25.02.2021
Smart Specialisation Strategy for Northern Ostrobothnia 2021-2024
The Smart Specialisation Strategy for Northern Ostrobothnia promotes actions leading to innovation and utilization at the regional level that respond to the challenges posed by climate change, digitalisation and globalisation. The strategy aims to actively spread innovations and innovation activity throughout the region and to increase regional economy and well-being. The strategy guides cooperation across sectors and borders. Northern Ostrobothnia is an international, attractive and networked region whose competitiveness is based on high expertise, renewing industry, well-being and climate wisdom. Northern Ostrobothnia is known for its strong ICT expertise and corporate base. The strongest industries in the industry are the metal products industry and the wood processing, including both biorefining and mechanical processing. New emerging industries include applications and devices related to health and wellbeing, as well as various applications of printed electronics, for example. New innovations and industrial solutions are emerging at industry interfaces, where digitalisation often plays a crucial role. The activities of the Digital Innovation Centre support the digitalisation of the businesses and the development of digital skills. The Smart Specialisation Strategy aims to reduce the region's greenhouse gas emissions through measures in accordance in cooperation with the Northern Ostrobothnia Climate Roadmap. The total climate emissions of the municipalities of Northern Ostrobothnia amounted to 3.30 million tonnes of CO2 in 2018. Agriculture was the main source of emissions (29 %), road transport (22 %), district heating (14 %) and electricity consumption (total of heating and electricity consumption 11 %). Since 2007, emissions per capita in the municipalities of Northern Ostrobothnia have decreased 23 %. (Source: Finnish Environment Institute). The figures do not include industrial process emissions. The biggest emissions from industrial processes are generated at the Raahe steel mill, 3.31 million t CO2 in 2019 (Source: Energy Agency). High levels of competence, sustainable values and active innovation ecosystems, as well as effective data transfer, strengthen the regional economy and support economic renewal. Internationalisation and networking are ways of working that help Northern Ostrobothnia to increase competence, increase competitiveness and promote the development of the priority areas selected in the smart specialisation strategy. Northern Ostrobothnia's RDI environments are maintained and developed to meet the needs of business and industry, and stakeholders are encouraged to participate in international projects and networks. The region's attractiveness has a significant impact on the location decisions of companies, investments, skilled workforce and students in the region. From the point of view of the tourism industry, the region's attractiveness is a key success factor, to which the region's northern dimension and Arctic nature add value. The creative industries support the development of the region's attractiveness. Strategy for Smart Specialisation in Northern Ostrobothnia 2021-2024. Oulu Region’s Smart Specialisation Strategy 2021-2024. Intelligent Specialization…
22.01.2021
European Partnership for Smart Specialisation Wireless ICT launched in cooperation with more than 60 participants
The Regional Assembly of Oulu Region and the University of Oulu, together in cooperation with Region Norrbotten and Luleå University of Technology, are in charge of a new European partnership for smart specialisation focusing on wireless ICT technologies. The partnership focuses on wireless solutions for health, industry, autonomous vehicles and smart urban environments. The partnership was officially launched in cooperation with a kick-off seminar on 21 January 2021. The partnership has attracted a lot of positive attention and a total of 10 regions from eight European countries have already committed to it. More than 60 people from all over Europe participated in the kick-off seminar. Additional information: Project Manager Gitte Meriläinen, Regional Assembly of Oulu Region, tel. Contact Manager What Rantakokko, University of Oulu, tel. +358 (0)40 685 4053 046 922 7227 News about the establishment of a partnership Partnership website
18.11.2020
The Smart Specialisation S3 Partnership ‘European Wireless ICT’ has been approved by the Commission
The European Commission has adopted a new Smart Specialisation Partnership on Wireless ICT. The partnership is established on the initiative of the University of Oulu and the Regional Assembly of Oulu Region. Other regions committed to the partnership are Norrbotten from Sweden, Northern Prabant from the Netherlands, Wielkopolska from Poland, Western Greece from Greece and Catalonia from Spain. Discussions on the accession of Flanders (Belgium) and Emilia-Romagna (Italy) are ongoing. The partnership will be placed on a platform related to the renewal of the smart specialisation industry. The partnership aims to enable European leadership in the development and deployment of 5G/6G wireless technologies. In particular, the partnership focuses on the development of health, renewable and sustainable industries, autonomous vehicles and smart urban environments and wireless technology solutions for regions. The partnership will build cooperation and increase joint investment by regional and regional companies. The partnership has been built in the project "Developing the international dimension of smart specialisation in Northern Ostrobothnia". Downloadable information can be found HERE. Further information: Project Manager Gitte Meriläinen, tel. 040-6854053.
