Innovative cities and communities support and promote new ways of thinking and act as pioneers of change. InnoCities create opportunities for urban developers, businesses and researchers to develop, come together and brainstorm.
The aim of InnoCities is to strengthen the expertise and collaboration of urban areas, to create international-level innovation and experimentation environments and to create new business ecosystems. Together, we are making Finland the most innovative country in the world.
16 ecosystem agreements: The cities act as platforms for competence and research, development and innovation activities, as well as investments that are important for the future. To promote the activities, the cities have concluded ecosystem agreements with the state
During the EU cohesion policy period 2021–2027, at least 8% of each Member State’s ERDF funds must be invested in priorities and projects chosen by cities themselves to promote sustainable urban development. In Finland, this sustainable urban development funding under Article 11 of the Regional Development Fund (known as SUD funding) has been directed to support cities’ ecosystem agreements.
The state has signed long-term agreements with all Finnish university cities and university consortium cities on the allocation of public and private RDI funding to strengthen globally competitive ecosystems.
These 18 cities are called InnoCities. They have committed to developing innovation ecosystems based on regional expertise in collaboration with the area’s key RDI actors.
The goal of ecosystem agreements is to strengthen innovation ecosystems, meaning the development of innovation activities based on collaborative networks. Together, the ecosystem agreements form Finland’s national sustainable urban development plan (SUD strategies) within the EU regional and structural policy programme.
With the SUD funding, InnoCities develop collaboration, strengthen competence areas and increase the effectiveness of RDI activities. All the funded projects support the impelementation of the ecosystem agreements. The projects especially facilitate innovations that promote low carbon emissions, digital technology and well-being.
The InnoCities have a leading role in deciding which projects are funded. The funding is granted by the regional councils. The ecosystem agreements are funded jointly by the EU, the Finnish State and the cities, and the projects receive funding mainly from the European Union’s Innovation and Skills in Finland 2021−2027 programme.
The Council of Tampere Region is in charge of the coordination of the Innocities-project.
Read more from the Innocities-website
My responsibility is to lead the land use planning and transport team and to plan and develop operations together with the team. My special expertise is Transport System Design, but you can turn to me with any questions about land use, transport or environmental planning.
I participate in the strategic development of Pirkanmaa in many ways. My tasks include research, development and innovation work, support for knowledge-based management, foresight and future work.