LAB initiates change negotiations

The change negotiations of the LAB University of Applied Sciences were initiated on Wednesday 7 October 2026. The purpose and goals of the negotiations were presented in the meeting. In addition, the meeting covered the content of the change negotiation proposal, the scope and target group of the negotiations, the initial timeline, and the examination of the design and fine arts competence area.

The financial situation, changes in the operational environment, and a need to make financial adjustments, strengthen profitability, and develop international competitiveness at the LAB University of Applied Sciences were presented as the grounds for the planned measures.

The change negotiations will examine matters such as the international competitiveness of education and RDI, relevance to industries, resource-efficiency and operational efficiency, and the need for facilities and support services. In addition, the aim is to examine expertise needs, roles, and operational and organisational structures as a whole.

A study on ensuring and developing the competitiveness of the design and fine arts competence area will be conducted to provide and analyse data on future industry needs, the strengths of the area's education and RDI, how the competence area is linked to LAB's strategy, and alternative ways to develop the operational and organisational structure. The alternative operational and organisational structures being examined include, for example, the LAB Institute of Design and Fine Arts continuing its activity as an independent unit or creating an entirely new unit together with an existing one.

Also, financial reasons were mentioned as grounds for reforming LAB's design and fine arts competence area. The cumulative loss of the LAB Institute of Design and Fine Arts over the past three years is eight million euros, which is nearly equivalent to the unit’s annual turnover. Despite recent years’ development measures, the institute has little operational and financial flexibility and is therefore poorly able to react to the need for changes.

The negotiations dealt with initial estimates of the impacts that the planned measures will have on operations and personnel as well as alternatives and solution models to be examined. At this stage, all plans are preliminary, and no final decisions have been made or solutions reached. The negotiations will end at the beginning of December.