Oulu Automotive Cluster has been awarded the international Bronze Level Certificate of The European Cluster Excellence Initiative. The certificate can be granted to a cluster that has been assessed by an ESCA expert and meets the eligibility criteria. For Automotive Cluster, the certification process has been ongoing during the spring of 2025 with an external consultant.
– The certification provides a picture of the current situation of the cluster and offers more ideas for development, says the cluster manager Kari Poikkimäki.
The Bronze Level Certificate.
Aiming for International Collaboration
Internationalization is one of the cluster’s development goals. In this regard, the certificate is an important achievement.
– Especially in inter-cluster operations, the certificate is a quality assurance or at least a confirmation that this is an active cluster. With this, we’ll gain better jumping-off point for marketing the cluster in Europe, as we can demonstrate that we are a credible partner.
Another significant aspect is receiving a report containing development suggestions. This helps evaluate how other clusters in the same field operate, and where and how they currently outperform. Poikkimäki notes, that the efforts of developing the cluster will continue based on these suggestions and the previously defined goals.
– In the future, we aim to leverage the mentioned aspects to achieve even better results.
Oulu Automotive Cluster is funded by the Automotive & Circular Economy Clusters (ACE Clusters) project during the period from 1 September 2023 to 31 August 2025. The project is funded by the Council of Oulu Region with co-financing from the European Union. Learn more about the cluster at: automotive.oulu.com
