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The EUI National Contact Point, in cooperation with the City of Oulu and the Regional Council of Northern Ostrobothnia, will organise a talent development event for Finnish cities in Oulu on 19-20 May 2026. The theme of the event is the changed geopolitical situation in Finland and its effects on urban development. The aim is to strengthen the capacity of cities to adapt to changes in the operating environment and to take advantage of new opportunities, especially in the fields of overall safety and strategic autonomy, in order to promote the competitiveness of cities. The event is aimed at Innoka cities and all interested cities as well as key stakeholders. The event will also be attended by European peer cities and high-level representatives from the European Commission. The event offers a wide range of high-level speakers, panel discussions, best practices from European cities, workshops and networking opportunities. In addition, participants will be able to visit top destinations in the Oulu innovation ecosystem - places where world-class …

The sixth call for applications for the Interreg Northern Periphery and Arctic (NPA) programme ended in February, and the call turned out to be surprisingly popular. The programme received a total of 33 project applications, competing for funding of around EUR 10 million. The record number of applications shows that cooperation between states in the northern and Arctic regions is growing strongly. Finnish actors have also been actively involved in Interreg programmes more broadly, especially in universities and polytechnics, reflecting national expertise and strong regional development work.   Evaluation ongoing - decisions in June 2026 All applications are now transferred to the evaluation according to the selection criteria of the programme. Applications will be processed by the Programme Secretariat and each regional evaluation group in a participating country will make its own recommendations during the spring. The final financing decisions will be taken by the Programme Monitoring Committee at the beginning of June in the Faroe Islands. Results are announced…

In accordance with the Government's decision, approximately EUR 16 million of national funding will be allocated to the implementation of the Eastern and Northern Finland programmes. This appropriation is intended to support the sustainable growth and vitality of the regions, i.e. AKKE funding, which in this context is commonly referred to as IP AKKE. Funding allocated to Northern Finland amounts to n 4 million euros. The Regional Council of South Karelia acts as the funding authority for this IP AKKE. Separate calls for development projects and investment projects in municipal infrastructure have been opened in the State Treasury's electronic system www.haeavusutus.fi 2.3.2026. This is a continuous application with selection periods: 1st selection period ends on 15.5.2026 2nd selection period ends on 30.10.2026 and 3rd selection period ends on 26.2.2027. Applications will be considered at the end of each selection period, with the aim that decisions are taken within three months of the end of the selection period. Search on…

The Regional Council of Northern Ostrobothnia celebrated the 2026 Oulu Capital of Culture year by organizing the traditional International Women's Day reception in cooperation with Design Centre Proto on 8 March 2026. Nearly 100 women from the province participated in the event! The reception of the Women's Day of the Regional Council of Northern Ostrobothnia discussed women's networking, influencing and opportunities to influence and participate in societal activities and decision-making. This year’s theme was ‘Rights. Justice. Action. All women and girls” The President of the Regional Council of Northern Ostrobothnia, Senja Kovaniemi, welcomed the event. We also heard the following speeches at the event: Greetings from the Government, Minister of Education and Culture Mari-Leena Talvitie Woman's place - from idea to the world, CEO and founder of FabPatch Oy Taija Säiliö Design Centre Proto gave a speech by space and furniture designer, organisation secretary, Sanna Mäkelä, Northern Finland Designers' Association Oras Tynkkynen, Member of Parliament,…

Members of Parliament of the Oulu constituency met on Tuesday 3 March 2026 at an event held in Botta, Helsinki. The meeting discussed topical themes that are central to Northern Finland and strengthened the dialogue between the region and national decision-making. The discussion highlighted, among other things, the future prospects for the financing of the North Ostrobothnia Welfare Region, the purchase of rail transport in Northern and Eastern Finland, and the preparation of the Northern Finland programme for the Government's framework meeting. The event also looked at the role of the University of Oulu as an international scientific and student community and the availability of funding for companies. The event provided an opportunity for topical discussion on the development of the area and the promotion of northern perspectives in national decision-making.

