North Karelian best practices

Bases for European model products

During the past years, the region of North Karelia has been the birthplace of many pioneering projects that have paved the way for others projects in Finland and Europe. The most important are investments in expertise and in the required structures, the establishment of Euregio Karelia, investments in information society projects and in the promotion of female entrepreneurship.

For the region it is important that these good practices developed are mediated forward as North Karelian model projects. Furthermore, the projects can be refined into "model products" which can be implemented elsewhere in the enlarged Europe.

Expertise-based Model for Regional Development

The national competitiveness of Finland has been constructed with a long-term perspective strategy grounded on knowledge and expertise. As internationalisation and technological development increase, the importance of expertise and new innovations becomes more essential for regional competitiveness. The centres of expertise established in Finland are a part of the system that provides means for development. The Centre of Expertise of North Karelia includes wood and forestry expertise and plastic and metal expertise.

The activities of the Joensuu Science Park have been extended remarkably in expertise-based regional development and, for example, the Design Resource Centre D`ART, Media Centre, Finnish Stone Centre and Mushroom Centre have been created.

Information Society Development Model

North Karelia has been a forerunner in developing information society in Finland, Europe and also through wider international connections. The development work was started in North Karelia in the mid-1990s through the programmes Nokis I and II (North Karelia Towards Information Society). One example of the activities is the Learning North Karelia and Local Community Network project, which was very successful, resulting in a remarkable rise in the Internet user rates in remote and rural areas.

The project was copied to eight other regions in Finland and the model has also been transferred internationally. Outstanding projects were carried out also in the health care sector and in training rural enterprises. These activities have provoked nation-wide interest and they are unique both at Finnish and European scales. The projects can be easily transferred to other European regions. North Karelian enterprises have performed well in information society projects, which are related e.g., to geographic information systems, forest measurement systems and applications related to safety and information security solutions.

Euregio Karelia -  A New Model for Cooperation

Euregio Karelia, located on the border between the EU and Russia, is a model of cross-border co-operation which is in accordance with the European model and at the same a unique entity of its own, rooted in regional characteristics. Euregio Karelia`s successful operations have been recognised at the state level both in Finland and Russia and also in the European Union. Furthermore, Euregio Karelia`s activities and experiences have been an object of interest for many European countries and research groups.

Euregio Karelia has given new content to the co-operation between Finland and Russia and also to the Northern Dimension of the European Union. The experiences gained through Euregio Karelia can be utilised as models in external border cross-border co-operation.

Female Entrepreneur Resource Centre Karelli

Karelli, the women`s resource centre, was established in 1997 as a result of an international Recife project. The activities of the Karelli Centre are based on the deep knowledge of real, everyday entrepreneurship and on a regional network consisting of 300 entrepreneurs and/or female experts. The aim of the Centre is to increase entrepreneurship and offer work to women through combining different expertise and skills.

As a developer of rural female entrepreneurship, Karelli has been a point of interest for many new EU countries. The action model based on diverse female networking can be utilised outside Finland. Part of the Centre`s activities are participation in European fairs and setting up clusters of North Karelian female enterprises related e.g., to handicrafts, culture, tourism and foodstuffs.

The Labor Pool of North Karelia

The Labour Pool services develop a new kind of employment service model, which combines different types of education, training and expert services into an entity that takes into consideration the job seekers` own starting points. The strength of the Labour Pool lies in the diverse co-operation between enterprises, education institutions, public authorities, NGOs and other projects.

The main target group of the project are jobseekers over 25 years old whose unemployment is prolonged and who want to improve their chances of gaining employment with the help of the Labour Pool services. The North Karelian Labour Pool consists of five regional units that network and combine their services with those produced by different local public and private actors. As the work force ages and large numbers of people retire, those currently unemployed will have more job opportunities. The services are also essential to prevent social exclusion.

Public health promotion

The North Karelia Project is a world famous example of public health promotion to combat the high mortality rate through cardiovascular diseases in North Karelia. The project started in early 1972 and by its end in 1997, the mortality rate was reduced by 82 %. The project also produced 500 articles in medical journals, over 40 doctoral theses, 50 professorships and brought international co-operation partners including the WHO and World Bank. A specific expertise centre was created as a result and it has continued and widened its activities and spread the action model globally.