16.06.2025
Blog: Northern Ostrobothnia's future looks bright
The economic review of the cooperative bank's regions highlights positive factors for the future of Northern Ostrobothnia. They are already known, but have been overlooked. Now, in connection with the preparation of the provincial programme, it is a good time to raise the provincial profile and be genuinely satisfied with the successes. At least the following can be extracted from the recently published economic review. In Northern Ostrobothnia, the number of unemployed people per job vacancy is the third lowest in the whole country. The situation is the same in the whole of Northern Finland, which indicates a more positive economic development than in the rest of the country. On a long-term average, Northern Ostrobothnia is at the top of the country in terms of green transition investments, as well as in terms of population-related RDI investments. The Cooperative Bank's economic review predicts that GDP growth in Northern Ostrobothnia will be the second fastest. The region's positive future is covered by the continuous increase in the number of employees. Employment growth has been at the level of other major provinces. When construction, which is important to the county, begins to rise, employment returns to a positive path. Pirkanmaa has taken North Ostrobothnia's position as a region of growth. This is partly due to investments in support of the services sector and the development of an attractive living environment. The decisions made have created a positive spiral from which North Ostrobothnia can also learn. On the other hand, in times of global turmoil, North Ostrobothnia's logistical position as a gateway to the West also provides a good starting point for facing future challenges and continuing to grow. The extensive scenario work carried out in the spring creates a vision for 2050. The starting point of the thesis was to open the horizon of the future realistically. Although the cracks in the operating environment are becoming more pronounced, there were more opportunities than threats in the scenarios. In particular, the European Renaissance scenario provides a new perspective on current development, but also supports the strengths and cooperation openings of Northern Ostrobothnia. The ongoing preparation of the provincial programme provides a good opportunity to participate in building a positive future and to put into practice the opportunities that emerged in the scenarios. Keep your eyes up and work together! In Oulu on 16 June 2025, Mikko Väisänen, Head of Research and Development, will prepare the provincial programme for Northern Ostrobothnia 2026-2029 during the spring and autumn. The blogs written by experts from the Regional Council of Northern Ostrobothnia cover the preparation process and themes related to the programme.
09.09.2024
The 8th call for applications for the AKKE grant has ended
Funding was requested for AKKE projects that focus on supporting regional RDI activities. Projects funded under this call should meet at least one of the following criteria: - the project supports research, development and innovation activities of SMEs and thus improves the innovation capacity of SMEs - the project strengthens the innovation ecosystem of the region - the project expands the number of parties involved in RDI activities The maximum amount available to fund projects received in the application round is EUR 448 000. The total number of project applications was 14 and the total amount requested was approximately EUR 950 000.
22.04.2024
Funding is being applied for AKKE projects that focus on supporting regional RDI activities
Projects funded under this call must meet at least one of the following criteria: - the project supports research, development and innovation activities of SMEs and thus improves the innovation capacity of SMEs - the project strengthens the innovation ecosystem of the region - the project expands the range of parties involved in RDI activities The application period is from 22 April 2024 to 30 August 2024 at 15.00. A maximum of EUR 448 000 is available to fund projects that have arrived in the application round. More information on the AKKE page.
23.01.2024
Cultural activities in Northern Ostrobothnia and Kainuu will be strengthened with funding from the Ministry of Education and Culture
The Ministry of Education and Culture has granted the Kainuu Regional Council a special grant of EUR 160 000 for the development of the cultural activities of the municipalities of Kainuu and Northern Ostrobothnia. The project will be implemented during 2024-2025 in close cooperation with the Regional Council of Northern Ostrobothnia. KAIPO - Strengthening Networks of Culture in Kainuu and Northern Ostrobothnia project creates impact on the cultural activities of Kainuu and Northern Ostrobothnia counties and their municipalities. Neighbouring regions already have some cooperation in the field of arts and culture, which provides a good basis for the implementation of the project, as well as for the development of more extensive cooperation and know-how. As a result of the project, cooperation between counties, municipalities and cultural actors will be intensified and the conditions for more efficient use of resources will be strengthened. Cultural services create new operating models and content, and municipal cultural managers receive more support for their work. The municipalities of North Ostrobothnia and Kainuu are participating in Oulu 2026 Capital of Culture year. The project also creates conditions for the implementation of its high-quality content. Through the co-creation of the project, the aim is to strengthen the cultural communities and regions. Co-creation, which is done using the partnership table model, is central to the project's measures. The themes are selected on the basis of the municipalities' own needs. In addition to representatives of municipalities, key cultural actors related to the theme under discussion will be invited to the partnership tables. The first step of the project is to identify development needs through a survey. The results will be heard at a kick-off event on 12 February 2024. The Kainuu Regional Council is responsible for the implementation of the KAIPO project. You can follow the progress of the project on its own website: https://kainuunliitto.fi/cooperation/projects/kaipo/ The Ministry of Education and Culture's special grants for municipal cultural activities promote the implementation of the objectives and tasks of the Act on Municipal Cultural Activities (166/2019). The project, which now spans two provinces, will build on the work carried out in Kainuu and Northern Ostrobothnia in previous provincial development tasks in 2022-2023. Further information: Kainuu Regional Council, Project Coordinator Joni Kinnunen, tel. +358 44 797 4254 or joni.kinnunen@kainuunliitto.fi Regional Council of Northern Ostrobothnia, Cultural Specialist Auli Suorsa, tel. 050-386 8443 or auli.suorsa@pohjois-pohjanmaa.fi Previous regional development tasks: Culture-Kainuu https://kainuunliitto.fi/cooperation/projects/culture-kainuu/ Northern Ostrobothnia Cultural Society https://www.pohjois-pohjanmaa.fi/development/culture/cultural cell-project/ [caption id="attachment_42678" align="alignleft" width="523"] Photo: Kainuu Regional Council website[/caption]
