Workshop on Distance Campus – further development of Remote Campus strengthens regional collaboration
On 24 February, Mid Sweden University and ChallengeEU, together with Lärcentrum Östersund, organised a workshop on the continued development of the distance campus in Lärcentrum’s new facilities at Campus Östersund.
On 24 February, Mid Sweden University and ChallengeEU, together with Lärcentrum Östersund, organised a workshop on the continued development of the distance campus in Lärcentrum’s new facilities at Campus Östersund. The initiative represents a concrete further development of the Remote Campus concept, where distance students are recognised as a strategic resource for regional development.
Following a Peer Review within Interreg Europe in April 2025 (see report here) which highlighted the need to make distance students more visible in regional strategies, Östersund Municipality took the lead in establishing a physical meeting place for remote students. The distance campus at Lärcentrum Östersund is the result – a local hub for collaboration and skills supply. The distance campus offers study spaces as well as a social and professional meeting environment for distance students in Jämtland/Härjedalen, regardless of their higher education institution. A community manager will also soon be recruited at Lärcentrum Östersund.
The initiative is aligned with Mid Sweden University’s work within the European University Alliance ChallengeEU, where regional development and collaboration based on a challenge-driven approach within a quadruple helix – academia, the public sector, industry and civil society – are central. Around 20 participants from these sectors took part in the workshop. The site can therefore be seen as a concrete arena for the type of multi-actor collaboration being developed within the alliance.
During the workshop, key development areas were identified to strengthen the study environment and the connections with regional stakeholders. The discussions contributed to outlining potential actions with clear regional relevance and long-term impact.
“It became clear how crucial collaboration between academia, municipalities, the region, industry and civil society is. Only when we work together and connect our strengths can we create real added value for distance students and regional development,” says Anna-Lena Perdahl, University Strategist at Mid Sweden University.
