Partners and networks

Turku Region is all about cooperation to promote smart blue cities. Get to know our networks, partners and their expertise!

Business Turku
– Networking with impact

Turku Business Region gathers together the Turku region businesses, universities, organisations and municipalities. The 22,000 companies, six universities, and an extensive co-operation network of different players in the region speed up the generation of new products and services as well as growth of business operations and local well-being.

https://businessturku.fi/en/

The Regional Council of Southwest Finland

The Regional Council of Southwest Finland promotes partnerships that build a successful region. The Council maintains strong connections with neighbouring countries, for instance by financing cross-border cooperation projects through the Central Baltic Programme. The Regional Council also hosts the EU information centre, Europe Direct.

www.varsinais-suomi.fi
www.centralbaltic.eu

Centrum Balticum
– Making the Most of the Baltic Sea Region

Centrum Balticum is a prominent voice for the whole Baltic Sea Region. It accelerates the birth of ideas, acts as an information unit and coordinates a network of researchers and experts. In cooperation with its stakeholders, Centrum Balticum generates ideas for policy-making and sets public debate in motion.
Centrum Balticum organises annually the BSR Forum that brings together experts and different stakeholders from the entire region. The Centre also participates in international projects.

www.centrumbalticum.org

University of Turku

Multidisciplinary. International. Research university.
An active academic community of 25,000 students and employees.

www.utu.fi/en

Åbo Akademi University

Established 100 years ago, Åbo Akademi University operates currently in Turku and Vaasa. Its leading principles include diversity, openness, courage, sustainability and participation. In its capacity as the only Swedish-speaking university in Finland, the university offer a wide range of educational options. The university also conducts research in many fields, and the special focus areas are minority research, drug development and diagnostics, molecular process and material technology, and the sea.

www.abo.fi/en/

EU Strategy for the Baltic Sea Region (EUSBSR)

The City of Turku coordinates, together with the Council of the Baltic Sea States Secretariat, the Horizontal Action Neighbours, with the aim of involving non-EU members Russia, Belarus, Norway and Iceland in joint, mutually beneficial action. The Secretariat of the Horizontal Action Neighbours functions under Centrum Balticum.

Seeking to bring together all interested stakeholders, such as cities and regions as well as businesses, universities and NGOs, this initiative is based on a long history of twin city relations. Confirmed by the EU Member States, this prominent international role is not merely recognition of Turku’s active work, but also an obligation to promote cooperation across the borders.

http://ha-neighbours.eu/
www.balticsea-region-strategy.eu

Communications of the EUSBSR around Finland
– also in Swedish

This communications project by Centrum Balticum, continuing the cooperation with the Ministry for Foreign Affairs (MFA) of Finland, has funding from the Europe Information office of the MFA. The project increases the awareness about the EU Strategy for the Baltic Sea region (EUSBSR) across Finland and thus lowers the treshold for actors to join the actions and projects implementing the EUSBSR. The project reaches out especially to those target groups that so far have not received much information about the EUSBSR.

Firstly, the project aims at providing information about the EUSBSR in Swedish for Swedish speaking people in Finland. Secondly, the awareness about the Strategy will be increased especially in non-coastal areas of Finland.

INTERACT Point Turku acts as a bridging organisation for the EU Strategy for the Baltic Sea Region (EUSBSR) key stakeholders, facilitating implementation of the Strategy. It works together with Member States, the European Commission and other relevant actors to identify gaps and find operative solutions for closer cooperation in the Region.

www.centrumbalticum.org/en/projects
www.interact-eu.net
www.balticsea-region.eu

Union of the Baltic Cities (UBC)
– Smart Cities with Sustainable Solutions

Fostering sustainable, smart and safe cities is the goal of the Union of the Baltic Cities (UBC), the leading city network in Northern Europe. Founded in Gdansk in 1991, the UBC with more than 100 member cities is a key actor in building a sustainable Baltic Sea Region. Turku is a founding member and an active participant in the UBC. Turku has the Vice Presidency and responsibility for the strategy work. Turku is also hosting the UBC Sustainable Cities Commission Secretariat.

The UBC Sustainability Action Programme 2030 provides a strategic direction to the realisation of the vision and mission of the UBC cities in the future. The Programme is an important step towards building a more inclusive, result-oriented, impact driven and dynamic city network and a platform for close collaboration towards a sustainable, green, safe and resilient Baltic Sea Region.

www.ubc.net
www.ubc-sustainable.net

Eurocities

The objective of the Eurocities organisation is to promote the European urban policy. The organisation also furthers the networking of the major cities in Europe and works as a guardian of interests of the major cities and their citizens towards the European Union.

The Eurocities organisation has over 130 member cities. The secretariat is located in Brussels.

www.eurocities.eu

New Hanseatic League

The New Hanseatic League, or the Hansa, cherishes the cooperation between the Baltic Sea Cities and continues the traditions of the historical Hanseatic League. Additionally, the New Hanseatic League aims to promote the economic and cultural cooperation of its members. The Hanseatic Days are organised in one of the member cities yearly. Turku is the only Finnish member of the League.

www.hanse.org