ELMO High Impact Action Call resulted in 17 applications by the deadline, of which 7 were selected for funding. The total amount of innovation vouchers to be distributed is € 279,000. This is a new type of funding model for consortia of SMEs and R&D organisations in the East and North Finland. The theme of the funding call was product value innovations in the wood value chain, which particularly support circular economy and digitalisation.

The ELMO High Impact Action is based on the long-standing cooperation between the regions of East and North Finland to promote industries, growth and employment. A new phase in the cooperation began in 2018 when East and North Finland were selected for the European Commission’s Regions in Industrial Transition (ELMO) pilot. At the heart of the piloting is smart specialisation through cross-sectoral and organisational collaboration. Thanks to the pilot, South Savo, Kainuu, Central Ostrobothnia, Lapland, North Karelia, Oulu region and Pohjois-Savo have intensified their cooperation, which is particularly beneficial for the industries in East and North Finland.

Projects funded by the ELMO High Impact Action provide, among other things, new digital solutions for the forest sector, better utilisation of side streams in the wood value chain and increase in the value of forest-wood biomass. The pilot projects selected on the basis of the evaluation will be implemented in all regions of the East and North Finland. More information on the funded pilots is available here.

Kick-off for the funded pilots will be organised in December in Helsinki.