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Oulu Welcomes Companies to Succeed in the North

Julkaistu 10.02.2016

Leading companies in mobile technology are investing in Finland, especially in Oulu, the Capital of Northern Scandinavia.

The ecosystem in Oulu is able to cover the design, testing, production and launch stages of any ICT project from silicon to cloud services. It means the possibility to build secure, cost efficient, performance optimized and tested solutions for global markets.

Oulu provides an exceptionally wide and versatile selection of shared R&D environments and living labs to further develop solutions, as well as to test their functionality in real environments. Eventually, up and running 5G test networks will contribute to the creation of new types of wireless services and business models. In coming years, Oulu will focus on strengthening its leading role in areas like the IoT, Automotive, FinTech, Health & Wellness, Wearables, Printed Intelligence and Gaming sectors.

One way or the other, about 2.6 billion people in the world use daily telecom services developed in Oulu. The work continues; new 5G network technologies are currently being created while service innovations that utilize them are being tested in collaboration with local companies, research institutions and city services.

Oulu also inspires new business. During the last 3 years, more than 500 start-up companies have started operations here. Venture capitalists keep seizing the opportunities by increasing investment to provide favorable grounds for innovations to flourish.

Oulu warmly welcomes actors to participate in the dynamic ecosystems in Oulu.

A significant number of international corporations have relocated to Oulu during the last 18 months. Over half of foreign incoming R&D units, who invested in the ICT sector in Finland, established themselves in Oulu in 2014.

Oulu’s long tradition in wireless technology ensures the continuous flow of new innovations. Its available pool of skilled workforce, trained by world class companies and educated by the University of Oulu and Oulu University of Applied Sciences, has attracted many companies to invest and build their business on Oulu’s wireless roots. The ecosystem covers the creation of wireless super safety products and systems with optimized cost and performance.

Oulu offers multiple open innovation arenas. The medical technologies ecosystem is a multifaceted network consisting of the university, public organizations like the city hospital and the VTT Technical Research Centre, and various health-tech manufacturers and biopharmaceutical companies. Active promotion of this health ecosystem is managed by OuluHealth, which has formed a strong network between the city’s key players in life science and health-related fields. As an example, the OYS Test Lab is a brand new test environment for specialized health care products and services in the heart of its provider, Oulu University Hospital.

All together, the Oulu ecosystem offers more than 10 testing labs for all kinds of companies' needs. With its developing infrastructure, Oulu and its surrounding regions form an excellent urban living lab. This enables the development of products and services in a real-life environment with end users. The Oulu region is known for the intensive collaboration between companies, public sector and universities. The Oulu Innovation Alliance (OIA) is a unique collaboration, which integrates top know-how from printed intelligence, wellbeing technology, wireless technology, cleantech and 3D internet and connects research institutions, businesses and public sector organizations. High-tech ICT leverage from long-term assetization, the HILLA-program, focuses on doubling Oulu's hi-tech exports.

Training and educational possibilities, housing, quality of life, culture, leisure time and life in general are well provided for in the Oulu region. The Capital of Northern Scandinavia region has 250,000 inhabitants with an average age of 37.4, which makes it the youngest region in Finland. The numbers speak for themselves: there is hardly any other city in the world with so many positive features to offer. Oulu has all the special ingredients for successful business operations in a package that can be tailored to fit every need and purpose.

As Finland’s fastest growing city, Oulu is an international city full of opportunities. At the moment, there are major business and development projects underway in the Oulu region and the confidence in Oulu’s growth is stronger than ever.

Companies that have invested in Finland, especially in Oulu 2014 Q3-2015 Q4

2015 Synopsys (acquired Codenomicon)
2015 Continental (acquired Elektrobit Automotive)
2015 AMS
2015 Keysight Technologies (acquired Anite)
2015 VXI Global Solutions (acquired Symbio)
2014 Baidu invested in IndoorAtlas
2014 Bitwise
2014 Solita
2014 Nordea
2014 Nordic Semiconductor
2014 WearIT
2014 Spreadtrum
2014 Mediatek
2014 Spent
2014 Kionix/ROHM
2014 Detection Technologies
2014 EyeLife
2014 Eastman Chemical Company
2014 Office Yui Finland
2014 MedEngine
2013 Yota Devices
2013 Ottobock
2013 Nordex
2013 ARM
2013 BRP Finland Oy
2013 DHL Supply Chain (Finland) Oy
2013 Gamesa
2013 Ruinotion Oy
Invested at an earlier stage
Ericsson
OP Group

Contact information:
Juha Ala-Mursula, Executive Director, BusinessOulu
juha.ala-mursula@businessoulu.com
mobile +358 40 559 7020
www.businessoulu.com

BusinessOulu
Oulu – Capital of Northern Scandinavia – is a growth and development hotspot in Northern Europe.
BusinessOulu is in charge of implementing the City of Oulu's industrial policies and providing growth companies with the services they require, in addition to promoting export, import, investments, and employment. With the help of its international partner network, BusinessOulu acts as a partner to companies and helps them grow, particularly in the North, where it leads and participates in the operations of Suomi-talo (”Finnish Business Hub”). BusinessOulu persistently develops the tourism business, conferences, congresses and events. Oulu’s innovation environment, ecosystems, and think tanks create innovations in a bold and productive manner. The aim is to rapidly develop business opportunities and significantly increase start-up investments. BusinessOulu’s OuluHealth ecosystem is in charge of the Health of the Future scheme, part of the national Innovative Cities (INKA) 2014–2020 program.