The first LUMA Centre was established in 2003

The first LUMA Centre was established at the University of Helsinki on December 9, 2003, and its opening ceremony was held in Helsinki on February 28, 2004. The founding steering group of the centre included representatives from the University of Helsinki’s Faculty of Biological and Environmental Sciences, Faculty of Behavioural Sciences, and Faculty of Science; the City of Helsinki Education Department (representing municipalities); the Chemical Industry Federation of Finland; the Finnish Forest Industries Federation; the Finnish National Agency for Education; the Ministry of Education; the Economic Information Office; and the Technology Industries of Finland.

According to the centre’s strategy (2005), the centre was defined as an umbrella organization for cooperation between schools, universities, and industry, to promote the learning, studying, and teaching of STEM subjects and themes at all levels. One of the goals of the national LUMA Centre was to strengthen LUMA activities throughout Finland. To achieve this goal, LUMA Centres have been established in connection with various universities and university consortia across Finland since 2007.

The LUMA Advisory Board Initiating Activities

In 2009, the Advisory Board for Mathematics and Science, appointed by the Finnish National Agency for Education, recommended strengthening LUMA activities in Finland through a joint network of LUMA Centres across different higher education institutions. To achieve this goal, a national LUMA Advisory Board was established at the University of Helsinki in 2010. Its mandate was to draft a national LUMA strategy as a foundation for LUMA activities and to agree on priority areas, national and international cooperation projects, and their funding, as well as joint communication and research related to the activities. Additionally, it aimed to share experiences on different operating models.

LUMA Centre Finland began its operations in 2013

Encouraged by the Ministry of Education and Culture, Finnish universities decided to strengthen the network at the beginning of 2014 by establishing LUMA Centre Finland as a coordinated network. The Ministry of Education and Culture officially inaugurated the centre on 8 November 2013. Its mission was to serve as an umbrella organization for the LUMA centres at Finnish universities, enhancing and promoting their activities and collaboration both nationally and internationally.

As of February 1, 2025, Professor Jan Lundell from the University of Helsinki serves as the director of the network. From 2013 to 2025, the role was held by Professor Maija Aksela, who founded the first LUMA Centre and the entire network. She continues to be involved in LUMA activities as the LUMA Science Ambassador and still carries out some shared responsibilities.