Location• Hub of Northern Finland and the

gateway to the Arctic areas        • Capital of Northern

Scandinavia        • Located midway between Asia

and North America        • Excellent global and local

connections

65°01‘N, 25°28’E

The city

• Oulu is the biggest urban centre in Northern Scandinavia• 250,000 citizens in the Oulu region• Moderate cost of living – 50% lower than Helsinki’s real

estate prices*• Active and rapidly developing city centre with new

underground parking premises in 2015

*www.etuovi.com

Urban centre

The city

Surrounded by nature

The miracle of Oulu ICT• The ICT success story begun in the 1970s• Nowadays OuluCard, UBI screens and OmaOulu

services facilitate the lives of local citizens • The widespread panOULU network provides a free

Wi-Fi connection

The city

Easy access to Oulu• Second busiest airport in Finland with one million

passengers per year* • Helsinki and Stockholm within an hour by plane• Main international roads and railways run via Oulu• Excellent public transport network • Congestion-free urban area

*Finavia, statistics, 2012

The city

Cycling all year round

Cycling all year round• Nominated the world’s best winter cycling city in 2013*• The most active cycling city in Finland• 600 km of cycle paths kept in top condition to enable winter

cycling• 20% of commuting done on bikes

*Navico Ltd

The city

Oulu People

Young at heart

Young at heart• Median age 34 years • Versatile service structure for all demographics• Warm-hearted and open-minded urban community

Oulu people

Charged with brainpower• Highly educated citizens – 33% with a university degree• A city of 40,000 students*• Intensive collaboration between companies, the public

sector and further education institutes

• Efficient and scalable value chain in all business areas and environments

*both secondary and higher level combined

Oulu people

Creativity makes Oulu interesting• Oulu is the home of air guitar and a versatile cultural life

- workshops, art, music and sports clubs• International childrens’ theatre and film festival• Creativity beyond art – multidisciplinary innovations

Oulu people

Full of Talent

Experts with vision• Oulu has the willpower and confidence for future growth• Collaboration and networking is in Oulu’s DNA, from

politicians to professionals

• The sharing of new knowledge and experience between different industries creates novel value-adding solutions

- e.g. connected health, cleantech and printed intelligence

Full of Talent

World class experience• Oulu has many international success stories

- 2 billion people use mobile network technologies developed in Oulu*- Most intelligent city in Europe in 2012, ICF Top7

2013**- Impressive ICT track record since the 1980s

• Leading-edge research in key industries *60% of the global network technologies originate from Oulu

** Intelligent Community Forum, NY

Full of Talent

ICT track record

Full of Talent

University of Oulu

University of Oulu• Exceptionally wide scientific base• Internationally networked scientific university with six

faculties- Collaboration agreements with 60 foreign universities - Erasmus Network: some 520 contracts and around 350 partner universities

• Results throught multidisciplinary research in 70 fields of science

Full of Talent

Oulu University of Applied Sciences• More than 30 study programs • Theory and practice in balance• Active research both internationally and regionally • Close cooperation with regional business life

Full of Talent

Oulu Vocational College OSAO• One of the biggest vocational schools in Finland• 11 units, seven industries• Basic education for future experts and professionals

Full of Talent

Business and research networks

Pioneer of public – private partnership• Oulu has shown the way in developing cooperation between

education and research institutes, companies and the public sector

• Oulu’s ICT success was built on this cooperation in the 1980s• The first asymmetric public-private venture capital fund,

Northern Startup Fund, was founded in 2012*

*managed by Butterfly Ventures

Business and research networks

Oulu Innovation Alliance (OIA)• Strategic alliance between the City of Oulu, the University

of Oulu, Oulu University of Applied Sciences, VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland and Technopolis

• A globally unique cooperation structure• Partners committed to focusing on innovation areas,

investing in infrastructures and developing mechanisms for joint use

Business and research networks

Research Centers

National Excellence Program• BusinessOulu implements a national excellence programme

in the Oulu Region• Supports innovation hubs that are internationally desirable

partners • Helps companies gain competitive edge• Results: new companies, new business, growth companies,

new business models and new services

Business and research networks

International recognition

The smartest in Europe in 2012• Oulu – ranked in the top 7 in the Intelligent Community

Awards in 2012 and 2013• Oulu was the only European city in the ICF top 7• Facts that make Oulu smart:

- public-private partnership - panOulu free Wi-Fi- extensive public services structure for all demographics- citizen participation and creative culture life

International recognition

Global hotbed for intelligence• 7 Best New Cities For Startups, Fortune Magazine,

19.9.2012• 15 Surprising Global Technology Cities, CNBC Tech Edge,

10.10.2012• Local ICT companies rated on the "Fast 50" lists by Business

Week, Red Herring and Deloitte

International recognition

Oulu in 2025

International actor• Creating New Tech – the new wave of ICT• Reconstructing sustainable and eco-efficient living• Leading the way in better health services• Major business fields over the next decade: mining,

connected health, energy and smart living

Oulu in 2025

Foresight for new business areas• New Tech from Oulu – the different applications of ICT• Connected Health – the future hospital on the OuluHealth

Campus• Oulu Mining School – catering for the needs of a growth

industry

Oulu in 2025

Spirit of the New North• Investments worth over €300 million are realised in

completed projects in the city centre• By 2025 the estimated investments in Northern

Finland are €26 billion• By the 2020s, €227 billion will be invested in the

Nordic and Barents Region as a whole*

*Lapland´s Chamber of Commerce

Oulu in 2025

Capital of Northern Scandinavia

The Oulu brand• Largest population center in Northern Scandinavia• An appealing and internationally recognized city• The most important commercial, logistics and cultural

centre in Northern Scandinavia

Capital of Northern Scandinavia

100 Acts. From Oulu• A good reputation stems from solid acts• An act can be big or small, but it has to be concrete and

from Oulu• The 100 acts together develop the Oulu region into a better

place to live, work and study• Learn more: 100tekoa.oulu.com/en

Capital of Northern Scandinavia

Thank you and Welcome to Oulu