A vitality pledge is planned for Northern Ostrobothnia - with the aim of strengthening cooperation and attraction - Regional Council of Northern Ostrobothnia

18.08.2025
Blog: Pyhäjärvi leads the way in organisational cooperation

The Organisational Advisory Board of the Regional Council of Northern Ostrobothnia visited Pyhäjärvi on 14.8.2025 to get acquainted with the association activities and the cooperation between the city and the associations. In Pyhäjärvi, organisations are involved in building everyday well-being, strengthening security of supply and creating a sense of community – and the model of cooperation has also been recognised at the provincial level. There are as many as 126 registered associations operating in the city, whose activities extend to a wide range of areas of life. The Advisory Board of Associations has drawn up guidelines for municipalities on organizational work, the key principles of which include: - the appointment and resourcing of organizational contact persons, - the provision of free and accessible facilities for activities of general interest, - clear and co-developed assistance processes, - the participation of organisations in the development of welfare plans and services, and - a joint cooperation document that brings together the rules of the game. During the visit, it was found that Pyhäjärvi is already implementing these instructions in an exemplary manner. The city has appointed a community ombudsman, spaces for associations have been organised in innovative ways and forms of grants have been developed together. In addition, the organisations are involved in the city's activities throughout the organisation, and representatives are involved in numerous different committees and steering groups. In this way, the valuable experience of associations will be utilised in well-being work. The example of Pyhäjärvi shows that it is good for municipalities and associations to go hand in hand. When cooperation is based on trust and partnership, the result is a future-oriented, prosperous and vibrant community. 👉 Practical examples of association activities can be found in the blog of Helena Liimatainen, coordinator of association work, published on Pohde's website: Pyhäjärvi takes care of people and associations. In Oulu 18.8.2025 Auli Suorsa, Specialist Culture The provincial programme for Northern Ostrobothnia 2026-2029 will be prepared during the spring and autumn. The blogs written by experts from the Regional Council of Northern Ostrobothnia cover the preparation process and themes related to the programme.

16.06.2025
Blog: Northern Ostrobothnia's future looks bright

The economic review of the cooperative bank's regions highlights positive factors for the future of Northern Ostrobothnia. They are already known, but have been overlooked. Now, in connection with the preparation of the provincial programme, it is a good time to raise the provincial profile and be genuinely satisfied with the successes. At least the following can be extracted from the recently published economic review. In Northern Ostrobothnia, the number of unemployed people per job vacancy is the third lowest in the whole country. The situation is the same in the whole of Northern Finland, which indicates a more positive economic development than in the rest of the country. On a long-term average, Northern Ostrobothnia is at the top of the country in terms of green transition investments, as well as in terms of population-related RDI investments. The Cooperative Bank's economic review predicts that GDP growth in Northern Ostrobothnia will be the second fastest. The region's positive future is covered by the continuous increase in the number of employees. Employment growth has been at the level of other major provinces. When construction, which is important to the county, begins to rise, employment returns to a positive path. Pirkanmaa has taken North Ostrobothnia's position as a region of growth. This is partly due to investments in support of the services sector and the development of an attractive living environment. The decisions made have created a positive spiral from which North Ostrobothnia can also learn. On the other hand, in times of global turmoil, North Ostrobothnia's logistical position as a gateway to the West also provides a good starting point for facing future challenges and continuing to grow. The extensive scenario work carried out in the spring creates a vision for 2050. The starting point of the thesis was to open the horizon of the future realistically. Although the cracks in the operating environment are becoming more pronounced, there were more opportunities than threats in the scenarios. In particular, the European Renaissance scenario provides a new perspective on current development, but also supports the strengths and cooperation openings of Northern Ostrobothnia. The ongoing preparation of the provincial programme provides a good opportunity to participate in building a positive future and to put into practice the opportunities that emerged in the scenarios. Keep your eyes up and work together! In Oulu on 16 June 2025, Mikko Väisänen, Head of Research and Development, will prepare the provincial programme for Northern Ostrobothnia 2026-2029 during the spring and autumn. The blogs written by experts from the Regional Council of Northern Ostrobothnia cover the preparation process and themes related to the programme.

