Remote rural areas
Good practice case study
Networking Innovators, Lapland (Finland and Sweden)
The Networking Innovators project, based in Finnish and Swedish Lapland, sought to develop and support a network of innovators through increasing skills levels and promoting links between inventors and potential partners. The project, among other activities, developed a network of companies in which the companies can share marketing skills, resources and contacts, created a joint service network to aid investors, prototype manufacturers and manufacturing companies, and provided product marketing and development assistance to innovators.
Key lessons:
- Prior to the project inventor organisations and support in Finland tended to be focussed in Helsinki – by creating an Intermediate Support Structure to support entrepreneurs outside the mainstream economic and business channels the project has been able to generate 11 new companies and 34 new jobs stimulating regional economic growth by around €5,972,000. Publicity received through the local and regional newspapers was fundamental to the success of the project.
- Constant development work is crucial for the success of the project.
- Local employment projects should not be designed to last only the funding period but longer term plans should be explored already from the start of the project in order to ensure sustainability.
- Too large project organisation can be weakness to a local employment development project. In this case, a small project organisation ensured flexible and efficient operation.
Case study
Networking Innovators [pdf, en, 16kb]
