Coronavirus has significant economic effects on the City of Turku, business in the area and third sector actors. The City of Turku wishes to support and relieve the acute financial situation of businesses and associations through its own actions (Updated on 27 April)

SUBSIDIES FOR BUSINESSES AND OTHER ORGANISATIONS

Information and support for businesses in compact form can be found on the Corona Info page maintained by Turku Science Park Oy.

Other subsidy and funding measures of the City of Turku and Turku City Group’s subsidiaries:

 The Turku package includes policies regarding terms of payment, changes to agreements, grants and facility rents collected by the City of Turku. A separate proposal will be made for the City Board on customer payments.

– The City of Turku is concerned about how business in Turku will survive the state of emergency caused by coronavirus. Turku provides support and help for businesses by all available means in order to help them survive, says Mayor of Turku Minna Arve.

The City of Turku is flexible towards businesses in many ways and looks for flexibility in the entire Turku City Group in order to secure the capacity of businesses. The opportunities of Turku to act are limited by state aid regulations concerning all measures where the public sector provides businesses with support of other benefit.

The Turku package helps make functional changes as a result of which the financial pressure of businesses and associations will be relieved and particularly acute liquidity crises will be prevented.

Flexibility with payment schedules, extensions to recovery of rent

The 30-day payment term of City of Turku purchase invoices is changed so that invoices are paid as soon as they have been approved. As a result, the invoicers will receive the payment considerably quicker than now. The liquidity of service producers is significantly improved.

Invoices sent by the City of Turku are normally due in 14 days. As a result of the Turku package, the term of payment is immediately extended to 30 days.

Many external tenants of City of Turku facilities find themselves in financial difficulties. If the tenant makes a separate request, the City of Turku can postpone paying of rent for 3 months. In this case, an individual payment rate and repayment agreement are created for the postponed rents. The maximum repayment term is 24 months. In addition, the City Board made a decision during their meeting on rent exemptions e.g. for café and restaurant entrepreneurs.

Tenants who operate in cultural institutions or sports institutions closed by the City of Turku do not need to pay rent for the time of closure ordered by the City of Turku.

Turku recommends all Turku City Group’s subsidiaries to follow city policies when applicable. As subsidiaries and foundations operate in very different fields, it is not possible to provide them with extensive, detailed and binding guidelines. However, subsidiaries are recommended to consider case by case whether they could be flexible and thus improve the situation of clients and contractors in difficulties. The objective is to secure the vital operating environment of the City of Turku in the long run and to avoid permanent losses of jobs.

Current calls for applications

Besides the Turku package, the City of Turku has initiated other support measures and funding opportuni-ties. Open calls for applications can be found below.

UseFundingAmountApplication period
Promoting the wellbeing of city residents during and after
the state of emergency

 
Yields of will fundUp to 500.000 € in total over two rounds of applicationsThe first round of application runs until 6 May 2020, the second round will be organised in autumn. Apply using a web form.  
Art and culture projects for the 10th anniversary of Turku Capital of CultureYields of the Turku 2029 foundationUp to 119.968 € in totalThe application period runs until 15 May 2020. Apply through the City of Turku subsidy system.
 
Visual works located in public spacesYields of the City of Turku embellishment fund50.000 € in totalThe application period and how to apply will be communicated over the next few weeks.

Turku Science Park Oy is taking support measures

Due to the state of emergency, Turku Science Park Oy has initiated measures to support businesses in the area with recovering from the crisis.

The regional Turku Business Region website has an information section devoted to coronavirus. The section leads to business services at time of crisis. Through the provided links, you can independently visit websites of different experts for advice. There is also a contact form in the corona information section to be filled. Turku Science Park Oy business advisors will contact the entrepreneur and help with mapping out the situation and services and funding channels available for improving it. Also subsidy applications of sole entrepreneurs are channelled through the website.

Business Service Centre Potkuri and the startup community SparkUp cannot currently accept client visits made in person but help and advice are available by phone, by email and by Teams meetings. Information events will also be held online.

Turku package policy proposals:

Policies approved by the City Board on 30 March:

  • The term of payment for receivables is extended from 14 days to 30 days
  • The opportunity to postpone the due date will be extended also for private receivables from 28 days to three (3) months
  • The maximum term of payment agreements is extended from 12 months to 24 months
  • The purchase invoices to be paid over the next 30 days will be paid immediately after approval
  • If a City of Turku tenant makes a separate request, payment of rent can be postponed by three (3) months. An individual payment rate will be decided for the postponed rents and a repayment agreement will be made with a repayment term of 24 months maximum
  • In cultural institutions and sports institutions that have been ordered to close their doors by the City of Turku, entrepreneurs who are tenants of the Recreation Division will not need to pay rent for the time period of closure ordered by the City of Turku
  • Grants awarded for year 2020 will not be recovered during or after the state of emergency if the use of grant has been changed or time of use has been extended if necessary
  • On the basis of a written application, the Divisional Director will decide on changing the use of grant and extending the time of use
  • If the annual meeting of grant recipient has been cancelled or postponed due to the state of emergency, the required balance sheet can be approved when signed by the executive board along with operating plan and budget drafts concerning the grant year
  • Due to the state of emergency, when organising non-digital events and functions that have been awarded city grants, general orders from authorities need to be obeyed. Organising public events should be suspended at least until 30 June 2020.
  • Allocated special grants, not including digital events and functions and circumstance grants, restoration or renovation grants, are mainly not awarded during the state of emergency
  • Those who receive grants are required to obey state of emergency recommendations concerning e.g. rehearsals and other meetings. If they are not obeyed, operating grants may be called back.

Please note that the policies are updated when necessary due to national policies and other changes in circumstances.