Simultaneously small and large. East meets West. Relaxed and dynamic. Vibrant primary production and high technology. Pristine nature and urban cityscapes.

All at the same time.

THE REGIONAL COUNCIL OF POHJOIS-SAVO is a statutory joint authority, which is tasked with representing inhabitants, municipalities and business interests nationally and internationally. All the region’s municipalities are members of the Council.

REPRESENTATION The Council generates the common will of the region´s municipalities and other influential organisations within our cooperation network. We cooperate closely with the region’s municipalities, governmental authorities and other development organisations.

REGIONAL DEVELOPMENT AND PLANNING We have a wide ranging responsibility for regional development and land-use planning. We assign project funding for sustainable growth from the European Regional Development Fund and the Pohjois-Savo Development Fund.

INTERNATIONAL MISSION We actively promote the internationalisation of businesses. The East and North Finland EU office is situated in Brussels. We also provide practical information and advice about the EU through the Europe Direct Information Centre (EDIC). THE POHJOIS-SAVO REGION is located in central industries include specialized transport solutions (Profile Finland, where east meets west. With approximately Vehicles), forestry machinery (Ponsse), hydraulic piling 250,000 inhabitants, it is Finland’s sixth largest region. machines (Junttan), and mining equipment (Normet). The landscape is dominated by pristine nature – forests The region also boasts several world-leaders in energy and lakes – and urban cityscapes. technology (Andritz, Amec Foster Wheeler), mechanical Pohjois-Savo has a combination of content people, an wood processing (Keitele Group, Lunawood, Stora Enso, easygoing attitude, and excellence in science and tech- Finland Laminated Timber), and chemical and mining nology, arts, industry, and security. High-quality skills and industry (Yara). varied natural resources offer fantastic opportunities for Pohjois-Savo is home to over 200 exporting companies new growth and renewal as well as the development of whose innovative products and services represent the new products and services. cutting edge in their fields and are recognized the world Pohjois-Savo is host to a high concentration of tech- over. These companies include Bella fibreglass motor- nologically advanced international industrial concerns, boats, Genelec and Amphion loudspeaker systems, Mega which account for 40 percent of the region’s exports and Electronics physiological monitoring technology, Myontec 20 percent of the total workforce. Machine and metal wearable technology, and many more. Finland Pohjois-Savo region

KUOPIO, the capital city of the region, is a vibrant international university town of over 118 000 inhabitants situated on the shores of lake Kallavesi. Kuopio region is among the leading dynamic centers of growth in Finland, when measured by the variables of vitality and competitiveness.

In the north of the region, IISALMI with its 22 000 inhabitants is known internationally as a center of machine technology, strong wood-based industry and wide ranging food production.

VARKAUS, the most southern town of the region, is a modern industrial town of 21 500 inhabitants. The town’s success is based on excellence, by international standards, especially in the fields of energy technology and wood processing.

250 000 inhabitants 18 municipalities Smart Specialisation Strategy S3

POHJOIS-SAVO is particularly known for its expertise in five areas of innovation where knowledge, technical development and expertise can be used to promote enterprise regeneration and competitiveness.

The regional economy is at present dependent on machine and energy technology, wood processing and foodstuffs. The region also has a strong tradition of RDI expertise in these fields. It is essential for the region to perform in these fields and great effort is put into ensuring expertise, regeneration and a ready supply of skilled labour in them. Health clusters and water and air processes are new rising fields of expertise which involve high level interdisciplinary research and devel- opment.

Pohjois-Savo is willing to take the risks involved to develop these fields into new important sectors of a growing economy.

The figure shows these five areas of smart specialization and highlights the most important development aims. The next segment describes the current strengths of each field as well as development potential and strong players in each field. s3platform.jrc.ec.europa.eu/regions INNOVATION PRIORITIES DEVELOPMENT OBJECTIVES

S3 Priority 1 Technological solutions Customer-based SME´s taking Product innova- strengthening the service concepts part in the tions, persona- Machine and energy productivity, energy and project global supply lized products and technology efficiency management network time to profit

S3 Priority 2 New products and New wood products, Biofuels and services based on wood productivity, wood bioprocessing Wood and construction bio processing CURRENT LEADERS S3 Priority 3 Enhanced productivity and Functional food industry production of dairy farming Foodstuffs

S3 Priority 4 Health technology Service concepts Promotion of Innovative of health, export of welfare and medicines and health services health, healthy personalized Health cluster diet medical care

S3 Priority 5 Energy production and Hydrological processes and Water processes and traffic emissions closed circulation concepts air technology cluster in agriculture, industries and Water and air mining

NEW AND PROMISING OPENINGS 2014 2020 CASE HYDROLINE From open collaboration to innovation creation

