At the beginning of May, representatives from the Jakobstad region took part in a study visit to the Green Tech Valley cluster in Graz, Austria, which is ranked world leader in green technology.
Green Tech Valley works on green technology in a network of companies, research institutes, public actors and other organisations. They support their members by facilitating connections between actors, which in turn strengthens innovation and competitiveness as actors share knowledge and resources and create joint projects.
The Green Tech Valley in Austria is certified as a gold cluster under the EU Cluster Management Excellence Gold Label. The certification provides credibility that has led to the cluster acting as a strong engine for regional development. In addition to supporting existing businesses, the cluster fuels growth and attracts new investment.
“How can we as a cluster organization, most effectively strengthen the economic ecosystem in the field of green technologies at the location, the Green Tech Valley?” was Bernhard Puttinger’s, CEO of Green Tech Valley, central question.
The delegation and the organisers
The study tour was organised by the Interreg Aurora funded project Bothnia Green Energy in cooperation with Viexpo. A total of 25 people from Finland and Sweden participated, including representatives from industrial areas, energy companies, development companies and cluster organisations.
Participants from the Jakobstad region included Daniela Mårtenson, CEO of the Jakobstad region’s development company Concordia, Åsa Björkman, project manager for the Alholmen Circular Economy Platform, Triinu Varblane, NordicHub manager at Viexpo and Victor Wistbacka, development manager at Herrfors.
During two intensive days, the delegation took part in presentations, roundtable discussions and study visits to leading players in green technology.
Sharpening strengths for greater competitiveness
It was particularly inspiring to see the specific results of how strategic management, mixed funding models and clear communication contribute to success. Services such as networking, training and innovation support create important value for cluster members and strengthen the whole region.
It became clear how important co-operation is between different companies and actors – both for the Jakobstad region and within industrial parks like Alholmen Industrial Park (AIP).
“The visit showed how strong co-operation and well-defined strategy can create significant change. It gave us concrete ideas and new motivation to develop our activities”, Åsa Björkman, project manager of Alholmen Circular Economy Platform, says.
For the Jakobstad region, the study visit provided inspiration and practical tools to continue developing industrial ecosystems, strengthen collaboration between actors and create structures that support companies’ innovation power and the degree of value added.
The study visit provided a strong insight that the region’s competitiveness for new investments and establishments can be strengthened through strategically defined goals. This requires us to highlight the region’s strengths – and this is a challenge in a region characterised by great variety and diversity in business.
The study visit also demonstrated that there is potential in international co-operation. European networks and clusters can provide access to funding opportunities that bring additional resources to regional development work.
Read more:
Alholmen Circular Economy Platform
Bothnia Green Energy is financed by Interreg Aurora, Jakobstadsregion Development company Concordia, Herrfors, Karleby Energi, Karleby stad, Kvarkenrådet EGTS, Lapplands landskapsförbund, Teknologicenter Merinova, Region Västerbotten, Region Västernorrland, Skellefteå kommun, Skellefteå Kraft, Umeå Energi, Umeå kommun, Vasa Elektriska, Vasa stad, Vasaregionens Utveckling VASEK, Örnsköldsviks kommun, Övik Energi.
Alholmen Circular Economy Platform is financed by:
