Finland Times

Photo Lehtikuva.

The Ministry of Employment and the Economy and the Finnish Olympic Committee on Thursday concluded a cooperation agreement on promotion of cleanteach export.

 

The objective of the agreement is to create new opportunities for projects promoting Finnish cleantech export utilising the Olympic theme.

The cooperation is intended to promote direct business, for example by creating contacts with organisations of international sports events and by disseminating information on and promoting a positive image regarding the high-level of expertise in the value chains of the Finnish cleantech business, in other words business in the energy and environmental sectors.

The visibility and image of the Cleantech Finland brand is developed by incorporating the themes and emblems of the Finnish Olympic team into the sales promotion and communications activities of the Cleantech network.

 

Minister of Economic Affairs Jan Vapaavuori and the Olympic Committee director Mika Kojonkoski at a press conference in Helsinki on Thursday. Photo Lehtikuva.

As the owner of the Cleantech brand, the Confederation of Finnish Industries has agreed with the parties on the use of the brand for this purpose. 

“According to a strategy accepted by the government last spring, cleantech will be made the main theme of Finland’s country brand. The message of Finland as the number one country in cleantech will be reinforced in international forums and sales promotion visits. Cooperation with the Finnish Olympic team will help boost these efforts particularly in the run up to the Rio Olympics,” said Minister of Economic Affairs Jan Vapaavuori.

Under the agreement, the Olympic Committee offers its international contact networks for utilisation by the Cleantech network. The goal is to locate direct business potential, for example through construction projects and other initiatives related to various sports events. This is possible through participation in networking events, such as the annual sports accord which is attended by representatives from sports events, host cities and sports organisations.

“The leaders of Rio de Janeiro are interested in making Rio Latin America’s first smart city. The time left before the start of the Rio Olympics is two years, and many aspects of the construction of the facilities and the infrastructure required for the games are yet to begin. We are able to offer several top-level products for the project, so it is time for our cleantech companies to seize the opportunities and to become involved in the creation of entirely new solutions,” Vapaavuori said.

The new urban solutions drafted by Rio consist of smart grids, intelligent lighting, cooling, transport, water and waste solutions and intelligent construction in general. The transport solutions required by the Olympics are based on the use of renewable energy, be it solar-, wind- or bio-based technology or waste-to-energy solutions. The element of sustainability is also present in how the new solutions will remain in the use of citizens, once the games are over.

In addition to the Cleantech cooperation, the Finnish Olympic Committee supports the measures to develop working life, utilising the Olympic theme by offering expert services and events to the Working Life 2020 project located at the ministry in a manner to be agreed upon at a later date.

For the contract period extending to 2016, the Ministry of Employment and the Economy will pay the Finnish Olympic Committee a total remuneration of EUR 700,000, of which EUR 200,000 will be directed to the costs of the export project coordinator for the Rio project.