East and North Finland
Presentation of the Region
Nature, the refining of natural resources, and strong technological expertise have created the foundation for economic development in East and North Finland (ENF). Complimentary competences such as digital expertise support the traditional industries and are also growing business sectors themselves in East and North Finland. The area as a whole is one of EU´s Northern Sparsely Populated Areas with population of 1,27 million inhabitants covering a surface area of over 235 450 km2. Abundant natural resources and top-notch expertise are the foundation for growth in the East and North Finland region.
RIS3 Priorities
The shared Smart Specialisation Strategy for the East and North Finland region aims to respond to the European challenge of a sustainable economy that is decoupled from fossil raw materials, where the utilisation of digital technologies boosts the green transition (digital green transition). The smart energy transition, digital solutions and low-carbon economy create development needs and business opportunities that can be seized through strong cooperation between the public sector, civil society, research and innovation actors and the business sector. Clusters and value networks formed by RDI actors and the business life create a basis for coordinated development work.The ENF region offers solutions and new operating models for the global sustainability challenge by pooling the high-standard expertise of RDI organisations and businesses.
The priority areas in the Smart Specialisation Strategy for East and North Finland regions – clean solutions, utilisation of digitalisation and sustainable service production – support the practical implementation of the strategy by specifying the common areas of expertise as well as the related top-level expertise in the regions. The priority areas are linked by the opportunities related to sustainable development and digitalisation. Through the strategic priority areas, the ENF region acts as a promoter of innovations and a driver of RDI cooperation in Finland and on the international scale.
Political Representatives
Teppo Rekilä
Director of Regional Vitality, Regional Council of Central Ostrobothnia
Regional Contact Persons
Jouni Ponnikas
Regional Development Director, Regional Council of Kainuu
Brussels Contact Persons
Eerikki Vainio
Senior Advisor, East And North Finland EU Office
Regional Address
East And North Finland EU Office 24, Avenue Palmerston 1000 Brussels Belgium
Our Pilots
Latest Updates
3Dp Pan Eu Project Organising Webinar Additive Manufacturing Eu
On June 3rd, 2021 from 10:00 to12:00 CEST the 3DP PAN EU project will organise a webinar onAdditive Manufacturing in the EU: Report on the European Demonstration 3D Printing Industry. During this webinar we will present the preliminary results of the study on the additive manufacturing landscape und…
First Inhabited 3D Printed House Concrete
The 3DP Pilot Demo Case focusing on ‘AM in the Built Environment’ (led by the region South-Netherlands) aims at further deploying the use of 3D Printing in the construction sector and recent evolutions in the region further confirmed the high potential of the ‘AM in Built’ field. Indeed, as reported…
New Walloon S3 Adopted Government
On the 19th of March 2021, the Walloon Government adopted its S3 2.0. Based on an inclusive and participatory process, the new strategy defines 5 strategic priority areas and will be implemented on the basis of a totally reviewed governance setting, and improved policy mix. A strong focus is put on …