For Media and Press

Oulu is running to the world’s Intelligent Community of Year

Julkaistu 22.04.2013

The City Of Oulu – April 22, 2013 – The Intelligent Community Forum (ICF) studies the world’s cities to discover and then share the strategies used to create an Intelligent Community.

ICF co-founder Mr. John Jung will spend the next two days reviewing the efforts that led to the City of Oulu being named one of the seven communities in the world that are on the short list for the title of Intelligent Community of the Year for 2013. “This is the most fascinating part of our annual global search for the Intelligent Community of the Year. The ICF co-founders spend time in each of the Top7 cities and we really get a much better idea of what makes a community a contender”, says John Jung.


The tour will be highlighted by a visit to University of Oulu, CAVE 3D virtual lab /Oulu Game Lab and other Business and community highlights in Oulu.
All the world’s communities are challenged to deal with the new economy where jobs, investment and knowledge increasingly depend on advances in communications.

The three co-founders of ICF, John Jung, Louis Zacharilla and Robert Bell have co-authored a new book, Seizing our Destiny. It is a profile and extensive analysis of the Top7 Intelligent Communities of 2012. A similar book will be written about the Top7 of 2013. “We see so many successful projects that have really boosted the local economy, created jobs or helped improve social or cultural issues that we can’t wait to share them with cities around the world,” says John Jung. For the winning city come global bragging rights but also significant public and business interest in what the city has to offer.


A large international group of experts will review the written submissions from communities and then representatives from each of the Top7 will travel to New York in June for the announcement of the winner on June 7 at the ICF’S Annual Summit.

About Intelligent Community

ForumThe Intelligent Community Forum (ICF) studies and promotes the best practices of the world's Intelligent Communities as they adapt to the demands and seize the opportunities presented by information and communications technology (ICT). To help communities build prosperous economies, solve social problems and enrich local cultures, ICF conducts primary research, hosts events, publishes newsletters and books including the most recent, "Seizing Our Destiny". ICF also produces its high-profile international awards program. Over more than a decade, ICF has become an international movement that attracts the attention of global leaders, thinkers, and media observers. The ICF Foundation consists of 119 cities and regions that have been designated as Intelligent Communities by ICF and which participate in an ongoing global dialogue to strengthen local economies. For more information, go to http://www.intelligentcommunity.org.

Intelligent Community Forum Contacts

Mr. John Jung
Co-Founder Intelligent Community Forum
Email: jjung@intelligentcommunity.org

Local contact persons

Head of Marketing & CommunicationsPauliina Pikkujämsä
Phone: +358 40 7434362
Email: pauliina.pikkujamsa@businessoulu.com

Senior Advisor
Outi Rouru-Kuivala
Phone: +358 44 7031637
Email: outi.rouru-kuivala@oulu.fi