Micro-Entrepreneurship Centre MicroENTRE®

Visiting and postal address:
Oulu University, Kerttu Saalasti Institute
Pajatie 5, 85500 Nivala, Finland

Research Director:
Martti Saarela, Ph.D. (Tech.), LL.M, M.Sc. (Econ.)
+358 50 4735470
martti.saarela@oulu.fi

Development Manager

Nafisa Yeasmin, Masters of Laws, Doctor of Social Sciences, Docent
+358 50 5976325
nafisa.yeasmin@oulu.fi

Professors and assistant professors:

Matti Muhos, professor, director, D.Sc. (Tech.), title of Docent
+358 400 407590
matti.muhos@oulu.fi

Robert van der Have, assistant professor, Ph.D.
+358 50 4361289
robert.vanderhave@oulu.fi

Researchers and project managers:

Heikki Ailinpieti, Project Manager
+358 50 5640849
heikki.ailinpieti@oulu.fi

Santeri Halonen, Project Researcher, Doctoral Researcher, M.Sc. (Econ.)
+358 50 5318010
santeri.halonen@oulu.fi

Jouni Hintikka, Doctoral Researcher, M.Ed.
+358 50 4758328
jouni.hintikka@oulu.fi

Jaana Jeminen, Project Manager, M.Sc. (Econ.), B.A.Design
+358 50 5916216
jaana.jeminen@oulu.fi

Ulla Lehtinen, Senior Researcher, D.Sc.(Tech.)
+358 50 4761624
ulla.lehtinen@oulu.fi

Eeva Leinonen, Project Researcher, Doctoral Resarcher, M.Sc.
+358 50 4762278
eeva.leinonen@oulu.fi

Iikka Meriläinen, Project Researcher, Doctoral Researcher, M.Sc. (Econ.)
+358 50 430 9483
iikka.merilainen@oulu.fi

Heidi Pasanen, Project Manager, Agrologist (M.Eng.), Engineer (AAS)
+358 504084714
heidi.m.pasanen@oulu.fi

Markus Rytinki, Project researcher, Ph.D.
+358 50 466 3952
markus.rytinki@oulu.fi

Laura Veikkola, Project Researcher, (M.Ed.)
laura.veikkola@oulu.fi

Peetu Virkkala, Project Researcher, Doctoral Researcher, M.Sc. (Tech).
+358 45 6443202
peetu.virkkala@oulu.fi

Henna Väätäinen, Project Manager, LLM
+358 505959522
henna.vaatainen@oulu.fi

Our research focuses on the special characteristics related to managing micro-enterprises in different stages of business, such as growth, internationalisation, or changes in the business model. MicroENTRE® has summarised growth management in the different stages of growth in technology and service companies based on extensive literature reviews, and compared growth management in different business environments (Finland, Sweden, Thailand, Taiwan, California) and in different sectors (health technology, social welfare and health care). Research-based knowledge is applied to the development of electronic tools that support growth management and leadership.

We study the skills needed to manage and develop a company. Sufficient entrepreneurial competence supports the entrepreneur’s capacity to work and strengthens the company’s productivity.

Enterprises’ operating environments and changes therein have a direct impact on existing companies and how actively new enterprises are established. This research theme focuses on topics such as operating environments in areas affected by structural change and the special features of northern and sparsely populated areas from the perspective of micro-entrepreneurial operations.

MicroENTRE® coordinates the strategy work of entrepreneurship education in North Ostrobothnia. Our research focuses on young people’s entrepreneurial intentions, the implementation of entrepreneurship education at different levels of education and training, and coaching programmes that support entrepreneurship.



MicroENTRE® is a regional operator representing the national YES network of entrepreneurship education in North Ostrobothnia. Our aim is to build international research cooperation on the theme of entrepreneurship education.

Micro-Entrepreneurship Centre MicroENTRE® offers companies, business advisors and educational institutions various services from online tools to coaching and networking. Check out our services!

The “Supporting growth” website brings together three self-assessment tests (Growth capacity, Digital readiness and Growth management). Self-assessment tests allow you to assess your company’s current state, digital readiness and growth capacity in a diverse manner.



The tests are designed for small entrepreneurs, and they are free of charge.



Website:

www.kasvavayritys.fi (link in Finnish only)

UPCOMING IN SPRING 2022: Self-assessment test for change of ownership.



Contact details:

microentre@oulu.fi

New tools for the development of ownership changes will be introduced in 2022.



