Savotta Staff Week: Exploring HEI Safety & Resilience
18–22 May 2026, Hämeenlinna, Finland
Where does HEI safety and resilience take root? How do we cultivate a genuine sense of safety? How can we co-create new approaches to strengthen safety and resilience? Should we connect to a network for strengthening safety and resilience in European academia?
In an era of uncertainty, fostering resilience and strengthening safety in higher education has never been more crucial. Global changes in politics, climate, and networked reality are shifting our living and working environment towards an uncertain and unpredictable future. New challenges rise, and everything has an effect on everything, including HEI safety and resilience.
As we say in Finland: Siinäpä meillä savottaa! – that’s quite an endeavor. But fortunately, we don’t need to tackle all this on our own. Now is the time to come together, exchange knowledge, and build practical solutions that support the future of HEI safety and resilience in our institutions.
Häme University of Applied Sciences (HAMK) warmly invites you to join us for Savotta Staff Week: Exploring HEI Safety & Resilience in Hämeenlinna, Finland, on 18–22 May 2026.
The programme is tailored especially for university staff working in the fields of safety, security and contingency of higher education institutes, but also other support and academic staff are welcome and will certainly benefit from the participation.
Main Themes and Approaches
The programme focuses on three core themes:
- Sense of Safety and Resilience – Understanding the key elements that foster a safe, secure and adaptable academic environment.
- Applied Learning – Engaging in experience-driven methods such as design-based education and collaborative problem-solving to develop and implement safety solutions.
- Collaborative Solutions – Enhancing inter-institutional cooperation on matters related to HEI safety and resilience, and further to security and preparedness issues across Europe.
The Savotta week features interactive workshops and outdoor experiences designed to inspire new perspectives and practical ideas:
- Insight Sessions – Shared expertise with presentations and discussions on building community-based safety policies and leveraging professional competencies for resilience.
- Co-Creation Sprints – Environmental exploration examining intrinsic safety, natural intelligence, and Finland’s deep-rooted connection to nature through design-based approaches.
- Synergy Building – Collaborative sessions encouraging European cooperation, fostering new professional relationships, and strengthening collegial networks that will extend beyond the event, supporting HEI safety and resilience in the future.
Registration
Registration for the Savotta Staff Week: Exploring HEI Safety and Resilience will open in May 2025 and close on Monday, 2 March 2026. A maximum of 40 places are available.
The registration fee includes the program and social events specified in the programme (subject to change). Dietary restrictions can be accommodated if notified during registration.
The registration fee is as follows:
- Early Bird 395 € (Valid until 31 January 2026)
- Late Registration 450 € (Valid until 2 March 2026)
If you want to get an update on the registration, please send an email to [email protected], and we let you know when it’s time to sing up for Savotta.
Participants are responsible for booking their own accommodation.
You can start to plan your week in our town at Visit Hämeenlinna website here and learn more about our university and campuses here. You can also read about our university’s safety thinking here.
Before registration, you may want to consider the following:
- The week includes outdoor activities, and weather conditions may vary. Bring appropriate clothing and sturdy footwear.
- Some event locations may be challenging to reach for those with mobility limitations. Remote participation is not available. The event emphasises physical attendance to fully engage in HEI safety and resilience practices.
- Participants are expected to follow the university’s code of conduct and the principles of a safer space.
Please bookmark this site and check back regularly to stay updated for further information about the programme, traveling to Hämeenlinna and other important things.
Join us
Be part of a week dedicated to exploring HEI safety and resilience in higher education. Together, we’ll share insights, build meaningful connections, and uncover opportunities for future collaboration!
Event email: [email protected]
Savotta page at Erasmus+ iMotion here.
