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The letters OULU in pink in front of Tuira, each decorated in honour of the summer and the year of the Capital of Culture.

Front page › news › Rural COOP project raises the county's good practices to European awareness

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19.05.2026

Rural COOP project raises the county's good practices to European awareness

A summery field landscape in cooperation in cooperation with red wooden houses and farm buildings behind the field. In the background of the forest. The sky is cloudy and blue.

In May 2025, the Interreg Europe-funded Rural COOP project was launched in Northern Ostrobothnia to promote the development of rural areas. The name of the project is an abbreviation of its English title, Rethinking sUstainable and integRAted deveLopment in non-urban areas: COOPerative foresight and anticipation.

The working method of the project is inclusive and co-creative. In practice, this is reflected in close cooperation and communication between the project consortium stakeholders. The regional stakeholder group is also active in Northern Ostrobothnia. Various Rural COOP events will be organised for regional stakeholders during the autumn of 2026.

The first months of the project were spent organizing the project, but the current year has brought new functionalities. For example, stakeholder work has started rapidly in the region. In addition, the Rural COOP project team of the Regional Assembly of Oulu Region has participated in foresight training organised for the project consortium. The aim was to increase the foresight expertise of the Regional Assembly's experts and to implement the learned foresight methods in the development work of the region.

“We are now well underway. We serve as both regionally and in cooperation in cooperation in cooperation with a network of international project consortia. Regional stakeholder work is open to all, and we welcome all interested parties to join us," says the project manager. Anna-Maija Toivonen.

The BIOTUTO project was confirmed as a good European practice

One of the key objectives of the Rural COOP project is to share good practices and raise their awareness among Europeans. The project is constantly mapping good practices from Northern Ostrobothnia and highlighting them for peer learning.

One good regional practice has also received public recognition. The ERDF project funded by the Regional Assembly of Oulu Region, BIOTUTO - Collaboration to boost recycled nutrients and local bioenergy production, was promoted on Interreg Europe's website as a professional-confirmed good practice. The reinforcement will increase the visibility of the project in Europe and spread high-quality development work widely.

The BIOTUTO project promotes new business opportunities related to the processing, sourcing and use of biomass in rural areas of Northern Ostrobothnia. The main implementer is the Kerttu Saalasti Institute of the University of Oulu, and the partners are Oulu University of Applied Sciences, NIHAK and JEDU. The project examines biomass value chains from field to bioterminals and further to end-use, and develops the model and piloting of an energy-independent carbon-neutral farm.

“in cooperation in cooperation with the whole team, both the co-executors and the lead implementer, we appreciate a tremendous amount of such recognition for our work. Throughout the project, we have done our best and worked as closely as possible to our target group. We have involved farmers, the biogas sector in all its diversity, various experts and research, project developers, municipalities and cities, advisory organisations, lobbyists and funding authoritys. We are grateful to the Regional Assembly of Oulu Region that we received funding for the project in the past and hopefully this will also help to show how diverse European European European European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) (ERDF) (ERDF) (ERDF)ing can be directed,” Project Manager of the BIOTUTO project Heidi Pasanen Kerttu Saalasti from the Institute commented on the recognition in the previously published newsletter of the Regional Assembly of Oulu Region.

What is Rural COOP?

  • Interreg Europe-funded project to promote regional development, especially in rural areas.
  • Launched in early summer 2025 and will continue until the end of July 2029.
  • Supports the promotion of the green transition.
  • Strengthen the operating models of local stakeholders.
  • Improve international cooperation and exchange of information.

Project pages of the Regional Assembly of Oulu Region: Rural COOP | Regional Assembly of Oulu Region
Official website of the project on Interreg Europe: Rural COOP | Interreg Europe

Additional information:
Rural Coop project: Anna-Maija Toivonen, Project Manager, anna-maija.toivonen@pohjois-pohjanmaa.fi, tel. +358 40 685 4022
BIOTUTO project: Heidi Pasanen, Project Manager, Kerttu Saalasti Institute, University of Oulu

Keywords:

ruralcoop

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