HYDROLINE is a Finnish industry leader in hydraulics such as universities, Savonia University of and one of the most highly advanced operators in the Applied Science, VTT (Technical Research Centre of world. Hyrdoline delivers products to large machine and Finland), and partner companies. device manufacturers such as Sandvik, Rocla, John Deere, Hydroline is collaborating with a spin-off enterprise Cargotec, Agco Valtra and Bronto Skylift. Around 95% Savroc that has its roots at the research and testing lab- of net sales are accumulated from indirect and direct oratory for industrial coating. As a result, the EU-funded exports. project led the way to a new innovation. The new trivalent Hydroline´s project has received EUR 1.5 million of chromium-based TripleHard technology is cost-effi- funding from the EU framework programme for research cient and achieves three times harder and more durable and innovation Horizon 2020. The grant will be used surfaces compared to traditional chromium plating. In for developing intelligent future products, the product addition, TripleHard coatings are also safe for people and development process in a network, the Internet of things, the environment. and the three Es – ergonomics, energy conservation, and Last year, Savroc was selected among the Top 25 efficiency. companies in the Nordic Cleantech Open business com- The two-year project started in autumn 2015 and it will petition. be executed in cooperation with Hydroline’s partners, From open collaboration to innovation crea- tion FromHydroline open is collaborating collaboration with a spin-off to innovation creation enterprise Savroc Ltd that has its roots in a research, development and innovation project (Materiaaliteknologian TKI-keskuksen kon- septointi ja toiminnan pilotointi Pohjois-Sa- vossa). Hankkeessa oppimisympäristöjen materiaaliteknologian asiantuntemus ja lait- ekanta valjastetaan hyödyntämään yritysten T&K-toimintaa. As a result, the project led the way to new innovation. Hydroline has already used the TripleHard coating technology in the cylinder rods. ”This revolutionary innovation gives Hydroline a significant competitive advantage in the international market”, says Manu Leinonen, Hydroline’s Vice President of Design and R&D. The new trivalent chromium-based Triple- Hard technology is cost-efficient and achieves three times more hard and durable surfaces compared to the traditional chromium plating. In addition, TripleHard coatings are also safe for people and the environment. Due to its strong resistance, the technology can be used in demanding applications such as hydraulic cylinders, ball valves, and shock absorbers. S3 Priority 1 Savroc is based in Kuopio, Finland and oper- ates worldwide. Last year Savroc was selected to the top 25 companies in Nordic Cleantech Machine and energy technology CASE SEPA The world’s strongest wood expertise

The wind-grained, slow-growing spruce species that is Sepa’s annual production volume is approximately found in the Nordic coniferous forest belt and eastern Fin- 150,000 roof trusses. Since its establishment in 1982, the land, in particular, is one of nature’s best innovations. The company has delivered nearly four million roof trusses. Keitele-based company SEPA uses spruce as the material In 2015, Sepa introduced its new innovation: noise bar- for its wooden roof trusses. riers made of spruce. Spruce is an ecological alternative to Sepa was founded in 1982. The family business has pressure-treated timber. The company is also developing since then grown to be the most important and advanced new products: absorbing noise barriers, as well as solar manufacturer of roof trusses in Finland, and one of the cell and print coated models. largest in Europe. The production efficiency and capacity of Sepa’s CEO Kimmo Norojärvi says that the strength classes Keitele factory will grow by 30 per cent thanks to an of the sawn timber Sepa uses to manufacture its roof ongoing investment scheme of EUR 6.5 million. This is the trusses are C35, C40 and C45. One rarely finds these largest investment in Sepa to date, and it was co-fund- grades in timber shops – the most common strength class ed by the European Regional Development Fund with a of construction timber is C24. budget of EUR 1.5 million. The world’s strongest wood expertise

S3 Priority 2 Wood and bio processing CASE KALA-LAPPI Valencian tapas from cold-smoked salmon

KALA-LAPPI is a thriving food business that makes total export volume. cold-smoked fish products. The company started operat- Kala-Lappi products are currently available in over ing in 2014, and it is determined to enter the international 400 grocery shops and one hundred restaurants across market. Finland. “This year, we will launch our exports to three Europe- “Our plan is to include Finnish freshwater fish into our an countries. We will start in Spain, serving our products product selection in the near future”, Lappi says. in Valencia tapas style”, CEO Vesa Lappi says. The secret behind the company’s high demand is its in- Lappi says the company receives enquiries from novative production method. The fish is smoked at three around the world – even from Norway, which is by far the degrees Celsius for three days, using natural alder chips. largest importer of fish products to Finland. Kala-Lappi monitors and controls the smoking process Finns eat approximately 30 million kilograms of with its own, custom-made software. The slow smoking farmed Norwegian salmon every year, but Finland’s ex- process includes no fewer than 72 stages! port volume to Norway are modest. Finland exports most Kala-Lappi is part of the project called Wellbeing fish to Estonia, Russia, Denmark and Sweden. Exports through food. Project was co-funded by the European to these four countries make up about 90 per cent of the Regional Development Fund. Valencian tapas from cold-smoked salmon

S3 Priority 3 Foodstuffs CASE KALAKUKKO Finland´s first European Region of Gastronomy

