International development projects and services

The aim of international cooperation is to promote the development of the region and the wellbeing of Kuopio residents. In recent years, Kuopio has invested particularly in Nordic cooperation. The goal is to bring the best urban practices from elsewhere in the world to be utilised in Kuopio. 

The internationalisation of Kuopio is promoted through joint development projects and service development. The aim of the cooperation is to make the service processes in Kuopio more functional. The goal is to promote active international networking and contacts of the City, companies in the region, and R&D operators as well as open up new business opportunities for companies in Kuopio region. 

From the Strategy: “Internationality means opening doors and making networks available to partners, promoting the region’s expertise and strengths, and expert cooperation.” 

Ecosystem cooperation 

The aim is to make Finland the world’s most functional experimental and innovation environment by 2030, and ecosystems agreements are one way of achieving this. Ecosystem agreements between the state and cities are also an essential part of the new partnership model of the national research, development and innovation (RDI) roadmap, which aims to strengthen the RDI cooperation between the public and private sectors. 

The launch projects for Kuopio’s ecosystem agreement received funding decisions and launched their operations in September 2021. There are two launch projects, one for each priority area of the ecosystem agreement: Water and health and wellbeing technology. 

Read more about the Kuopio ecosystem agreement and projects 

International services 

Internationality is also a cross-cutting strategic theme for Kuopio’s services and service development. The City offers the following international services and measures. 

From the Strategy: “Internationality means ensuring the organisation is equipped for the internationalisation of its partners and residents, and taking care of the municipal integration task and ensuring a tolerant atmosphere.” 

Kansainvälinen kohtaamispaikka Kompassi / Multicultural meeting place Kompassi 

Kompassi is a multicultural meeting place established in 1999 by the civic organisation Settlementti Puijola. Kompassi is located in downtown Kuopio. Read more about the services