news

The difficult cyclical situation in construction is strongly visible in Northern Ostrobothnia, where two of the most significant bankruptcies in the construction industry have already occurred. The current cyclical situation justifies the rapid and frontloading of the government's investment programme to stimulate the economy. Developing the accessibility of Northern Ostrobothnia and the Oulu region is in the interest of Finland as a whole. Without effective routes, foreign trade products will not be transported, and investments of an exceptional Northern scale will not take place. In terms of security policy and security of supply, accessibility is also important. A rapid deployment project tray from Northern Ostrobothnia has been compiled for the Government's budget session on 19-20 September (annexed). The measures set out therein fall into three categories: to implement projects with good planning capacity, to promote the planning capacity of regional key projects and to increase the funding for road maintenance. Rapid readiness projects would improve the operating conditions of the county's economy, in particular, … of different modes of transport

An implementation plan is currently being prepared for the Regional Programme for Northern Ostrobothnia. The theme of the plan is overall safety and security of supply. The themes are examined from the point of view of regional development. – Changes in the operating environment and geopolitics have highlighted the need to also identify regional development measures to promote overall security. This can mean, for example, RDI measures in cyber security, environmental technologies or health technology," says Päivi Keisanen, Development Manager at the Regional Council of Northern Ostrobothnia, who is in charge of the implementation plan. The broad themes of the implementation plan include industrial policy and energy production. The logistical objectives for air traffic and double track, which have already been discussed, are also included in the plan. Changes in the security situation and Finland's NATO membership open up new opportunities and needs for RDI activities. – The role of individuals in regional development cannot be overlooked either. The regional programme focuses, for example, on supporting children, young people and families, as well as on mental health problems…

The Regional Council of Northern Ostrobothnia has received an assessment of the applications for the first application period for the Just Transition (19.4-12.5.2023). The total number of applications assessed was a record 149, of which 93 were considered suitable for positive further preparation. Some EUR 33 million of Structural Fund funding will be allocated to positive applications. After the first application period, approximately EUR 6.7 million of Just Transition funding will still be available to fund projects in the second and third application periods, provided that the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Employment grants the planned granting powers for 2023-2026 in full to the Regional Council of Northern Ostrobothnia. The third and final application period ends on 30 November 2023. For more information on the application round, click here.

Oulu Tourism Forum and the Northern Ostrobothnia Tourism Parliament will merge this year. There will be interesting speeches, information and networking. The organisers are BusinessOulu, Oulu Chamber of Commerce, Oulu Tourism Ltd and the Regional Council of Northern Ostrobothnia. The programme of the North Ostrobothnia Tourism Forum, which will be held at Hotel Lasaret in Oulu on 14 November from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., will be published during September. Registration by 12 November: lyyti.in/tourism forum2023

The Regional Council of Northern Ostrobothnia invites proposals for the organisation work of Northern Ostrobothnia for 2023. Proposals can be submitted between 1 September and 29 September 2023. This year we are looking for action under the theme ‘Culture in Surprising Contexts’. An organizational act does not have to be an isolated act; it can be understood and interpreted more broadly. The award criteria emphasise the cross-border dimension and effectiveness, as well as the role of volunteering. The association that won the organizational act of the year will receive 1,000 euros to support its activities. The nominations for the prize will be made by 29 September 2023 at 3 p.m. using the electronic form Applicants must be a registered local association. The decision on the organisation of the year is made by the Regional Government of Northern Ostrobothnia. The organisation act of the year 2023 will be announced at the Regional Parliament of Northern Ostrobothnia on 7 November 2023. This is the fifth time the prize has been awarded. The message can be shared freely within your organisation and with your stakeholders! Additional information: Ilpo Tapaninen, Strategy Manager, Regional Council of Northern Ostrobothnia, tel.…

Change Now – well-being in the municipality through physical activity! The North Ostrobothnia Welfare Forum will take place on Wednesday 15 November 2023 from 9.45 to 16.00 at Kempele Linnakangas School, Linnakaarto 20, Kempele. The North Ostrobothnia Welfare Forum will be held for the 16th time. The event conveys the latest researched knowledge and good practices, increases cooperation and partnership, and recognises successful practices. This year, the focus will be on measures to increase the mobility of Finns and the state of well-being of people of invited age in Northern Ostrobothnia. The forum will hear about local good practices and, as usual, reward the well-being act of the year. A large number of exhibitors are present. The event is organised by the Regional Council of Northern Ostrobothnia in cooperation with the Regional Sports Federation of Northern Ostrobothnia and the municipality of Kempele. The forum is free of charge, including coffee and lunch. Forum programme and registration link will be published September-October…

The turnover of clusters in Northern Ostrobothnia started to decline already towards the end of 2022. The biggest drop this year was in the wood products and furniture industry. The metal cluster has been strong in a difficult economic environment, but in late spring its turnover turned to frost as well. Construction was still positive in January. However, the sharp decline in net sales was already visible in April-May. The difficulties of the business sector have not been reflected as strongly in the number of employees, with the exception of the wood cluster. The cluster of the creative economy and tourism have persisted despite the very challenging situation. Both companies' net sales and number of employees have increased in 2022 and the first half of 2023. The ICT cluster is also growing rapidly. The significance of construction for the region and the national economy as a whole is now beginning to be revealed, as turnover comes down sharply, even though the number of personnel was …

The application period for the second phase of the JTF projects for the 2021-2027 programming period of the Regional Council of Northern Ostrobothnia ended on 31 August 2023. By the deadline for the second application period, 64 applications were received by the Regional Council of Northern Ostrobothnia. The applications sought funding from the Regional Council of Northern Ostrobothnia for a total of approximately EUR 18.7 million. The decisions on applications for further processing will be received in November 2023.

The Regional Council of Northern Ostrobothnia has opened an application round for ERDF projects from the EU's Regional and Structural Policy Programme for a Renewable and Skilled Finland 2021-2027. The application round is open from 1 September 2023 to 31 December 2023. The Regional Council of Northern Ostrobothnia finances European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) measures. This call will fund projects under specific objectives 1.1., 1.2., 2.1. and 2.3. Before preparing your application, you should read more about the Renewable and Skilled Finland 2021-2027 programme document and the content of the above-mentioned specific objectives. An amount of EUR 11,900,000 is planned to be used to finance the projects received in the application round. The maximum amount of funding requested (ERDF and State) is 80% development project and up to 70% the total cost of the investment project. The second application period for JTF projects, open alongside the ERDF application round opened on 1 September 2023, ended on 31 August 2023 and during the second application period…

JTF funding can now also be applied for cross-regional projects in Kainuu, Lapland and Northern Ostrobothnia. A total of EUR 1,293 million has been earmarked for funding. €. The Regional Council of Northern Ostrobothnia acts as an intermediate authority. Only trans-national projects under JTF Priority Axis 7 Just Transition Finland under Specific Objective 7.1 ‘Territorially Just Transition for the Renunciation of Security’ will be funded under the call. The results of the projects must be usable in the regions of Northern Ostrobothnia, Lapland and Kainuu. When selecting projects to be funded, priority will be given to projects involving actors from all the above-mentioned provinces. Before preparing an application, it is advisable to read more about the Renewable and Skilled Finland 2021-2027 programme document and the content of the above-mentioned specific objective, as well as the counties' transition plans. The application round is open from 28 August 2023 to 31 October 2023. The maximum amount of funding requested is …