Regions » Pioneers » Ostrobothnia » Finland

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RESGen Pioneer Region

Ostrobothnia, Finland

Summary

Situated on the West Coast of Finland, Ostrobothnia is a region with seventeen municipalities, four sub-regions and a population of 175,000. Some 52 per cent of the population in the region speak Swedish as their native language. However, many people are bilingual, using either Finnish or Swedish flexibly according to the situation. The region consists mostly of rural areas with a network of small towns along the coast. Vaasa, the regional centre, has a population of 57,000. The level of unemployment 6,6% (2006) is considerably lower than the average in Finland (9,5%) with lack of labour force being one of the challenges to be met in the near future. The employed labour force can be divided in to primary production 7,1% (3,9% average Finland), manufacturing 29,5% (25,2%) and service industry 61,6% (68,9%).

The level of education on a upper secondary level is 37,3% (38% Finland) and on a tertiary level 23,9 % (25,4%). The University of Vaasa, the Åbo Akademi University and the Swedish School of Economics and Business Administration lean on the traditions of the old Trivial School of Vaasa, founded in the 17th century. The Swedish Polytechnic and the Vaasa Polytechnic as well as the vocational institutes offer advanced education for the professions of tomorrow. The co-operation between the universities and the polytechnics on the one hand and corporate Ostrobothnia on the other hand yields indisputable synergy advantages. The Western Finland Centre of Expertise specialises in energy technology.

The RESGen project will bring together all key players in the energy sector, and it strengthens the connection within the already existing research-driven cluster. The structure to be outlined for sustainable energy concept will be of extreme importance for the cluster and the whole region, which is the leading energy cluster in the country and will also be the leader in sustainable energy.

Resources

See National Resources for Finland

Regional Events

Also see: Events for Regions in Finland

Past Events

  • From Research Infrastructure to Sustainable Energy
    Final presentation of the FP7 RESGEN Project
    18 June 2012, 14:00-19:30, Committee of the Regions, Brussels, Belgium

    During the seminar, four European regional energy clusters will present how they have planned to increase the use of sustainable energy in their regions by preparing regional RTD Roadmaps 2010-2020, management of research-driven clusters and joint actions, aiming at regional energy self-sufficiency, reduction of CO2 emissions, and boosting of the regional economy. The participating clusters come from Ostrobothnia (Finland), the Basque Country (Spain), Northern Hungary (Hungary) and Cornwall (UK).

    Further information »     (Last edited: 13/05/2013 12:31pm)