The program revolved around the question: “How can we promote health in the context of rural primary care units?” Students from Austria not only learned that “terveyden edistäminen” means health promotion in Finnish.
Preparations for the BIP began in December 2023, almost a year and a half before its implementation. At that time, the Savonia University of Applied Sciences and FH JOANNEUM, with its Master’s specialization in Health Management & Public Health, formed a tandem. Based on previous EU research cooperations, a third suitable partner for the project was identified. Throughout the preparatory year of 2024, monthly online meetings transformed a vision into a concrete idea, which was realized in March and April 2025.
The goal of the BIP was to enable students from three European universities and over ten countries to engage in practical, interdisciplinary problem-based learning. All students actively contributed their prior knowledge and were coached by the teaching team.
The pedagogical concept included the following elements:
• The kick-off of the course took place virtually, where students got to know each other and were divided into three project groups. In the following weeks, they organized themselves across national borders and began their self-organization.
• During the on-site week, students presented their national healthcare systems and discussed primary care and health promotion within those systems.
• For each country, the teachers provided an exemplary case study in a rural context. From this, students had to develop health promotion needs and requirements for specific population groups in certain settings and transform them into a set of interventions using health promotion management methods.
• Additionally, student groups tested participatory research methods for social space analysis directly in Kuopio, the home of Savonia University of Applied Sciences.
• To better understand the context of the Finnish healthcare system, impulse lectures were given on the “Hospital at Home” model, mental health promotion in primary care, and telemedicine.
• A highlight was a full-day excursion to the primary care center in the rural municipality of Maaninka and a practical introduction to green therapy in the nearby (wintery) forests.
• Finally, the student project ideas were presented and discussed.
The participating students from all countries completed the BIP in the final semester of their studies, allowing them to actively contribute their prior knowledge and use it to reflect on all the content they had learned. From the universities’ perspective, it became clear that FH Savonia and FH JOANNEUM cover healthcare professions, health management & public health, management, and tourism. This first BIP has paved the way for numerous future cooperation opportunities in teaching and research.
