Ecosystem agreement on innovation activities between the Kajaani city region and the state
Kajaani and Sotkamo have concluded an ecosystem agreement with the state concerning innovation activities related to sustainable urban development, as part of the Innovation and Skills in Finland 2021–2027 structural fund programme. Other cooperation parties and active operators in the agreement’s implementation include the Ministry of Education and Culture, University of Oulu, measurement technology research unit of the Kajaani University Consortium (OY-MITY), University of Jyväskylä, sport technology department in Vuokatti (JYU-Vuokatti), Kajaani University of Applied Sciences (KAMK), CSC – IT Center for Science Ltd. (CSC), VTT MIKES/Kajaani unit (VTT-MIKES), Regional Council of Kainuu and Kainuu Centre for Economic Development, Transport and the Environment.
The agreement focuses on 1) measurement technology and measurements and 2) high-performance computing, artificial intelligence and data centres. While these areas have points in common that can be boosted through the ecosystem agreement, they are two separate innovation and business sectors, each of which has their own operating logic based on the sector’s specialised competence, as well as a strong, independent role and status in the national innovation policy.
The goal of the ecosystem agreement for the Kajaani region is to give birth to 15 new companies, 20 new commercialised technologies and more than 20 new service products in 2021–2029 (the results will continue to emerge at a delay after the agreement period). Other goals include attracting at least two new data centre operators to the Renforsin Ranta business park in Kajaani, being actively involved in promoting the Finnish Olympic Committee’s data strategy for top-level sports, seeing to the development of a national data pool and analytics for wellbeing and sports, as well as assuming a leading position in smart industrial measurements and higher education in the maintenance of modern industry, and related applied RDI activities.
