Role of EU Transport Corridors for enhanced

growth

Public-business-customers-

partnership for promoting growth

and welfare

February 13, 2014

Tuomo Airaksinen

Invest in Finland

What is Invest in Finland?

National Investment Promotion Agency of

Finland

• Consulting services to foreign

companies

• Greenfield investments

• M&A’s

• R&D units

• Search for business opportunities

Fully funded by Ministry of Employment and

the Economy

Services are free of charge to foreign

companies

Confidentiality

Northern Growth Zone

Northern Growth Zone

The Ministry of Transport and

Communications and the Ministry of

Employment and the Economy

have launched the Growth Corridor project

and will together take it forward

Platform for testing new innovations in pilot

projects and possibility to create a living lab

for businesses and innovations

Enormous potential in trade and bilateral

investments with Russia and in Russian

tourism

Northern Growth Zone

New ways of cooperation between the public

sector and business life provide opportunities

for investments that support growth and

development

Administration will assume a clear role of the

provider of opportunities

– Growth

– Innovations

Business community to exploit the emerging

opportunities

Growth agreements - City deals

Lately, urban development policy has taken

remarkable steps in Finland

Growth agreements with cities in three areas:

1) Competitiveness and resilience

2) Land use, housing and transportation

3) Social sustainability

Urban development policy based on

agreements is carried out in the 12 major

cities in Finland

Growth agreements - City deals

Examples of the thematic issues defined in

the city deals are

– innovative public procurement

– creation of university campuses and

student cities

– attractive urban environments

– utilization of old non-used railway yards

in the heart of the cities

Growth agreements - City deals

A key rationale for growth agreements

– the strategic focus of actions is taken together

with national players and cities

This creates efficiency gains and improved

targets

Agreements are also a potential vehicle to

facilitate the place-based policy in cities

Improves the international competitiveness of

the cities

– also as targets for foreign investments

Innovative Cities Programme (INKA)

Programme comprises the development of the same

12 cities as in growth agreements

– To create new business and employment through

innovation

Innovative Cities is a funding tool for the innovation

policies of cities

The overarching idea is that cities provide a testing

platform for companies to pilot and produce solutions

and services

– first to be tested in the local market and then to be

exported

Innovative Cities Programme (INKA)

The thematic focus of INKA is on cross-cutting

innovation which is not bound to any sector.

Examples of the thematic areas are

– smart city solutions

– bio-economy

– cyber security

– future health

Why Finland

The business centre of the Northern European

market area

Excellent base for knowledge- and technology-based

investments

World's leading business environment and

competitive economy

– Current facts updated daily in our website

www.investinfinland.fi

Finland – cooler than you think!