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.