Connecting Sápmi and La Araucanía through learning, research and Indigenous participation
Funded by the Team Finland Knowledge Programme and led by Dr. Saara Alakorva, the LAIC project will develop collaborative learning and research on Indigenous governance, political participation and public decision-making in Sápmi and La Araucanía.
The collaborative project Learning Across Indigenous Contexts: Advancing Community Participation in Public Policy, Chile–Finland (LAIC) of the University of Lapland and Universidad Católica de Temuco (Chile) has been awarded funding through the Finnish National Agency for Education’s Team Finland Knowledge (TFK) Programme for 2026–2028.
The project is led by Dr. Saara Alakorva (University of Lapland), who, in addition to her work at the MultiBEING, serves as a postdoctoral researcher in the Sámipolity project, funded by the Research Council of Finland. Alakorva’s expertise lies in Indigenous and Sámi politics, as well as questions of governance.
LAIC aims to strengthen Indigenous participation in public decision-making, increase understanding of Indigenous knowledge systems, and build long-term collaboration between universities and communities in Finland and Chile.
As part of the project, a joint international course will be delivered through online and project-based learning. Students from both countries and diverse communities will explore Indigenous governance, political participation and public decision-making in Sápmi and the Mapuche territory of La Araucanía.
Preparatory work begins in August by Saara Alakorva and Tiina Seppälä, together with other MultiBEING team members at the University of Lapland. From the University of Helsinki team, Pirjo Kristiina Virtanen will also participate in the project.
At Universidad Católica de Temuco, the project is steered by international relations experts Sebastián Muñoz Salinas and Moisés Esteban Morales Yáñez.
We are excited to contribute to responsible and impactful collaboration that connects Indigenous peoples, higher education institutions and societies across geographical boundaries.
Photo: A ruka, inspired by traditional Mapuche architecture, on the campus of Universidad Católica de Temuco in Chile.
📷: Universidad Católica de Temuco
More information on the Team Finland Knowledge Programme is available here.
