Regional development

VASEK's role and priorities in both the company's operations and regional development activities are guided by the company's own strategy, which is updated annually. The needs of the owning municipalities — Vaasa, Korsholm, Vörå, Malax, Korsnäs, Laihia and Isokyrö — are the top points of development, from which the themes of the company's strategy are derived. In line with the strategy, the priority areas for which project funding will be sought will be selected. See our ongoing development projects below on this page.

VASEKs role in regional development comprises

  • regional strategies and programs
  • projects with separate funding administered by VASEK (e.g. Ecosystem Agreement, European Regional Development Fund, Interreg Aurora, rural development programme)
  • Counterpart funding allocated by VASEK for development projects carried out by other organizations
  • VASEK participates in various projects as a partner, member of executive and working groups or in other tasks and also with no financial contribution.

Vaasa ecosystem agreement promotes both national and regional green transition

Even though the Vaasa region already conducts extensive cooperation work in accordance with the ecosystem model, separate agreements have now been concluded with university cities, according to the Ecosystem Agreement covering the period 2021–2027, on the strategic allocation of public and private RDI funding to strengthen globally competitive ecosystems. The agreements develop close cooperation networks for innovation activities and increase the effectiveness of RDI activities.

During the first year, the implementation of the ecosystem agreement was launched with national funding, and investments were made in the GigaVaasa and EnergySampo development packages. Year 2021 was largely spent on coordination and start-up activities, and during 2022 it will be time to move on to the implementation phase and open the first project applications.

What is the Ecosystem Agreement?

  • The City of Vaasa signed an innovation ecosystem agreement with the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Employment of Finland 
  • The ecosystem is a collaborative model that brings together companies, universities, research institutes, investors and other stakeholders in RDI activities to drive innovation, new business and new solutions to improve the wellbeing of residents. Among other areas, the ecosystem will provide unique piloting and testing environments for product and service development.
  • The agreement covers the years 2021–2027
  • In addition to Vaasa, the other participating cities  and towns are Helsinki, Espoo, Vantaa, Tampere, Turku, Oulu, Rovaniemi, Joensuu, Kuopio, Jyväskylä, Lappeenranta, Lahti, Pori, Seinäjoki, Mikkeli, Kajaani and Kokkola.
  • Ecosystem agreements allow for even closer cooperation between cities and the state to support research, development and innovation.
  • The purpose of the ecosystem agreement is also to attract more EU money to the region for various development projects and investments.
  • Strategic partners with the City of Vaasa are the Vaasa Region Development Company (VASEK) and Merinova Technology Centre, as well as the Regional Council of Ostrobothnia, the Team Finland network and the region’s universities and business life.
  • Read more about Regional development and urban policy on City of Vaasa webpage

General information about the Vaasa region 

Completed projects and programs