My name is Maria Melnikova, M.Sc. (Econ.) from the Lomonosov Moscow State University & M.Sc (Bus.) from the University of Oulu. I come from Moscow, Russia and have been boosting international relations at BusinessOulu since 2013. The range of services I provide varies greatly, as well as the geography of my business operations.
Oulu region traditionally has been doing business with Barents region with such cities as Petrozavodsk, Murmansk, Arkhangelsk, also with St. Petersburg and Syktyvkar. Barents region cooperation mainly happens in such sectors as mining, industry, ICT, cleantech, energy efficiency solutions, medtech, logistics and tourism, even academic field. Since 2013 Moscow is our long term strategic goal and we aim to grow our business presence there. Over the past years I received many cooperation inquiries from Tatarstan, Moscow region, Sverdlovsk and Samara oblast and even Ukraine (Kiev, Kharkov) and Belarus among many others.
The services are provided mainly to local companies and organizations to boost export business activities of Oulu region, that have been doing activities in Russia in the past, currently doing them or just plan on going there and genuinely interested to find out more information about the market. Vice versa, similarly I also provide services to Russian companies and organizations to boost Invest-in Oulu activities.
The range of my clients varies from sole entrepreneurs, to startups, to full-fledged big companies of various industries, academic and public sector institutions to whom I provide individually tailored services, for example: facilitation of B2B networking and matchmakings, organization of delegation visits to/from Russia, conducting B2B events/city receptions/roadshows, consulting during negotiations, arrangements for conferences & exhibitions, assistance in market research, provision of comprehensive business & travel information, finding potential partners, communication & translation support.
I’m also involved in marketing & communication activities towards Russian speaking customers and partners. Promotion of the City of Oulu, BusinessOulu and business opportunities in Oulu via Russian media (TV, printed press, webportals, social media), supervision in creating info materials like brochures, guidebooks, presentations and others.
Events / activities coming soon:
Finland – Russia 7th call for proposals is opened for R&D&I projects by Tekes/FASIE
Submission by 17 February 2017
Proposals should be related to the development of new products or services – all technological sectors and services are welcome – which are innovative and fulfill an expressed market need.
The main objective of this Call is to launch projects with joint participation from the two countries and provide R&D&I funding to qualifying participants through the national programs managed by respective: FASIE, the Foundation for Assistance to Small Innovative Enterprises in Russia and Tekes, the Finnish Funding Agency for Innovation in Finland. www.fasie.ru and www.tekes.fi
Karelia Cross-Border Cooperation Programme
The first Calls for Proposals will be opened on 16 January and on 2 March 2017. Info event in Oulu is on 12 January 2017 starting at 10:00 (Technopolis, Sepänkatu).
Karelia CBC is an EU funded project to support cooperation between the bordering regions of Finland and Russia. The main priorities are to support business and SME development, promote local culture and preservation of historical heritage, environmental protection, climate change adaptation, as well as border management, and border security.
Kolarctic Cross-Border Cooperation Project 2014-2020
The 1st Call for proposals will be open on 23 January and closed on 15 March 2017.
Kolarctic CBC is a financing programme for supporting cooperation between the countries in the North Calotte (Finland, Sweden, Norway) and northwest Russia. It is one of several EU programmes supporting cross-border cooperation across the EU external borders. The main priorities for creating cooperation are a viability of arctic economy, nature and environment and fluent mobility of people, goods and knowledge.
18-20 April 2017, Crocus Expo, Moscow
22nd International Exhibition for Transport and Logistics Services and Technologies.
4-7 April 2017, Expocentre, Moscow
MosBuild is one of the top 5 largest annual exhibitions of building and decorating materials in the world and the largest international exhibition in Russia, where all of the leading global building, finishing and decorating material brands are presented.
6-7 June 2017, Skolkovo, Moscow
Startup Village is the largest startup conference for technology entrepreneurs in Russia and the CIS.
More information:
Maria Melnikova, M.Sc. (Econ.& Bus.)
International Affairs Specialist (Russia & CIS)
maria.melnikova@businessoulu.com
+358 505 23 7417