Is it possible for your company or organisation to go on a business trip abroad without flying? Has anyone tried overland travel? Is it encouraged or forbidden? Do bureaucracy and practice make it too difficult?
The call for project partners
The University of Eastern Finland is planning a new regular size project for the Interreg Aurora 9th call for applications under the special objective 2.3. Sustainable mobility. The call is open between 7 Sep – 7 Oct 2026. We are seeking partners from Northern Sweden.
The project idea
The idea of the project is to question air travel and mainstream the idea of travelling overland within one’s own country, neighbouring countries, and further to Europe, and thereby reducing travel emissions. The project aims to challenge and change the norms of business travel, identify new solutions, and accelerate organisational change towards more sustainable business mobility.
Background
Companies and organisations face an ongoing challenge, as sustainability commitments require a reduction in travel emissions, yet shifting business travel from flights to land-based alternatives is proving difficult for several reasons. Travel regulations, booking systems, time pressures, and workplace culture all create barriers, even when business travellers would be willing to travel by land. In addition, the majority of business travellers remain unable or unwilling to choose travelling by land, for example due to a lack of information.
Target groups – who we wish as project partners
- Higher educational institutions or public organisations whose internationalisation requirements or work tasks require international cooperation or participation. e.g. in conferences or meetings abroad
- Companies and organisations with business travel abroad
Project activities
- Conducting current state survey and interviews for understanding institutional barriers, organisational culture, employee needs and preferences, and travel selection criteria.
- CO-DESIGN: Designing and developing tailored policies, nudges, new tools, and cultural initiatives within target organisations.
- IMPLEMENT: Through piloting, developing innovations, tailored travel rules, incentives, and initiatives to change the operating culture for business travel.
- EVALUATE: Measuring impact, CO2 emissions reduction, change in the mindset of employees and organisations
- EDUCATE: Organising webinars and creating an online course for sustainable business travel
- DISSEMINATE: Sharing experiences and mainstreaming overland travel
The planned implementation period of the project is 1.3.2027-30.6.2029.
Cooperation
Did you get interested in the topic and would like to develop similar activities in your area, either in a higher education institution or in a company or an organisation? Let’s cooperate and develop the project together.
Please contact us as soon as possible, but by the latest, the 10th of August 2026.
Project coordination
The project is planned by the following people at the University of Eastern Finland:
- Continuous Learning Specialist Tiina Ynnilä, Centre for Continuous Learning, ynnila@uef.fi
- Research Manager Katja Pasanen, Business School, pasanen@uef.fi
- Postdoctoral Researcher Jarno Suni, Business School, suni@uef.fi
- Professor Juhana Venäläinen, School of Humanities, venalainen@uef.fi
Partners
The Multidimensional Tourism Institute of the University of Lapland will be one of the project partners.
