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The application period for sustainable urban development from the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) for projects under the Oulu Innovation Agreement ended on 14 June 2022 in the Regional Council of Northern Ostrobothnia. By the deadline, 16 applications were received by the Regional Council of Northern Ostrobothnia. There were 11 applications for action line one innovative Finland and 5 applications for action line two carbon neutral Finland. The applications applied for funding from the Regional Council of Northern Ostrobothnia for a total amount of approximately EUR 1,631,000. Next, the project evaluation work will begin. Due to the summer holiday season, the evaluation work takes about 3 months.

Figure: Regional Council of Northern Ostrobothnia. Henri Kylli Cooperative Team From Kala releasing about 15 kg of salmon into the Livojoki river. The salmon has been brought up for a moment for the description. In normal circumstances, any additional handling of fish is avoided. Atlantic salmon and trout will be transferred to the Iijoki and Livojoki rivers during the summer of 2022. Over-transfers support the emergence of salmonid stocks stigmatised in the river. This summer, we are also experimenting with the transfer of smolts, i.e. trout and salmon migrating downhill. Cooperative Team Kala is responsible for the practical implementation of transfers of both high-altitude fish and smolt. The over-transfer permit is in the Iijoki fishing area. Over-transfers are made possible by the Iijoki migratory fish project 2020-2022. Commercial fishermen catch floating fish from the estuary. The fish are transported in water tanks by car to waters above power plants. Approximately 200 specimens are expected to be transferred. Transfers will be made during June,…

The European Commission has selected Robocoast EDIH as the European Digital Innovation Hub (EDIH). A total of four EDIH organisations were selected in Finland. Overall, the Commission selected 136 EDIH organisations from 283 applications, which will serve as an EU-wide knowledge network. The mission of EDIH organisations is to act as a low-threshold contact point for companies, through which companies can easily find the skills, training, expert resources, partners, development environments they need to utilise different types of digital solutions and modernise their operations. Businesses will also be offered assistance in raising finance. EDIH service activities funded 50 % EU Digital Europe Programme (DEP), 30 % The funding comes from Business Finland and 20 % the share of the funding is self-financing by operational actors. The funding decision is three years, after which the effectiveness of the operations is evaluated. Robocoast EDIH consortium…

At the turn of May-June, a conference on Arctic infrastructure was held in Kiruna to discuss the development prospects, investment needs and security of supply of infrastructure and business in northern Scandinavia and Finland. According to Jouni Jussinniemi, 1st Vice-Chairman of the Regional Council of Northern Ostrobothnia, who participated in the meeting, there was a clear need for all parties to meet the development needs of the northern transport system at the Kiruna Conference. The development of railways is essential in order to reduce transport emissions. This is how we respond to emission reductions, says Jussinniemi. From Finland's point of view, the climate perspective is important, but also due to the changed geopolitical situation, a smooth rail connection to Sweden and the Norwegian port of Narvik must be arranged. Jussinniemi emphasises that the railway will play a major role in Finland's security of supply in terms of exports and imports in the future. The related TEN-T funding needs to be secured in Finland, Sweden, Norway and at EU level.…

Jussi Ylitalo, President of the Provincial Government, participated in the event Turning the ambition of the new EU Arctic Policy into a reality, which was held in Brussels on Wednesday, 1 June 2022. In October 2021, the EU published a Joint Communication on Arctic Policy. The event focused in particular on the implementation of the Communication and examined the need to integrate Arctic issues into EU policy and to maintain the Arctic as a low-tension region. In his speech, Jussi Ylitalo, President of the Provincial Government, highlighted the importance of the Trans-European Transport Network (TEN-T) for Finland's freight and passenger transport, Finland's sustainable forest policy, and the importance of Arctic shipping and its challenges in the EU's green transition. Ylitalo emphasizes in his speech that through the forest industry Finland has the opportunity to achieve climate goals while strengthening the economy and …

