2024–2025 BIOSYS North Karelia
International Growth Ecosystem
Mission and Aims
Mission: To support growth in RD&I and industrial collaboration in forest bioeconomy and green & clean transition. To enhance region-to-region collaboration between the partners of North Karelia, Nagano and Hokkaido Prefectures. Collaborating, co-creating and co-innovating new, smart forestry and unique food solutions together.
The end-results are thriving regional economy and residents’ wellbeing.
Aims and targets:
- Enhancing the Forestbioeconomy and Food Ecosystem cooperation Accelerating joint initiatives for research-development-innovations
- Piloting novel climate friendly, sustainable solutions for forest bioeconomy value chain
- Exploring the well-being and health effects of wood and habitat in housing and service environments
- Increasing the internationalization potential of North Karelia’s unique food products
- Increasing business cooperation between regions and prefectures
- Supporting the Finnish smart forestry offering to connect with Japan
- Providing cutting-edge training programs for Japanese skilled labor development
- Working as a contact point for Japanese networks and companies in bioeconomy (in close collaboration with FKII network Japan and MAFF, EU-Japan Centre, Nagano and Hokkaido prefectures and Ina city)
BIOSYS was added into Finland-Japan Science and Technology dialogue in Forest Bioeconomy, Tokyo (Embassy, Academy of Finland and TEM)
History: Successful North Karelia – Nagano and Hokkaido Forest Bioeconomy Cooperation 2020 – March 2023
2020–2023 was successful despite challenges like the pandemic and the Russian war of aggression towards Ukraine:
- Laid a solid foundation but also identified needs for the 2024–25 phase to build more concrete pubic/policy, commerce and RDI collaborations.
- Visits both ways North Karelia to/from Nagano and Hokkaido.
- Finland Week in Sapporo, Hokkaido: May 2022.
- Businesses successfully began operations in Nagano and continue to expand its operations: e.g. Arbonaut, Kesla, John Deere.
- Numerous workshops, webinars, networking events, training: e.g. Hokkaido Prefectural Kitamori Forestry Training School and RIVERIA.
Event Calendar 2024–2025: In Japan
- Completed: June 23 to July 1 Preparation Visits to Tokyo, Nagano, Hokkaido, Japan, and Seoul, Korea
- November 12 “Finland-Japan Collaborative Symposium: Advancing Forest Bioeconomy and Climate-Intelligent Digital Solutions for a Green Transition — Enhancing Global Wellbeing” at the Embassy of Finland Tokyo: MMM, MAFF, regional government forestry divisions, companies and R&D operators
- November 12 Renewals of MoUs with Nagano Prefecture and Ina City
- November 13–15 North Karelia – Nagano and Hokkaido Forest Bioeconomy Day in Japan
- Regional-Prefectural, City diplomacy meetings and sharing ideas on mutual targets and concrete activities — building a common goal space, model areas and demonstrations
- November 18 Visit to Gangwon-do Province, South Korea
- On-going research-development-innovation-collaboration workshops – in cooperation with Prefecture partners and the Japanese FKII network (including more than 4,200 partners)
- Direct business cooperation meetings and trading room cooperation (in cooperation with the Embassy and Business Finland)
Event Calendar 2024–2025: In Finland
- On-going Foresty associations, prefectural, academia/research organizagtion and business delegation visits to Norht Karelia
- June: Japan Woody Bioenergy Association
- June: Marubeni Corp
- August: Akita International University and Akita Prefecture University
- August: Hokkaido Prefectural Government Forestry Department, local forestry associations and business owners to FinnMETKO and North Karelia
- August 31: Hokkaido Sakura seedling transplanting ceremony in Joensuu
- Hokkaido Finland Association’s gift to the BIOSYS North Karelia International Growth Ecosystem
- H.E. Mr. Takashi Okada, the Japanese ambassador to Finland will participate in the transplanting ceremony.
- On-going Joint seminars, meetings and regional dialogues
- Collaboration events
- SILVA Forest Fair 2025 or similar event
- Marketing & Press: e‑newsletters, social media visibility and impact stories, shared success stories
Join the BIOSYS Ecosystem!
Contacts
Finnish & English
Timo Leinonen
[email protected]
+358 50 463 1424
Manager, Cross-border Cooperation
Regional Development
Japanise & English
Naomi Moriyama [email protected]
BIOSYS Ecosystem Project Manager & Communications Specialist
North Karelia, Finland – Nagano & Hokkaido, Japan for International Growth and Collaboration
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