In the stakeholder workshop in May, regional actors were involved in the planning of the autumn ERDF theme application. The thematic call is scheduled to start in September 2026 and the call for applications will amount to EUR 500,000. One of the objectives of the Rural Coop project implemented by the Regional Council of Northern Ostrobothnia is to develop new regional development practices, especially from the perspective of the funding process. – The autumn ERDF call is a Rural Coop call linked to Specific Objective 2.1. Promoting energy efficiency measures and reducing greenhouse gas emissions. The specific objective is set out very broadly in the programming document and allows for a wide range of projects to be carried out under it. This is why we wanted to organize a workshop. We wanted to hear from municipalities, in particular, what matters are topical in energy efficiency and climate work. We aim to take thoughts and ideas into account in the preparation of the call for applications, explains Laura Kelhä, Regional Development Manager. The event brought together a total of 29 participants, representing a diverse range of actors in our region: municipalities, research and training organisations and development organisations. During the afternoon workshop, the priorities of the programming document were prioritised, weak signals were identified and joint actions were developed. The workshop was facilitated by Samuel Ahola from Arctic Factory. The workshop identified key development themes that were broadly related to the development of the energy system, such as storage solutions, smart demand response, distributed energy production and biogas. There was also a discussion on the circular economy and the use of critical raw materials. At the interface between municipalities and companies, the development of competence in responsibility, procurement and emission assessment was highlighted. – The subject of the workshop was challenging, but we received drawdowns that can be taken into account when preparing the call for applications. The actors called for the need to move from surveys towards conducting, and various experiments, for example, were hoped for. Next, we will continue to work on the workshop material internally and try to take into account the entries created in the workshop. In addition, we complement our understanding by, for example, reviewing the contents of municipalities' climate plans and strategies, Kelhä concludes. Thank you to all participants for sharing their time and knowledge! Work will continue in the autumn at the application clinics of the Rural COOP-themed ERDF call and at the application info, which will be communicated in more detail after the summer holidays. More information about Rural COOP can be found here: Rural COOP - Rethinking sUstainable and integRAted deveLopment in non-urban areas: COOPerative foresight and anticipation        

In May 2025, the Interreg Europe-funded Rural COOP project was launched in Northern Ostrobothnia to promote the development of rural areas. The name of the project is an abbreviation of its English title, Rethinking sUstainable and integRAted deveLopment in non-urban areas: COOPerative foresight and anticipation. The working method of the project is inclusive and co-creative. In practice, this is reflected in close cooperation and communication between the project consortium operators. The regional stakeholder group is also active in Northern Ostrobothnia. Various Rural COOP events will be organised for regional operators during the autumn of 2026. The first months of the project were spent organizing the project, but the current year has brought new functionalities. For example, stakeholder work has started rapidly in the region. In addition, the Rural COOP project team of the Regional Council of Northern Ostrobothnia has participated in foresight training organised for the project consortium. The aim was to increase the foresight expertise of the Association's experts and to implement the learned foresight methods in the development work of the region. "Now we've gotten off to a good start. We operate both regionally and in cooperation with a network of international project consortia. Regional stakeholder work is open to all, and we welcome all interested parties to join us," says Project Manager Anna-Maija Toivonen. The BIOTUTO project was confirmed as a good European practice One of the key objectives of the Rural COOP project is to share good practices and raise their awareness among Europeans. The project is constantly mapping good practices from Northern Ostrobothnia and highlighting them for peer learning. One good provincial practice has also received public recognition. The ERDF project funded by the Regional Council of Northern Ostrobothnia, BIOTUTO - Collaboration to boost recycled nutrients and local bioenergy production, was promoted on Interreg Europe's website as a professional-confirmed good practice. The reinforcement will increase the visibility of the project in Europe and spread high-quality development work widely. The BIOTUTO project promotes new business opportunities related to the processing, sourcing and use of biomass in rural areas of Northern Ostrobothnia. The main implementer is the Kerttu Saalasti Institute of the University of Oulu, and the partners are Oulu University of Applied Sciences, NIHAK and JEDU. The project examines biomass value chains from field to bioterminals and further to end-use, and develops the model and piloting of an energy-independent carbon-neutral farm. "In the whole team, both the co-executors and the lead implementer, we appreciate a tremendous amount of such recognition for our work. Throughout the project, we have done our best and worked as closely as possible to our target group. We have involved farmers, the biogas sector in all its diversity, various experts and research, project developers, municipalities and cities, advisory organisations,…