The Regional Council of Northern Ostrobothnia has invented and documented the cultural heritage of hydropower in a three-year project. A selection of fine power plant sites is the Finnish Architecture Navigator, an online service for Finnish architecture published on the anniversary of the birth of architect Aarne Ervi. The Oulujoki river basin power plant complex was one of the most important construction projects in Finland during the reconstruction period. After the Second World War, sixteen hydropower plants were built in Northern Ostrobothnia and Kainuu, which were at the top of their time in terms of both technology and architecture. These sites have been studied in the three-year EU-funded Hydropower Cultural Heritage (Veku Vaku) project led by the Regional Council of Northern Ostrobothnia. A selection of hydropower projects has now been published in the Finnish Architecture Navigator, an online service for Finnish architecture maintained by Archinfo Finland. Read the press release on the ArcInfo page! See the locations in Finnish Architecture Navigator! Read more about the Veku Vaku project! Further information: Kirsti Reskalenko Regional Architect Tel. +358 40…

At the turn of May-June, 130,000 freshly hatched juveniles of sea trout and 150,000 juveniles of sea trout, 20,000 pre-summer juveniles of sea salmon, 41,000 1-year-old juveniles of sea salmon and 5,000 1-year-old juveniles of sea trout will be planted in the river Iijoki and its tributaries. Restocking supports the creation of salmonid stocks stigmatised in the river. ‘The sea trout are planted in the River Loukusanjoki, the River Pärjänjoki and the River Livojoki, the salmon in the main mouth of the River Iijoki and the River Livojoki. The purpose of restocking is to ensure that the fish get to the bottom and find shelter," says Eero Hartikainen, wilderness planner at Metsähallitus. The young were acquired from the Natural Resources Institute Finland, Kalankasvatus Vääräniemi Oy and Voimalohi Oy, and they are planted by Metsähallitus and Voimalohi Oy. The results of the plantings are monitored by means of electro-experimental fishing in July-August. Electro-experimental fisheries are carried out by Metsähallitus “The availability of freshly hatched Atlantic salmon was below normal this year. We buy 1-year-old salmon chicks to compensate for the low number of wk chicks. Infant …

On 18 May 2022, the European Commission launched a new plan for key EU cross-border energy infrastructure projects as part of the Repower EU plan. In its Repower EU Plan, the Commission's key objective is to promote the self-sufficiency of the EU's energy system and the de-fossilisation of Russia.  The target is to be phased out before 2030.   The funding for the Repower EU plan is approximately EUR 800 million. The project selections and possible funding are based on the framework formed by The Trans-European Networks for Energy (TEN-E) and CEF for Energy.   TEN-E is based on trans-European infrastructure planning and provides a framework for identifying projects of common interest. These projects will contribute to the internal energy market, security of supply and sustainability in pre-defined energy infrastructure themes.  CEF Energy is the only dedicated EU funding instrument for cross-border …

The Regional Council of Northern Ostrobothnia is organizing the new openings of the province's smart development seminar on 24 August 2022​. The Regional Council of North Ostrobothnia invites all actors from the region of North Ostrobothnia to come up with ideas for developing the region's near future from the point of view of smart specialisation. North Ostrobothnia will have the opportunity to develop in a variety of ways, as development needs can be highlighted in a variety of different themes and taking into account the needs of different organisations. So you are very welcome to join us!​ ​ Seminar has three themed workshops from which you can choose the one that suits you best. The thematic workshops are: Climate-wise, responsible and renewable industry​, Digital Services and Products​ and Health and Wellbeing​. The seminar will be held at the Regional Council of Northern Ostrobothnia, Poratie 5A, Oulu. The event starts with lunch at 11 a.m. and the actual program starts at 12 noon. The event ends at 3 p.m. The schedule and schedule of the event will be specified shortly, so adding a day to the calendar is worthwhile…

The Regional Council of Northern Ostrobothnia has launched a study on the resilience of Northern Ostrobothnia and its 30 municipalities. The study is carried out by expert company Norrum Oy, in cooperation with TK-Eval Oy. The study examines the risks and resilience of the 30 municipalities in the Northern Ostrobothnia region from the perspective of key industries and regional economy. The study examines the region's ability to respond to and prepare for risks in the short and long term. Risks affecting the regional economy are addressed in terms of the economy, technology, price volatility, changes in demand, policy and regulation, geopolitics and the environment. The study will be completed in November 2022. The municipalities included in the study are Alavieska, Haapajärvi, Haapavesi, Hailuoto, Kalajoki, Kempele, Kuusamo, Kärsämäki, Liminka, Lumijoki Merijärvi, Muhos, Nivala, Oulainen, Oulu, Pudasjärvi, Pyhäjoki, Pyhäjärvi, Pyhätä,…