UH is the largest and most versatile university in Finland. It includes eleven faculties. High-level research is carried out at the departments of the faculties and departmentally affiliated research stations, as well as at independent research institutes. The Academy of Finland has designated 12 units of the University of Helsinki as National Centres of Excellence in Research for 2000-2005 and 11 units for 2002-2007. The University of Helsinki is a member of the League of the European Research Universities (LERU).

The Centre for Research on Networked Learning and Knowledge Building is in the Department of Psychology in UH. Ten researchers and research assistants (background in psychology, education, computer science, and philosophy) are working in the centre that has obtained a central role both in Finnish and European research on CSCL and CSCW. The centre has been carrying out intensive case studies on CSCL in primary, secondary and university level education, and has been responsible of evaluating and supporting two large, provincial, ICT projects in Finland. The centre has participated in several EC projects (CL-Net, evaluation of NetD@ys 1999, Evaluating the European Virtual School Manager Center, WebTV, ITCOLE, CELEBRATE, eRNIST , P2P), and has conducted numerous national research projects funded by the Academy of Finland, Finnish National Fund for Research and Development, Finnish Technology Development Agency and Scandinavian NordUnet2 program. The centre was centrally involved in the pedagogical design of FLE software funded by NordUnet2 programme and EC’s IST program.

The Center for Activity Theory and Developmental Work Research is a research unit at HU and one of the Academy of Finland centres of excellence 2000-2005. It conducts research in work, technology and organizations going through transformations. The methodology of developmental work research relies on interventions aimed at helping practitioners analyse and redesign their activity systems. The theoretical framework is cultural-historical activity theory in which the idea of expansive learning is of central importance. The Center has five research groups and a graduate school with 30 full-time doctoral students. Partner organizations range from industrial plants to schools and hospitals, from post offices to media companies and biotechnological research and development networks.

Helsingin yliopisto is responsible for the overall co-ordination of the project. It leads WP8 and conducts research especially in higher education organisations, participates as a research partner in WP10 and conducts research in workplaces, and contributes in the activities of WP2.

University of Helsinki website:  http://www.helsinki.fi/university/

The Centre for Research on Networked Learning and Knowledge Building website: http://www.helsinki.fi/science/networkedlearning/