Together with other regions in Eastern and Northern Finland, Northern Ostrobothnia was selected to participate in the Regions In Industrial Transition pilot launched by the European Commission in 2018. Nine other regions have been selected (Northern and Central Sweden, Cantabria in Spain, Central France, Grand-Est in France, Hauts-de-France in France, Piedmont in Italy, Saxony in Germany, Greater Manchester in Great Britain, Wallonia in Belgium) and two countries (Slovenia and Lithuania). As a result of the pilot, the Regional Councils of Eastern and Northern Finland prepared a common smart specialisation strategy in close cooperation with development companies, research institutes and other stakeholders.
At the end of the pilot, the European Commission awarded the provinces of Eastern and Northern Finland €300,000 for a new kind of funding experiment targeting small and medium-sized companies related to the wood value chain and research institutes that assist them. The funding was conditional on cross-regional cooperation in Eastern and Northern Finland.
Final seminar 9 September 2020 (Record can be viewed).
