Discovering Tampere as thriving investment, tourism centre
A "hidden gem", Tampere may not be highly recognised outside the Nordic region despite being Finland's fastest-developing city - but not for long. With the Tampere Region Economic Development Agency (TREDEA) at the helm, Tampere reinforces its commitment to attract global investments and tourists.
A "hidden gem", Tampere may not be highly recognised outside the Nordic region despite being Finland's fastest-developing city - but not for long. With the Tampere Region Economic Development Agency (TREDEA) at the helm, Tampere reinforces its commitment to attract global investments and tourists.
"One of the world's most stable societies, Finland is favourable for foreign investors and visitors," says Petri Nykanen, TREDEA's director of business development and Invest In team. "As a thriving education, research and development (R&D) and innovation centre, Tampere captures the best of Finland - whether it is to experience a slice of Finnish culture, set up start-ups or expand an enterprise's global footprint."
Owned by the city and surrounding municipalities - Kangasala, Lempaala, Nokia, Orivesi, Pirkkala, Vesilahti and Ylojarvi - comprising the Tampere region, TREDEA strengthens Tampere's appeal to investors, skilled workers, innovators and tourists. It provides comprehensive services to individuals and companies seeking to invest in and grow with Tampere's world-class business clusters in the fields of life sciences, information and communications technology, mechanical engineering, and automation.
Among multinational companies that found home in Tampere is semiconductor giant Intel, which quickly branched out from Helsinki to Tampere, where nearly two-thirds of its Finnish workers are now located.
Other companies are following a similar trend to take advantage of Finland's second-biggest market and Tampere's highly skilled workforce at competitive costs, while others are finding valuable partnerships with some of the region's acclaimed institutions. These include Chinese telecommunications leader Huawei, which has a continuing research project with Tampere University of Technology and an R&D centre in Helsinki.
"As a 'sister city' to Guangdong's capital Guangzhou since the mid-1990s, Tampere has seen its close ties with China yield remarkable results - from groundbreaking researches to cultural exchanges," says Satu Vuorinen, head of international affairs for the city of Tampere. "We aim to intensify co-operation with China, the rest of Asia and other countries worldwide to explore opportunities in various sectors and clusters."
The city ensures that foreign companies find the resources and solutions they are looking for and are placed strategically according to their requirements and target markets. It also assists in matching them with potential partners, including universities and R&D institutions.
"We tailor services to every company, helping them ease their way into building a stable base in Finland," Vuorinen says. "Tampere may have the atmosphere of a small city, but we have all the services and possibilities of a big city - and we invite everyone to see it for themselves."