Results
One of the project’s key objectives was to embed and strengthen green transition expertise in the Upper and Eastern Kainuu region. To ensure this, the Latvus Kainuu Competence Centre has been established, bringing together regional actors who commit to shared green transition goals. Green transition expertise in the region is further strengthened through closer higher-education cooperation secured by a cooperation agreement.
Description
Strategically, now is a good moment to create an expertise and competence center for the green transition in Upper and Eastern Kainuu. The principles of a just transition require that the use of the energy and raw material potentials of Upper and Eastern Kainuu should be planned in such a way that they optimally benefit the municipalities and residents of the region as well as companies.
Hyrynsalmi municipality acts as the main applicant and administrator of the project, which aims for a completely new regional development and cooperation model. City of Kuhmo and municipalities of Puolanka, Ristijärvi and Suomussalmi are joining in as partners of the project. Partial implementers of the project are the University of Helsinki (HY) and Lappeenranta-Lahti University of Technology (LUT) and the Kerttu Saalasti Institute (KSI) of the University of Oulu.
The project is piloting a new type of cooperation model between regions, municipalities, companies and universities. By strengthening regional democracy, fact based decision making, cross-sectoral collaboration, sector-integration, smart specialisation and innovativity the project will speed up investments in the green transition, strengthen the economic and employment effects on the region and enable comprehensive consideration of different interest groups and the realization of the principles of a fair transition.
The goals are promoted in the project by establishing a joint green transition competence center of five municipalities and three universities, the task of which is to inculcate comprehensive know-how in the region for the ecologically and socially sustainable utilization and processing of region’s natural resources and energy resources into products with the highest possible added value. During the project, the municipalities and universities cooperate closely with the residents of the area, companies and third sector operators. The competence center to be established operates in a network-like manner in the region’s municipalities, mainly through the project’s online portal and social media channels. Information, training events and discussions are organized for different target groups about the themes developed during the project and are actively communicated through social media, blogs and videos.
The competence center also acts as a common development tool for the municipalities’ business services in supporting the companies in the region and attracting investments to the region. The Competence Center promotes a closer connection between different administrative sectors and levels, as well as companies, and thus supports sector integration. The operational models piloted during the project are aimed at being established as part of the municipalities’ operations even after the project has ended.
It is likely that in a five-year period, the share of green transition investments rises to half of all investments in the region. Especially with regard to large investments in low carbon energy production, energy storages and refining, it is important that the municipalities in the region also have a close cooperation model or, for example, a joint business company that can take responsibility especially for promoting energy and further processing investments. During the project the activities of the competence center will achieve a considerable strengthening of the competitiveness of the region and its current companies, and thus a significant regional economic and employment benefit. The project also essentially strengthens the region’s conditions for attracting new talent, companies and investments. Strengthening the know-how and abilities of the project area also produces clear benefits at the national level – by ensuring the realization of emission reduction goals and low-carbon energy production and further processing, which are essential for Finland’s competitiveness, in a socially and ecologically sustainable manner.
The project also produces significant new research information on the key questions of the green transition to support the development work of the Kainuu province, nationally and in EU-level. At the same time the project seeks local pragmatic solutions to acute problems and development needs. Important for the region are e.g. various sustainable and efficient energy infrastructure solutions as well as solutions related to the development of the electricity network and energy security. It is also important that the interaction with national actors (energy industry, defense administration, security of supply, ministries) is strengthened. With leading research actors, the area also rises to national and international visibility as an interesting green transition destination, investment environment, and place to work and live. The project also implements a participatory planning model that helps in harmonizing different interests. The idea is that the experts hired for the project are responsible for the project’s implementation and data production, and that the project serves the needs of the municipalities, companies and people in the area as efficiently and practically as possible. The universities and the personnel hired for the project are therefore mainly jointly responsible for the implementation of the measures proposed by the municipalities, but in addition to this, the municipalities can “use” (by decision of the steering group) a share of the project’s purchase service budget corresponding to the self-financing share.
According to the project plan, the budget can be allocated especially to the planning of smart heating solutions that replace fossil and direct electricity in the municipalities’ district and central heating projects (e.g. load control enabling demand flexibility, electricity and heat storage, heat pumps, solar energy). The total budget of the project is €863,101 and the total self-financing is €172,620 (the share of EU funding is therefore 80%; The universities’ share of self-financing and the Kainuu municipalities’ share is 20%). The municipality-specific shares depend on the municipality’s size and role in the project.
Cover photo by Samuli Rinne
