Decisions are made by the director of the institute together with the dean. We follow the strategy and policies of the University of Helsinki and the guidelines laid down by our national executive board and an advisory board appointed by the rector of the University of Helsinki.The study programmes have their own executive boards representing partner universities. The staff and students of the Aleksanteri Institute play an important role in decision making.
The Aleksanteri Institute was founded in 1996 as an independent research institute at the University of Helsinki and affiliated to the Faculty of Humanities in 2016. We share the strategy of the University of Helsinki and its policies in HR and financial management, and support the Faculty of Humanities in reaching its goals. The institute is represented in the faculty council as well as diverse sectoral councils at the university.
The task of the National Steering Group is to:
1. promote and develop research, teaching, and societal interaction related to the Institute’s national mandate and to represent the Institute’s national forms of activity and networks;
2. promote the development of the Institute’s international activities. The term of office of the Steering Group is four years.
The Director of the Institute appoints the members of the Steering Group based on a proposal by the Institute’s executive team. The Director appoints the Chair of the Steering Group, and the Steering Group elects a Vice Chair from among its members. The Steering Group meets at least once a year.
The Steering Group consists of up to 20 members. Members are appointed so that 5–6 of the Steering Group members come from the faculties of the University of Helsinki, including one representative elected from among the Institute’s staff. Representatives from the University of Helsinki are appointed from disciplines that are central to the Institute’s activities. Other members come from the University of Helsinki’s partner organisations, including other Finnish universities.
The Institute has an advisory board that consists of distinguished members representing business, public administration, politics, the media and the academic community. Its task is to evaluate the Institute's activities, give recommendations on these activities and maintain the Institute's connections to research communities, the business sector and public administration.
The Rector of the Helsinki University appoints the members of the advisory committee for a 4-year term. Currently the advisory board consists of the following members:
Chair of the Advisory Board
Herlin, Ilkka, Vice Chair, Cargotec Ltd
Vicechair
Viljanen, Ritva, Mayor (3/2018–8/2023), City of Vantaa
The Aleksanteri Institute functions as a unit of the Faculty of Humanities at the University of Helsinki. The annual budget of the Aleksanteri Institute is c. 4 M€, roughly one third of which is designated by the Ministry of Education and Culture for the institute's national coordination task and roughly one third comes from various external funding sources such as the Academy of Finland and other Finnish and international sources.