THE KUOPIO REGION plans to become known for visibility for the region as well as an influx of tourism and its food, both nationally and internationally. ProAgria, events. It is hoped to also have a positive effect on the Regional Council of Pohjois-Savo, the city of Kuopio and local food industry. Savonia University of Applied Sciences are bidding for the In order to bid for the title, the applicant must deliver prestigious European Region of Gastronomy title for the a bid book that presents the region’s food, traveling, agri- Kuopio region for 2020. culture and cultural activities from education possibilities The title is awarded to 2–3 different regions each year, to entrepreneurs, associations and events in the fields. for one year at a time. The gastronomical regions for 2017 Savonian’s bid book will be completed in June 2017. An are the Aarhus region in Denmark, the Lombardy region in international panel of experts will visit Kuopio during the Italy and the Riga-Gauja region in Latvia. SATOA goes wild food festival in mid June. The European Region of Gastronomy Platform is a co- The SATOA Food Festival in Kuopio was named as one operative network of European regions that aims to stim- of the most important products of Finland’s food tourism ulate collaboration in the fields of gastronomy, tourism, industry. This means the festival will also gain additional urban culture and art. The title brings with it international visibility from Visit Finland’s marketing campaigns. Finland´s first European Region of Gastronomy

Pohjois-Savo is well known for easily approachable inhabitants, unique lakeland nature, unusual accents – and of course kalakukko. Kalakukko is a round or oval shaped bread like dish. A tight, thick rye pastry with a fish and pork filling forms a delicious meal. Kalakukko was granted Traditional Speciality Guaranteed status by the European Union in 2002.

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S3 Priority 3 Foodstuffs CASE NEWICON Robotics improve patient safety

NEWICON is an innovative health technology company for Innovators initiative that is targeted at midcaps, with that produces automation solutions for medicine supply. financial backing by Horizon 2020, the EU Framework The automation solutions – such as storage retrieval Programme for Research and Innovation. robots for pharmacies and automated dispensing cabinets NewIcon is the third company in Finland to receive for hospital wards – are based on robotics and the Inter- InnovFin funding for innovative companies. Earlier net of Things, and they will facilitate the work of nursing beneficiaries from Finland are gaming company Rovio and staff at each stage of the medicine supply process. software firm Kiosked. NewIcon received a EUR 8 million loan from the At the moment, NewIcon has more than 50 employees, European Investment Bank (EIB) for the development of and this number is expected to quadruple within the next innovative automation solutions for medication. The EIB three years. funds will also support the development of intravenous NewIcon established its first international subsidiary compounding robots and novel medication management in the United Kingdom in 2016, and it is planning to estab- software. lish a branch in each Nordic country. NewIcon has already The funds are provided by the InnovFin – EU Finance made its first Middle Eastern deal in Iran. Robotics improve patient safety

S3 Priority 4 Health cluster CASE SENSOFTIA Virtual health services in support of healthcare

Sensoftia

SENSOFTIA is a provider of software and embedded sys- and digitisation can reduce healthcare spending and tems with special expertise in virtual healthcare services. improve the availability of care. SenSoftia CEO Antti Väänänen estimates that ad- “Virtual telehealth services can bring notable savings vanced digitisation will become the new norm in health- in healthcare costs. It has been estimated that up to 75 care services in a few years. per cent of all visits could in fact be telehealth visits”, The customer can contact the physician via video from Väänänen says. home or the office. The physician can submit e-prescrip- SenSoftia is the only company included in the interna- tions in the My Kanta service or prescribe preventive over- tional INEXCA research project for 2015–2018. The project the-counter drugs using a health and sports application. is supported by the EU’s RISE (Research and Innovation The application is connected to a smart wristband and Staff Exchange) programme with a funding of nearly EUR other wearables, collecting and analysing the customer’s 1.2 million. health data. The INEXCA project has eight partners from five Euro- According to Väänänen, advanced health technology pean countries and the US. Virtual health services in support of healthcare

S3 Priority 4 Health cluster CASE SAVONIA New cleantech innovation for waste water purification

Finnish water expertise is an excellent example of clean waste water treatment on a larger scale. The method technology, for which there is a growing global demand. requires fewer chemical reagents, which makes it more Promising research-based water business is also found environmentally friendly and cost-efficient than conven- in Pohjois-Savo. SAVONIA UNIVERSITY OF APPLIED tional methods that rely on the use of chemicals. SCIENCES is currently housing the development of a The commercial potential of the new cleantech innova- new water treatment innovation. The new method is par- tion has already gained international attention, because ticularly well suited for treating industrial waste water. there is no technology of this kind in the market that Savonia acts as the research partner, helping the inventor would also be scalable. Risto Kemppainen to develop and market his innovation. This innovation is one of the positive outcomes of The innovation is based on a phenomenon called elect- the region’s robust investments in RDI. Prototype tests roflotation. Waste water is conveyed to a flow channel and trial runs are currently under way at the environ- that contains metal lamellae. Electroflotation makes the mental technology lab of Savonia. The Savonia welding impurities and deposits rise to the surface, from where lab makes the lamellae using an industry-leading laser they can be easily removed. welding cell that was purchased with support from the This purification method is not yet used for industrial European Regional Development Fund. New cleantech innovation for waste water purification

Savonia-AMK

S3 Priority 5 Water and air Kuopio

INNOVATION STARTS HERE

www.pohjois-savo.fi/en