The Rural COOP project's regional stakeholder group met in December for the second meeting in 2025 to discuss the current development needs, development tools and future measures in Northern Ostrobothnia. We updated the situational picture of the Rural COOP project, mapped regional development needs, reviewed the characteristics of a good project application and looked at the study visit in Oulu in the autumn of 2026.In Northern Ostrobothnia, the municipalities of Ii and Muhos, the Nivala-Haapajärvi region NIHAK ry, Oulu University of Applied Sciences and the Kerttu Saalasti Institute of the University of Oulu.  Development needs – common challenges and opportunities The discussions identified the following development needs, among others, and explored ways to address them: Challenges to internationalisation and exports: skills gaps and perceived difficulties in applying for subsidies were highlighted. Consideration was given to whether learning environments suitable for internationalisation were available. It was also noted that, in addition to strengthening export know-how, companies need concrete partnerships to launch exports. Circular economy approaches: co-creation of enterprises: there should be opportunities for businesses to resolve issues together; Facilitation and practical piloting are needed. In the Rural COOP project, each project promoter has chosen a regional development instrument (policy instrument) to be developed in their region. The meeting discussed Axis 2 of the Renewable and Skilled Finland 2021-2027 programme selected by the Regional Council of Northern Ostrobothnia for the project. Carbon-neutral Finland, from Specific Objective 2.1. The role of the Rural COOP project is to contribute to the chosen development tool by strengthening territorial effectiveness and cooperation within the programme. The aim is to reduce regional disparities and accelerate the green transition. The effectiveness of the programme in rural areas will be improved by allocating resources more efficiently to municipal development activities. A dedicated call for funding will be opened in 2026. At the end of the meeting, the basic principles of a good project application were reviewed and the study visit of the Rural COOP project consortium to Northern Ostrobothnia was briefly discussed in autumn 2026, the planning of which will begin at the beginning of 2026. What is Rural COOP? Rural COOP (Rethinking sUstainable and integRAted deveLopment in non-urban areas: COOPerative foresight and anticipation) is a project funded by Interreg Europe that aims to improve the effectiveness of rural development actions. The aim of the project is to promote regional development measures, especially in rural areas, to promote the green transition, to strengthen the operating models of local actors and to improve international cooperation and information exchange. The project develops new regional development practices and formulates funding processes. The project also organises study visits, webinars and workshops. One project…

Launched in spring 2025, the Interreg Europe-funded Rural COOP project brings together actors from across Europe to strengthen the development of rural areas and share good practices. The project supports the vitality, cooperation and sustainable growth of rural areas by providing opportunities to learn from other regional developers and apply the doctrines to their own regional needs. The main partner of the project consortium is the Provincia autonoma di Trento from Italy and, in addition to the Regional Council of Northern Ostrobothnia, the consortium has partners from Poland, Bulgaria, Sweden, Switzerland and Albania. Each project partner has its own, provincial, stakeholder group, which is closely involved in the direction of project activities. Stakeholder work is open and it is open to all interested actors in Northern Ostrobothnia! The Regional Stakeholder Group for Northern Ostrobothnia met for the first time in the last week of October. Stakeholders are: Ii Municipality Muhos Municipality NIHAK (Nivala-Haapajärven seutu NIHAK ry) Oamk (Oulu University of Applied Sciences) Kerttu Saalasti Institute of the University of Oulu The meeting explored the objectives of the project and discussed how provincial actors can support the progress of the project with their own expertise and experience. Stakeholders also presented regional good practices that will be shared with other project partners in the later phases of the project. International cooperation and the upcoming study visit in Rural COOP involve partners from several European countries. Exchange of information and peer-to-peer learning are at the core of the cooperation. The aim is to find new and effective solutions to the challenges of rural development, drawing on the experiences of different regions. During the project, study visits will be organised to learn about local development models and exchange experiences. One of these study visits will take place in Northern Ostrobothnia in the autumn of 2026. We look forward to planning a visit and presenting our region to our international partners. What is Rural COOP? Rural COOP (Rethinking sUstainable and integRAted deveLopment in non-urban areas: COOPerative foresight and anticipation) is a project funded by Interreg Europe that aims to improve the effectiveness of actions related to the development of rural areas. The project promotes: exchange and dissemination of good practices, interregional learning and cooperation, development of solutions to support rural vitality. Funding: The total budget of the project is approximately EUR 1.6 million and the share of the Regional Council of Northern Ostrobothnia is EUR 189 260. The project is funded by the Interreg Europe programme. In addition, the project has been applied for national counterpart funding from the Regional Council of Lapland. Project website: Rural COOP Contact us: Anna-Maija Toivonen, Project Manager, tel. + 358 685 4022