East and North Finland in Industrial Transition: Smart Specialisation Strategy 2019-2023

Last updated: 10 December 2023

The Smart Specialisation Strategy is a regional co-operation between East and North Finland (ENF) that builds on the pilot project "Regions in Industrial Transition" launched by the European Commission in 2017. The strategy aims to strengthen co-operation in ENF regions based on the following common priorities: 

  1. Clean technologies and low-carbon solutions, 
  2. Industrial circular economy, 
  3. Digitalisation, innovative technologies and production processes and 
  4. Development of joint cluster work in the ENF area. 

The common identified topics in the region include sustainable mining and refining of natural resources and raw materials. One aspect of the strategy is the development of water industry technologies to further the circular economy in the mining and refinement industries. Another goal of operators in ENF is the improvement of the entire battery production value chain, as the area hosts expertise in raw materials mining, refining, energy, chemical engineering, and recycling. The battery cluster is an effort to build a value chain that connects all of these actors and links this chain to the wider European network. 

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