The Baltic Sea Region has a great tradition of education and science. Over 300 universities and research institutions can be found around the Baltic Sea - more than in any other region in Europe. But through the emerging 'knowledge society' universities are responsible for a whole set of new roles, going far beyond their existence in an ivory tower.

Taking an active part in the development of the region through the internationalisation of academia - this is what the Institute of Europe at the Russian Academy of Sciences and the Department of Humanities at the St. Petersburg State University of Telecommunications have put on their agenda. A crucial part of this aim is to join international networks, since it is these that guarantee the promotion of interdisciplinary and transboundary skills. The associated partnership these two institutions have with the BalticStudyNet is of special relevance for them and for the network itself, since this cooperation underlines the importance of the integration of all states on the edge of the Baltic Sea.

In order to face the challenges of the 'knowledge society', special concepts of education have to be tested. Many countries around the Baltic Sea have realised that this process has to start early, ideally in school. Therefore, Finland has put special emphasis on its school system which promotes education as one of the basic civil rights. This attitude, among other factors, has led to Finland’s success in the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA), carried out by the OECD from 2000 to 2006. Research was done on three different domains: reading, mathematics and science. The Finnish students reached outstanding results in the field of reading but also managed to perform quite well in the other domains. As a result of this success, educators from around the world have turned their attention to Finland and are trying to adopt the Finnish system.

Another study, the Trend in International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS), provides data on the achievement of students in the aforementioned categories, and also on various conditions of learning in general. The aim of TIMSS is to generate information on policy development and the identification of progress or weakening in the performance of fourth- or eighth-graders. TIMSS data from 2003 shows that since 1999 the percentage of Lithuanian students with low achievements in science and mathematics has decreased significantly. This positive development proves that the five main goals for the European education system, which have been issued by the EU, have been successfully implemented by the Lithuanian authorities and that Lithuania’s own Long-term Education Strategy is extremely fruitful.