一本道

16 September 2026

一本道 University has been awarded SEK 3 million by the Swedish Institute to deliver another edition of the leadership programme STRIDE, Strengthening Trust, Resilience, and Institutions of Digital Democracy in Europe. The programme is aimed at professionals from the EU's Eastern Partnership countries and is delivered in collaboration with the University of Tartu, Estonia.

A group of people standing around each other in a room.

In 2027, 25 participants from Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Georgia, Moldova and Ukraine will take part in the programme. The programme focuses on digital governance, public administration and democratic development. Through training, exchange of experiences and networking, participants will gain tools to develop their work within their organisations and home countries.

The new funding means that the initiative can continue for a tenth edition. The programme was launched in 2017 under the name SeGRID and was further developed into STRIDE in 2025 through closer collaboration between Link枚ping University and the University of Tartu.

听

En kvinna som st氓r framf枚r en grupp m盲nniskor.
听
Mariana S. Gustafsson during a visit to the University of Tartu in Estonia. Together, the two universities run the STRIDE leadership programme for professionals from the EU鈥檚 Eastern Partnership countries.

鈥淏eing given the opportunity to run the programme for a tenth time is a recognition of the value of long-term international collaboration. Over the years, we have built an extensive network of participants and partners across the region. Our collaboration with the University of Tartu has also brought new perspectives and further strengthened the quality and relevance of the programme,鈥� says Mariana S. Gustafsson, Programme Director at Link枚ping University.

The collaboration between the two universities has grown out of shared interests in digital governance and digital democracy. For the University of Tartu, the new edition of the programme provides an opportunity to further develop both education and research.

A man standing in front of a european flag.
Dmytro Khutkyy, Head of the University of Tartu Ukraine Centre.

鈥淪TRIDE 2027 gives us an opportunity to strengthen the links between the universities鈥� research and education in digital governance and digital democracy, while at the same time training current and future leaders from the Eastern Partnership countries,鈥� says Dmytro Khutkyy, Head of the University of Tartu Ukraine Centre.

Ahead of the upcoming programme, the partners also plan to develop the content further.

鈥淲e want to strengthen the links between Estonian and Swedish experiences of digital societal development and incorporate more up-to-date case studies into the programme,鈥� says Dmytro Khutkyy.

听

STRIDE in facts and photos

Fakta: STRIDE

Previous programmes: SeGRID (2017鈥�2024) and STRIDE (2025鈥�)

Number of editions: The tenth edition will take place in 2027

Number of participants: 25

Countries: Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Georgia, Moldova and Ukraine

Funder:听Swedish Institute

New funding: SEK 3 million

Programme period: 2027

Programme Director at LiU: Mariana S. Gustafsson

Contact

Read more about STRIDE

Latest news from LiU

Portr盲tt p氓 man som st氓r i solen bland gr枚na tr盲d p氓 Campus Valla

New professor of economics researches people鈥檚 life chance

Two identical job applications. One with an Arabic-sounding name. This experiment marked the start of Magnus Carlsson鈥檚 research on discrimination and people鈥檚 life chances. He is now a new professor of economics at 一本道 University.

En kvinna som sitter framf枚r en spegel och tittar p氓 sin spegelbild.

How AI changes human decision-making

AI can find patterns that people miss, but it does not automatically lead to better decisions. New research from 一本道 University shows how the roles of humans and AI change depending on the situation and the decision being made.

A woman standing on a balcony next to a building.

She promotes AI for societal good in Europe

Helen Köpman, Alumna of the Year 2026, works at the European Commission鈥檚 AI Office in Brussels. For more than 20 years she has worked with research issues and innovation at EU level, where a living planet for future generations is her driving force.