The event will start with a Monitoring Cafe session on the North Karelian experience on how to monitor the implementation of regional development strategy and S3.

Then the participants will meet with representatives of North Karelian organisations and visit Finnish initiatives involved in soft innovation.

THE AGENDA

Day 1: 17nd November 2021
Venue: Hotel Kimmel, Itäranta 1

9.00 – 9.15  Opening: welcome words by Regional Mayor Mr. Markus Hirvoen

9.15 – 10.45  Monitoring Café: Regional Development strategy and S3 work. Regional Development Manager Dr. Eira Varis
Strategy work in practise – North Karelian example how to monitor the implementation
of Regional Development Strategy (and S3). Regional Development Expert Ms. Pia Pitkänen.

10.45 – 11.00  Break

11.00 – 11.40  Women code (Mimmit koodaa) programme Project coordinator Ms. Milja Köpsi- The purpose of the Mimmit koodaa -program (women code -program) is to increase gender equality in the Finnish software industry by breaking the stereotype that coding is only for men.
The core of the program is to provide easily accessible coding workshops free of charge for women who are interested in coding but have no previous experience in it. The long-term objective of #mimmitkoodaa is to help giving future generations an equal opportunity to study and flourish in the IT field, especially in the software industry. In the future, every company will be a software company and there will be an increasing need to use, customize, buy and develop software.
https://mimmitkoodaa.ohjelmistoebusiness.fi/in-english/

11.45 – 12.45  Lunch

13.00 – 13.45  Visiting Paja
Paja is a coworking space which offers the space and tools for all types of Micro- and Small and medium -sized enterprises. The idea of Paja is that new and unusual networks will foster new innovations and ways of working. Example of innovative SME situated in Paja we meet Flaxfood. Flaxwood is an innovative new tone material that is created by breaking the grain structure of natural wood and injection-molding it into shape together with an acoustically sensitive binding agent.

https://suunnittelupaja.fi/index.htmlhttps://suunnittelupaja.fi/index.html
https://www.flaxwood.com/

14.00 – 16.00  Martha Organisation Activity-based intorduction to organisation and its contribution in vitality of North Karelia region. Mutual learning discussion
The Marthas are a home economics advisory organisation advocating for sustainable everyday life and wellbeing at home and for all families. The Marthas’ activities build up skills for the future and promote lifelong learning.
The foundation of the Marthas’ strategy is predictive planning for the future, and all marthas and our partners are invited to join in in this work. The future cannot be foretold, but we can tool ourselves for it.
https://www.martat.fi/in-english/

16.00-17.00  Mmutual learning discussion at Regional Council of North Karelia


Day 2: 18th November 2021

Morning session
Venue: Pielisjoki Castle (Regional Council of North Karelia), Siltakatu 2

9.30-11.30  Steering Committee meeting11.30-12.30  Lunch

Afternoon session
Venue: University of Eastern Finland, Metria-building, Yliopistokatu 7

13.00-14.15  Photonics Joensuu
Photonics promotes us a multiple examples of how hard innovations turns into soft innovations: tight cooperation between university and SMEs, new working models and working space which allows opportunities to stimulate and be a platform for soft innovation and this way it boost the innovative status of the region, and the possibility to maintain talent. Photonics-based solutions are used and will be used more for socioeconomic challenges.
https://photonicscenter.fi/

14.30-16.00  Mutual learning discussion in Pielisjoki Castle