Prior­ities for devel­op­ment in North Karelia 2026–2029

Regional devel­op­ment in North Karelia is based on long-term strategic cooper­a­tion between municip­al­ities, educa­tional and research insti­tu­tions, businesses, public author­ities and civil society actors. The devel­op­ment work responds to major societal changes, including demographic change, the green trans­ition, techno­lo­gical trans­form­a­tion and the evolving geopol­it­ical situation in Eastern Finland. The regional programme POKAT2029 imple­ments the North Karelia Strategy 2045 and guides the region’s devel­op­ment prior­ities for the years 2026–2029.

Devel­op­ment themes in North Karelia’s regional programme (POKAT2029)

The regional programme POKAT2029 defines the devel­op­ment object­ives, prior­ities and key measures for strength­ening the vitality, resili­ence and compet­it­ive­ness of North Karelia. The programme is built around three main strategic objectives:

• Renewing business and invest­ments Wellbeing, inclu­sion and culture An attractive living envir­on­ment and biodiversity

The programme emphas­ises sustain­able economic growth, innov­a­tion, climate resili­ence, access­ib­ility and security of supply. Cross-cutting themes in all devel­op­ment activ­ities include:

• Compre­hensive security and resilience
• Energy trans­ition
• Inter­na­tion­al­isa­tion

Sustain­able regional devel­op­ment is built on strong access­ib­ility, high-quality educa­tion, and employ­ment opportunities.

Devel­op­ment themes in North Karelia’s smart special­isa­tion strategy

North Karelia’s smart special­isa­tion strategy is part of the regional programme POKAT2029. The strategy focuses on strength­ening inter­na­tion­ally recog­nised areas of expertise, supporting innovation-driven growth and promoting sustain­able indus­trial renewal. Emphasis is placed on cooper­a­tion between businesses, research organ­isa­tions and educa­tional institutions.

North Karelia’s globally recog­nised areas of expertise are:

• Forest bioeconomy and circular bioeconomy
• Photonics
• Mineral economy and circular solutions for mining industries

North Karelia´s national excel­lence areas are:

• Sustain­able use of natural resources and clean energy solutions
• Indus­trial renewal and emerging technologies
• Innov­ative and sustain­able services