09.06.2025
Blog: Regional development direction – how do we strengthen the vitality of Northern Ostrobothnia?

In March, a discussion on regional development between the state and the counties was held in Helsinki, in which all the counties of Finland participated. I myself participated in the thematic event on regional resilience and mental resilience. The form of these statutory events has varied over the years. This year I remembered in particular that it was a high-quality and thought-provoking seminar on topical themes rather than a traditional negotiation on regional development. The nature and effectiveness of events change easily when their structure is changed. In my opinion, the regional development discussions should in future be organised as bilateral, regional events. However, I feel that I gained significant added value in the regional programme work in Northern Ostrobothnia from my participation and contributions. Trust is central to the development of the county The development of the county is based on trust, which is created by good cooperation and close partnerships. I strongly believe that, in addition, trust in the home region, the region and the opportunities of the north is the basis for our positive regional development. We may never be too good at this. Respondents to the background survey of the programme correctly pointed out: “We need volunteers of positivity and optimism in our region”. Ultimately, it is about the credibility of the North. All this will be at the heart of the Northern Ostrobothnia provincial programme being prepared. In the future, regional development will be increasingly challenged by regional differentiation and, as a factor affecting it, by demographic development in particular. In Northern Ostrobothnia, the population has been growing for a long time, but now growth has almost stagnated. Although the change has been visible for a long time, I would argue that we have not sufficiently addressed it through regional development measures. It is therefore of paramount importance that the provincial programme addresses the demographic change in the region and records the related objectives of proactive management and development measures. In conclusion, I would like to say that, with the new provincial programme, a particularly important strategy for the region will be completed in the autumn. It will provide clear steps for regional development work in Northern Ostrobothnia over the next few years. What are your thoughts on the direction of regional development? Participate in the preparation of the regional programme, for example, through the Northern Ostrobothnia website. Ilpo Tapaninen, Strategy Manager, Regional Programme for Northern Ostrobothnia 2026-2029, will be prepared during the spring and autumn in Oulu on 9 June 2025. The blogs written by experts from the Regional Council of Northern Ostrobothnia cover the preparation process and themes related to the programme.

07.06.2024
NATO's DIANA programme creates opportunities for companies in the Oulu region in the defence industry

Finland has been a member of NATO for over a year. Membership has required a change in our thinking. In addition to defending our own country, we are now a member of the Alliance. It is our duty to ensure that, in addition to reconciling NATO's needs, our NATO partners understand our specificities and needs. As a member of NATO, Finland has joined NATO's research and innovation initiatives. Especially important for Oulu was the decision of NATO's DIANA programme. DIANA stands for Defence Innovation Accelerator for the North Atlantic. DIANA implements NATO's innovation policy, which is based on new disruptive technologies. In Finland, the structure of the DIANA programme is a national business accelerator and two test centres, a 6G test centre coordinated by the University of Oulu, and another VTT test centre for space and quantum technology. In addition to Oulu and Espoo, DIANA has offices in Sodankylä. In a grand power competition, disruptive technologies are vital for maintaining a competitive advantage in the field of common defence and security. The sector must have access to the latest information on the latest technologies. This information is often found in small start-ups. In the past, many disruptive technologies were developed for defence use, from where they spread to civilian use. A famous example of innovations funded by the Defense Administration is the US ARPANET, which evolved into the Internet. Today, the situation has been partly reversed. Technology is developing rapidly and in a business-driven manner. Not all entrepreneurs necessarily perceive the defence industry as the sector they want to target first and foremost. The idea of the DIANA programme is to look for and find civilian applications that could also be used in the defence sector. In particular, DIANA is looking for innovative solutions with a critical dual-use capability. The application can therefore be used on the civilian and military side. There's a lot of classified information in the defence industry. The objective of DIANA is, in principle, to be a programme of information in which the information is not confidential. If a civil technological application is exploitable in the defence sector, the nature of the matter will change. The intellectual property rights (IPR) created in the DIANA accelerator remain with the companies. The idea is to bring different people together physically, so that different problems are better understood depending on the point of view from which the matter is viewed. The entire test centre network of the DIANA programme is at the disposal of companies. The aim is for the company to understand the nature of the defence sector market. DIANA is part of NATO's activities, providing access to the markets of NATO and allied countries. The DIANA programme is accessible through a challenge programme for companies. Company selected for the DIANA programme…

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A vitality pledge is planned for Northern Ostrobothnia – with the aim of intensifying cooperation and strengthening attractiveness

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