Small scale university institutions that offer a program in coastal management can be found in many places other than the Westfjords. Dr. Peter Weiss, the director of the University Centre of the Westfjords, discovered this while visiting the old city of Ekenäs (fi. Tammasaari), south of Helsinki. In this city a department from the Novia University of Applied Sciences is situated - a collaboration of a few small-scale Swedish speaking Universities in Finland.

The University Centre and the department in Ekenäs are in many ways comparable, though there are some differences. In Ekenäs an international program in coastal management is offered, but it is at bachelor's level whereas the program at the University Centre is at master's level. The University Novia runs the large research and development centre Aronia, but there are no graduate students in coastal management at the university. The University Centre and the faculty in Ekenäs foresee interesting collaboration opportunities in the future, since the department in Ekenäs is aiming to launch a master's program in collaboration with the Åbo Akademi, similar to that between the University Centre and the University of Akureyri.

The University Centre of the Westfjords is particularly interested in collaborating with Novia because of their strong team, an extensive group of teachers and researchers. Novia on the other hand is interested in the various opportunities that a cooperation in teaching offers. It is also looking at the extensive network that the University Centre has, and the admirable success that the University Centre has had in attracting international students and instructors.