Why Vaasa Region?

The Strongest Energy Cluster in the Nordic Region www.energyvaasa.fi


* Energy cluster turnover exceeding EUR 7.5bn annually, employing 12,000 people
* 75 % of the energy cluster production is exported globally
* successful companies are ABB, Wärtsilä, Vacon, Citec, The Switch, VEO Group, SESCA group, KWH Pipe, among others
* comprehensive R&D efforts: 1000 people are working with R&D and innovation
* The Western Finland Centre of Technology and the Vaasa Energy Institute are important resources for energy technology and environmental systems

High Competence Enabling Effective Knowledge Transfer

* technological leadership within renewable energy (wind power, automation and ICT, power plants, electrical and multi-fuel engines and turbines, frequency converters etc.)
* 7 universities, granting a high degree of innovation and development
* intense and daily collaboration between universities and companies
* other strong areas of expertise: the boat and wooden house industries and the service sector
* academic region: 20 % of the population are students

International Business Region

* thousand-year-old traditions in doing business eastward and westward
* export exceeds EUR 5bn annually
* energy cluster in the forefront of development, with a boost since the early 1990's
* Finland's most international region in terms of exports

Excellent Logistics

* harbour: vessel traffic in 2008 1,705,000 t / 558 vessels, cargo traffic 1,532,000 t
* daily ferry connection to Sweden
* international airport with four direct flights daily to Stockholm and nine to Helsinki
* Vaasa is only 2.5 hours from central Europe and Moscow
* Vaasa Airport was the Airport of the Year in 2008 in Finland due to its increase in volumes
* electrified railway network to the rest of Finland and to Russia
* well-developed road system, north, east, south, west

Entrepreneurship Culture

* risks are manageable with cluster networks of 7,000 enterprises
* high degree of collaboration within and between value chains
* high-quality enterprise services, both public and private, boosting entrepreneurship
* honesty, punctuality and effectiveness are important values in Finland
* entrepreneurship and innovation are flourishing within the renewable energy technology and engineering sectors, as well as in wooden house building, the boat industry and service sector.

Entrepreneurship Incentives

* feed-in tariff program for wind energy will be implemented from 2010
* feed-in tariff for other renewable sources to be decided by June 30, 2009
* governmental and financial support programs for investments, recruitment, development and innovations
* moderate tax levels; VAT 8-22 %, Equity tax 28 %, Profit tax 26 %, progressive income tax

Multicultural Environment

* bridging the east to the west
* multilingual: Finnish, Swedish spoken domestically and English spoken fluently
* over 100 nationalities live and work in our region

Quality of Life

* fast communications and short distances, no traffic jams
* pleasant and safe environment with honest people
* public services with a high degree of excellence

Unique Nature

* the Kvarken Archipelago is Finland's first World Natural Heritage Site (Unesco)
* great opportunities for outdoor life and fishing
* unique birdlife offering unforgettable sights
* the sunniest region in Finland