25.02.2021
Smart Specialisation Strategy for Northern Ostrobothnia 2021-2024
The Smart Specialisation Strategy for Northern Ostrobothnia promotes actions leading to innovation and utilization at the regional level that respond to the challenges posed by climate change, digitalisation and globalisation. The strategy aims to actively spread innovations and innovation activity throughout the region and to increase regional economy and well-being. The strategy guides cooperation across sectors and borders. Northern Ostrobothnia is an international, attractive and networked region whose competitiveness is based on high expertise, renewing industry, well-being and climate wisdom.
The Smart Specialisation Strategy aims to reduce the region's greenhouse gas emissions through measures in accordance in cooperation with the Northern Ostrobothnia Climate Roadmap. Total climate emissions of the municipalities of Northern Ostrobothnia amounted to 3.30 million CO2 in 2018. Agriculture was the main source of emissions (29 %), road transport (22 %), district heating (14 %) and electricity consumption (total of heating and electricity consumption 11 %). Since 2007, emissions per capita in the municipalities of Northern Ostrobothnia have decreased 23 %. (Source: Finnish Environment Institute). The figures do not include industrial process emissions. The biggest emissions from industrial processes are generated at the Raahe steel mill, 3.31 million t CO2 in 2019 (Source: Energy Agency).
High levels of competence, sustainable values and active innovation ecosystems, as well as effective data transfer, strengthen the regional economy and support economic renewal. Internationalisation and networking are ways of working that help Northern Ostrobothnia to increase competence, increase competitiveness and promote the development of the priority areas selected in the smart specialisation strategy. Northern Ostrobothnia's RDI environments are maintained and developed to meet the needs of business and industry, and stakeholders are encouraged to participate in international projects and networks. The region's attractiveness has a significant impact on the location decisions of companies, investments, skilled workforce and students in the region. From the point of view of the tourism industry, the region's attractiveness is a key success factor, to which the region's northern dimension and Arctic nature add value. The creative industries support the development of the region's attractiveness.
Strategy for Smart Specialisation in Northern Ostrobothnia 2021-2024.
Oulu Region’s Smart Specialisation Strategy 2021-2024.
The Smart Specialisation Strategy has been prepared as part of the project Developing the international dimension of smart specialisation in Northern Ostrobothnia.
Keywords:
smart specialisation