The Regional Councils of Northern Finland have submitted an expert opinion to Parliament's Economic Committee on the Government's proposal to amend the Act on Public Procurement (HE 2/2026 vp). The unions are particularly concerned about the effects of the proposal675 on the municipalities of Northern Ostrobothnia, especially small and sparsely populated areas. The opinion raises three main concerns. These are the 10 percent ownership requirement, the constitutionality of the bill, and an insufficient transitional period. The Provinces of Northern Finland state that the minimum ownership requirement for affiliated entities in accordance with the proposal weakens the operating conditions of small municipalities. It causes significant financial and operational disadvantages for small and medium-sized municipalities. In Northern Ostrobothnia, many municipalities rely on in-house units for ICT, financial administration and catering services, for example. Small municipalities do not have sufficient resources to provide all support services themselves or to tender them out in the market in a cost-effective manner. Change could lead to services…

The Regional Council of Northern Ostrobothnia, in cooperation with the City of Oulu, has launched an ERDF project application for the implementation of the ecosystem agreement between the State and the City of Oulu. The content of the Oulu ecosystem agreement consists of the strategic focus areas and spearhead programmes of the Oulu Innovation Alliance for 2021-2027. The application round is open 23.2. – 13 April 2026. Priority axis 1 is open for this call. Innovative Finland and its specific objectives 1.1: Improving research and innovation capacities and the uptake of advanced technologies, 1.2: Exploiting the benefits of digitalisation for citizens, businesses and public administrations and 1.3: Improving the growth and competitiveness of SMEs and Axis 2: Carbon-neutral Finland and its specific objectives 2.1: Promoting energy efficiency measures and reducing greenhouse gas emissions and 2.3: Promoting the transition to a circular economy. In the project application process, the maximum amount of ERDF funding for sustainable urban development is 2,000,000 euros. ERDF applications…

Approximately EUR 16 million in funding to support the sustainable growth and vitality of the regions (IP AKKE) is available for the implementation of the Eastern and Northern Finland programmes. Funding is provided by the Association of South Karelia. The Association of South Karelia will organise an IP AKKE information and guidance session on Thursday 5 March 2026 from 9 a.m. to 10.30 a.m. The event will review the content of the application and give practical tips on how to prepare the application and how to use the haeavustys.fi system. The event will be held in Teams and no pre-registration is required. You can join directly from the link. The event will not be recorded, but the presentation materials will be published afterwards on the page Implementation of programmes in Eastern and Northern Finland - Regional Council of South Karelia. Further information: Laura Kelhä, Regional Development Manager, tel. 050 385 4016 Programme for Northern Finland

Yesterday and today, MPs from Northern Finland gathered for a meeting of MPs organised jointly by the Regional Council of Northern Ostrobothnia and the City of Oulu. The discussion focused on the effects of the geopolitical situation on logistics projects in the north, and in particular the Rail Nordica project. The interest of all participants in promoting northern transport projects reflects the fact that the issue is indeed common, regardless of the party position. However, Rail Nordica is not just a transport project, but a strategic solution to the changed security environment. Oulu is the node of the TEN-T core network and the logistics centre of the north. Industry's billion-dollar investments need well-functioning and secure pathways to the world. Rail Nordica combines the security, economy and international accessibility of the north and Finland as a whole. Security and security of supply The geopolitical shock has permanently changed Finland's position. If traffic in the Baltic Sea is disrupted, we need functional alternatives…

According to the report, a well-functioning single market remains the foundation of the European economy and the main tool for building sustainable competitiveness. The dismantling of the ten identified internal market barriers is important to improve Europe’s position in a tightening geopolitical context. The report is based on 29 indicators, including market integration, investment growth and business opportunities. Six of the indicators show positive changes in, for example, the recognition of skills between member states and the increase in the number of investments supporting the industrial transformation of the InvestEU‑ programme. In negative indicators, for example, the learning outcomes of 15-year-olds have weakened in PISA surveys, and private investment has decreased relative to GDP. In addition, there are growing labour shortages in the green transition professions. A new phase has been launched in dismantling barriers to the single market, both at EU level and in the Member States. The Single Market Strategy has identified the so-called Terrible Ten barriers, which hamper the environment and which the Commission has set as an urgent priority to remove. Obstacles…