Into’s ongoing development projects

Into Seinäjoki is one of the most significant development organizations in our region and a sought-after partner for various business promotion projects. We continuously manage large nationwide and EU-wide projects, all of which promote the business of our companies and the vitality of our region.

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Contact: Hannemari Niemi, Development Manager, tel. +358 40 145 1300, hannemari.niemi@intoseinajoki.fi

Smart Con Europe

The goal of Smart Con Europe project is to promote the ability of companies, and especially SMEs, to use different financial services offered by the EU more effectively than before (e.g. Horizon funding).

In the project, experiences of supporting SMEs in utilising R+I funding are exchanged between the regions. Peer reviews are made on the operation methods and good practices are compiled. Methods of operation are developed through European cooperation.

In addition to this, a selected policy instrument is developed in each project area. For Seinäjoki, the chosen policy instrument is the innovation ecosystem agreement and its better implementation.

The main partner of the project is from Gdansk, Poland, and in total there are eight different partners from six different countries.

In addition to Into Seinäjoki from Finland, the city of Seinäjoki is also a partner in the project.

The project period is April 1, 2024 – March 31, 2028.

Funding: Interreg Europe

Additional information: Hanna Holtinkoski, phone +358 40032722 and Hannemari Niemi, phone +358 401451300

Smart Con Europe project’s own website SMART CON EUROPE – Smart Connection of Regional Research and Innovation Ecosystems with European R+I programmes | Interreg Europe – Sharing solutions for better policy

eRural resilience

The project develops the services of Into Seinäjoki and other business developers, so that we can support rural companies in increasing the value of business based on natural resources, digitalization and internationalization. The themes are getting better value from bio products as well as e-commerce, marketing, logistics and packaging.

At the same time, we are growing our network and increasing the exchange of know-how with organizations offering business services in the Baltic Sea region. In addition to Finland, the partners of the project are from Denmark, Germany, Poland, Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia.

eRural resilience project’s own website eRural resilience – Interreg Baltic Sea Region (interreg-baltic.eu)

Project period: 1 November 2023 – 26 October 2026. Funding: Interreg Baltic Sea Region

Additional information: Hanna Holtinkoski, tel. +358 400 321 722

Coordination of the Seinäjoki innovation ecosystem agreement

The project will launch the implementation of the City of Seinäjoki’s innovation ecosystem agreement and coordinate and activate the measures to be taken under it.

The ecosystem that strengthens Seinäjoki’s innovation activities for 2021–2027 is called INTELLIGENT GREEN GROWTH. There are two priorities for developing its strategic level: 1) Sustainable regeneration of the food ecosystem and 2) Intelligently regenerating industry.

The coordination includes the tasks related to the management of the contract and the implementation of the planned measures partly as Into’s own work and partly as purchasing services. The work involves activating actors to promote measures.

The project will run until the end of March 2022 and will be funded by the Support for Sustainable Growth and Vitality of the Regions (AKKE) channeled by the E-P Association and the City of Seinäjoki. From 2022 onwards, coordination funding will come from the European Union’s Regional Development Fund and the City of Seinäjoki.

Measure as a table

Project number: 2020 01B AKKE

Innovation ecosystem agreements are part of the government’s efforts to strengthen globally competitive ecosystems in Finland. The main idea of ​​the agreements is innovative and pioneering cities, which, based on their own strengths, take advantage of the opportunities offered by digitalisation, new technologies and carbon neutrality, thus accelerating economic renewal and a sustainable city.

Additional information: Hannemari Niemi, tel. +358 040145 1300

GENGREEN

The main goal of the project is to develop green female entrepreneurship in Finland, Sweden and Norway. The program includes cross-border living lab communities and web-based learning platforms that utilize professional mentoring, sharing of best practices, and various online and live events.

The target group is:

• Recently graduated women who are looking for job opportunities and are interested in starting an ecological business.
• Women who develop green business (under 3 years of operation).
• Women who have already started a business but want to incorporate environmental responsibility into it.

Join the GENGREEN community on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/groups/9544301/.

Here is a link to the project’s website.

Project period: 1 January 2024-30 June 2026. Funding: Interreg Aurora

Agile and sustainable movement

The goal of the project is to grow RDI networks and network cooperation for agile and sustainable mobility in the region, and to bring the latest knowledge in the field quickly for the region to utilize. In addition, the project promotes the construction of RDI environments for agile and sustainable mobility in the region, as well as RDI cooperation between research, training and development operators and companies. The agile and sustainable mobility project aims above all to support companies’ opportunities to bring new mobility innovations to the market as smoothly as possible through the actions of public actors.

Project measures:

• national and international mobility development networks are mapped and applications are made to participate in their activities
• new mobility development measures are built through network cooperation
• information obtained through networks is channeled to the region
• the possibilities of local drone flying are presented to companies and efforts are made to get piloting and product development projects in the area
• find out the support and ancillary functions necessary for running the business of drone flying
• the technical boundary conditions required for the realization of a rail logistics center set by urban aviation with drones, electric aviation and freight transport at the airport are clarified.

Project period: 1 January 2023 – 31 January 2025. Financed by: European Regional Development Fund (ERDF)

Additional information: Elisabet Kivimäki, tel.  +358 40 760 3907