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Smart Specialisation in North Karelia

Smart Specialisation in North Karelia – the easternmost region of Finland

North Karelia is the easternmost region of continental Europe. It has always been a place where east and west meet. In our region, 89% of the total land area is covered by forests. Our traditional strong fields of business include the forest, metal, extractive and food industries.

The core of North Karelia’s smart specialisation are New solutions for the forest bioeconomy and Technologies and materials as enablers of growth. These choices are described in detail in our Smart Specialisation Strategy, which is included in our Regional Strategic Programme.

On a practical level, North Karelia's strong areas of expertise are developed by several different actors. Educational organisations, research institutes, companies and business development companies are involved in numerous networks and projects that make North Karelian know-how known both domestically and internationally.

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New solutions for the forest bioeconomy

The forest bioeconomy represents the strongest sector for research and expertise in our region. Several experts work in the region’s bioeconomy sector employed by companies, national and international actors and educational organisations – from vocational education schools to doctoral degree programmes and research institutes.

Technologies and materials as enablers of growth

Technologies and materials represent a corporately driven entity that focuses on the technology industry. The expertise of business life is complemented by the University of Eastern Finland’s natural science departments, the engineering-related educational expertise of Karelia University of Applied Sciences, and vocational education and training provider Riveria, as well as a number of research and testing environments in the region.