The Society for Cultural Policy Research invites researchers, cultural actors, and decision-makers to the XII Finnish Conference on Cultural Policy Research, to be held in Oulu on April 9–10, 2026. The theme of the 2026 conference is “What will remain?”. The Conference provides a unique forum for discussing the impacts of current political decisions, programmes, and projects on the achievement of national cultural policy objectives , artistic work, cultural participation and the regional and local arts and culture ecosystems–both now and in the future.
Culture and the arts are built not only on moments, but also on continuity, commitment, and community structures. Cultural policy requires perseverance, but its manifestations, such as projects, programmes, and funding instruments, are often tied to current priorities, budgets, and political changes. What will remain of cultural policy actions when government terms change, funding periods end, projects come to a close, and the public visibility of current themes diminishes? During the current government term, there has been a lot of discussion about cuts to government appropriations and cultural budgets at both national and local levels. What will remain if the planned cuts in public funding for culture are implemented? What will happen to cultural sector actors and their operating environments?
Welcome to submit your proposal
We welcome proposals for both individual presentations and working groups. Proposals may be theoretical or empirical, but they should highlight both research and practical perspectives. Send your proposal by email to kulttuuripolitiikan.t.seura@gmail.com. The deadline for proposals is December 15, 2025. Instructions for submitting proposals can be found below.
Presentations and working groups can address, for example, the following topics:
- Monitoring, evaluation and measuring of projects and policies
- Impacts of cultural policy instruments (e.g. programmes, grants and subsidies, tax incentives, cooperation models, infrastructure investments)
- Effects of political decisions (e.g. funding cuts) and structural reforms (e.g., The Education and Culture Administration 2030 reform project)
- Impacts and starting points of political decision, reforms, and projects in different types of areas (e.g. urban vs rural, peripheries vs centres, suburbs vs city centres)
- Sustainability goals and impacts in cultural policy, funding, projects, and the daily operations of arts and culture sector actors
- Long-term impacts of projects and programmes on community, participation, and equality
- Realities and futures constructed by policy discourses and their broader implications
- Opportunities, challenges, and impacts of alternative funding models (e.g. sustained support from the private/business sector)
Presentations and working groups that examine the theme from perspectives other than those mentioned above are also welcome.
Session Proposals
The length of the session proposal should be 250-300 words and must include the workshop title, topic, chair(s), as well as the proposed presenters and their topics. The language of the sessions can be Finnish, Swedish, or English. Sessions (each accommodating 3-4 presentations) can be proposed even if the presenter does not yet know all the presentations coming to the group.
Presentation Proposals
The length of an individual presentation proposal should be 250-300 words and must include the presentation title, topic, and the contact information of the presenter. The language of the presentations can be Finnish, Swedish, or English.
All presenters are encouraged to shape their presentations into articles and submit their manuscripts for publication in the Yearbook of Cultural Policy Research (Kulttuuripolitiikan tutkimuksen vuosikirja).
The XII Finnish Conference on Cultural Policy Research is organised by the Society for Cultural Policy Research in Finland in collaboration with the University of Jyväskylä, the Oulu Culture Foundation, and the City of Oulu.