The Migration Institute of Finland is the only institute in Finland specialising in both the research and documentation of migration flows. Our special task involves documenting the life of Finns living abroad and promoting awareness related to it. We are a national actor and the majority of our work takes place in Finland but, in terms of expatriate Finns, our operating area covers the whole world.
The Migration Institute of Finland carries out research, is an active publisher, maintains its archive collection, emigrant register and a special library of the field and organises events and exhibitions. The Migration Institute of Finland is multidisciplinary and cooperates actively with Finnish and foreign universities and other institutes.
Locations
The institute has three locations. The main office of the Migration Institute of Finland is in Turku. The archive collections, library and exhibition spaces are also located there. The Seinäjoki office is situated at the University Consortium of Seinäjoki. A significant share of its activities involves the research of Ostrobothnian migration flows. The Vaasa office (Migration Centre of Swedish-speaking Finland) is situated at the Vaasa unit of Åbo Akademi. Its task is to carry out research and documentation related to Finland-Swedish migration.
Funding
The operations of the institute are enabled by the government transfer of the Ministry of Education and Culture. In addition, especially in research, the share of competitive project financing is significant. The institute also has its own foundation assets that are used to support its own operations and to allocate grants.
History
Siirtolaisuusinstituuttisäätiö sr was established in 1974. The establishment of the institute was promoted by all Finnish universities of that time and a few ministries and civic organisations. The founders of the institute came from the University of Turku.
The phases of the Migration Institute of Finland can be explored in more detail with the help of the historical work LIIKKEELLÄ – Siirtolaisuusinstituutti 1974–2014.