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On 16 September 2021, it was decided to fund two new AKKE projects: Master Pia and investment plan Pudasjärvi Development Ltd 35,000 € Creating a Black Hole network to promote the export of Northern Ostrobothnian literature Oulu Writers' Regional Assembly 55,000 € In addition, the following projects were funded from the theme network and the separate allocation for development corridors: National innovation ecosystem for wellbeing and health data University of Oulu 500,000 € National hydrogen network City of Raahe 320,000 € Development zone of the Bothnian Arc City of Oulu 300,000 € More information : Tiina Rajala, Development Director, tel. +358 40 685 4033 Heikki Ojala, Development Manager, tel. +358 50 433 3951

The Regional Days of Northern Ostrobothnia will be held from 1 to 2 November 2021 at Oulu City Theatre. On the first day, the reforms concerning municipalities will be discussed. The second day begins in cooperation with themes related to the energy transition. At the end of the session, the turn is given to culture.

Keeping up in cooperation with international development requires active networking and participation in international project consortia. The project provides information on international funding applications and support for the preparation of applications. The aim of the project is to increase the number of internationally funded projects in Northern Ostrobothnia and to activate innovation stakeholders to participate actively in international consortia that take into account the needs of the local business community and the utilisation of the high level of expertise found in the region. Cooperation in cooperation within the region is developed by maintaining already established networks in cooperation with smart specialisation and international stakeholders. Northern Ostrobothnia has joined several Smart Specialisation thematic partnerships and new ones are still possible. The Regional Assembly of Oulu Region and the best experts from the Northern Ostrobothnia region represent the region in S3 partnerships.  The aim of the project is to narrow the regional disparities in innovation activities and to create operating models that encourage the cross-sectoral networking of innovation stakeholders in the region,…

  Commissioner Jutta Urpilainen will take a virtual regional trip to Northern Ostrobothnia on Monday 20 September. Due to coronavirus, the virtual tour is part of the tour, where Urpilainen visits different parts of Finland. Urpilainen will visit Northern Ostrobothnia virtually from 10.30 a.m. to 12.20 p.m. He then meets in cooperation with the media privately. During Question Time, Commissioner Urpilainen's visit will begin at 10.30 a.m. in cooperation with a Question Time, where he will discuss current issues in the following format: Pauli Harju (Director, Northern Ostrobothnia Region), Eija Ruohomäki (Senior Advisor for Education and Culture Services in Oulu), Jussi Haukkamaa (Project Manager and Lecturer, PINO Network & Oulu University of Applied Sciences), Janne Siltari (founder and board member of Kaira Clan Oy). After Question Time, Urpilainen heads to Kuusamo High School. School visit for students of Kuusamo Upper Secondary School…

Towards a carbon neutral Northern Ostrobothnia Northern Ostrobothnia is contributing to reaching Finland’s 2035 carbon neutrality target inline in cooperation with the EU targets. Northern Ostrobothnia Climate Roadmap lines seven themes and 130 measures from different sectors.

On 15 September 2021, the Regional Assembly of Oulu Region issued its opinion on the investment programme for the state fairway network for 2022-2029. The development of the transport system in accordance in cooperation with the investment programme does not guarantee the accessibility of Northern Ostrobothnia and Northern Finland, does not meet the needs of the businesses and does not support sustainable mobility and climate objectives. The investment programme is deficient, especially from the point of view of improving the conditions for business transport. The programme does not take into account the special circumstances of Northern Finland and the requirements of business and industry. The region's importance for the Finnish economy as a whole and for national and international accessibility is significant and must be reflected in the investments in the network of fairways targeted at the region. From the point of view of Northern Ostrobothnia, the most important measures to achieve the national transport system targets are completely lacking. In the investment programme, the development of rail traffic in particular is focused only on southern Finland, which makes it difficult for the business community in Northern Finland to develop and improve the rail traffic required for investments. The level of funding presented in the financial framework of the Transport 12 plan is…

On Wednesday 15 September, starting at 3:10 p.m., the Northern Ostrobothnia Information Point will organise a debate to assess the State of the Union address given by President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen on the same day in the morning. Ms Tytti Tuppurainen, Minister for European Affairs, Ms Mirja Vehkaperä, Member of the European Committee of the Regions and President of Oulu City Board, and Ms Hanna Honkamäkilä, Manager of International Affairs at the Regional Assembly of Oulu Region, will take part in the discussion. The event will be hosted by Ville Koivuniemi, spokesperson for the Northern Ostrobothnia EU Information Point and the Regional Assembly of Northern Ostrobothnia. The duration of the discussion is approximately 30 minutes. The State of the Union speech will be discussed especially in cooperation with regard to its effects on Northern Ostrobothnia, Northern Finland and Finland. You can follow the live broadcast from 15th of September at 15.10 here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CPK6MS0Ihjk The broadcast can also be viewed afterwards as a recording. Europe is behind many…

The European Week of Regions and Cities will take place from 11 to 14 November. The event will now be held virtually for the second time and you can sign up here. The link also allows you to take a closer look at the four-day programme. This year’s main theme is “recovery together”, which refers to Europe’s collective recovery towards a fairer, greener and digitally stronger future. The event will be an arena for political debate, giving regions and cities the opportunity to make their voice heard in EU decision-making.

The region's industry has continued to grow strongly in 2021. Contrary to expectations, the creative economy is also in a good situation. This is because the cluster is closely linked to high-tech industries and construction in the region. Compared to 2019, tourism is still at a completely different level, even though the turnover and number of employees have started to grow briskly. Exports are recovering, although developments have fluctuated in different months. Overall, the economic outlook is so positive that if growth continues on such a broad front, the sufficiency of the workforce will be put to the test. You can download the publication from the link: https://www.pohjois-pohjanmaa.fi/wp-content/Downloads/2021/09/Operational data_for May_2021.pdf All economic publications and the latest economic trends can be found in graphs: https://www.pohjois-pohjanmaa.fi/development/foresight-and-statistics/recession/

  The EU's regional and structural policy programming period 2021-2027 starts on 1 November.  This will start the implementation of the Renewable and Skilled Finland programme for the European European European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) (ERDF) (ERDF) and the European European European Social Fund Plus (ESF+) Plus (ESF+) (ESF). For the Just Transition Fund (JTF), implementation will start early next year. The Act on Regional Development and the Implementation of the Regional and Structural Policy of the European Union (Implementing Act 756/2021), the Act on the Financing of Regional Development and Regional and Structural Policy Projects of the European Union (Financial Act 757/2021) will enter into force on 1 September. The Act on Discretionary Government Transfers for the Development of Enterprises 2021-2028 (Business Aid Act, 758/2021) will enter into force by Government Decree and the Act is expected to enter into force at the beginning of November. Read more about this on the rakennerahastot.fi website website.