The purpose of the OVI project is to help entrepreneurs become savvy about the change of ownership. Through the service, the entrepreneur performs a self-assessment on the topicality of the change of ownership. The service is intended for entrepreneurs and business owners, and it will be published on the kasvavayritys.fi website.



Some services are subject to a fee, some are free of charge.



Contact:

Project Manager Paula Pihlajamaa

paula.pihlajamaa@yrittajat.fi

MicroENTRE offers materials and opportunities for the development of sales and marketing for sole and small entrepreneurs, business developers and entrepreneurship educators.



The Sales is a King training materials are available for the development of sales and marketing. They provide guidance for developing the company’s strategy, brand, team collaboration, communication, presentation skills, sales and marketing. Entrepreneurs, teachers and business developers can use the Sales is a King training material for their own and their customers’ needs. The Sales is a King training materials are free of charge.



The Sales is a King material leads the teacher and business developer into the story of selling, and provides examples of how to make use of the elements of selling. Teachers can use the material to support teaching, help their pupils to succeed, and for communication within the educational institution. The material can be used in educational institutions of different levels and in all professional fields. Business developers can use the material to identify bottlenecks in their customer company’s sales and to plan development measures.



In order to develop sales and marketing, the VAU!HAUTOMO business accelerator also offers sparring for companies in the Nivala-Haapajärvi region for various innovation competitions and funding applications. In the VAU!HAUTOMO business accelerator, companies receive coaching for the development of business ideas, and in relation to business competitions and funding applications. The VAU!HAUTOMO business accelerator is organised together with the Nivala-Haapajärvi region NIHAK and it is open for companies in the Nivala-Haapajärvi region until 2023.



Websites (in Finnish):

Training material for sales and marketing: https://www.nihak.fi/fi/koulutusmateriaalit/ 

VAU!HAUTOMO business accelerator in the Nivala-Haapajärvi region (website coming later)



Contact details:

Training material for the development of sales and marketing: mirja.vaananen@oulu.fi

Business accelerator VAU!HAUTOMO: peetu.virkkala@oulu.fi

MicroENTRE has several services related to responsibility and low carbon solutions:



Green Responsibility online coaching



In the responsibility coaching for micro-entrepreneurs, you can draw up a company-specific responsibility plan and develop the company’s responsibility measures by concrete means. Entrepreneurs learn to communicate their responsibility to customers and partners.

Responsibility coaching is aimed at micro-enterprises in municipalities in the southern part of North Ostrobothnia. The coaching groups will begin in January, March and September 2022. The training programme lasts for six months, including 10 hours of coaching and online materials for independent study. The coaching programme is free of charge for micro-entrepreneurs.



Read more:

www.vastuullisuusvalmennus.fi (in Finnish, from 10 December 2021)



Contact details:

Project Manager Jaana Jeminen

+358 050 591 6216

jaana.jeminen@oulu.fi

ARVO: Nivala Industrial Village Business Cluster



The ARVO project provides free information and advice on matters related to environmental responsibility.



In connection with the project, a guide was prepared for companies “Towards carbon intelligence. A guide for companies” (in Finnish only).



The guide provides concise information on carbon intelligence and its utilisation. It offers companies practical examples of how to implement carbon intelligence in practice. The guide is based on Finland’s aim to reach carbon neutrality by 2035, which requires measures to be taken by everyone.

In addition, the project has created a regionally scalable model for optimising and sizing the location of biogas production units and raw material logistics in the southern parts of North Ostrobothnia.



Further information:

Project Manager Ulla Lehtinen

ulla.lehtinen@oulu.fi

UMBR-ELLA (Universal Model Boosting Resilience – Entrepreneurial Learning Abroad) is a coaching programme for micro-enterprises and SMEs operating in North Ostrobothnia. Enterprises participating in the coaching develop their capacity to operate in international business.



Entrepreneurs acquire skills needed in international business, such as creativity, marketing and communication. The coaching is implemented by combining coaching workshops, trips to sector-specific international trade fairs and networking at international marketing and stakeholder events. Through the project, the enterprise receives concrete help for the design of marketing material, translation, participation in large international trade fairs and individually organised B2B meetings for which interpretation assistance is available.



The target market for UMBR-ELLA is Poland in particular, but also other Central European countries (such as Germany).



The coaching is meant for micro-enterprises from North Ostrobothnia operating primarily in the fields of natural products, design and tourism, but also in other sectors.

The project offers several coaching packages of different sizes starting at EUR 300 (public funding covers 80% of the project’s costs). The coaching will take place during 2022.



Funded by the European Regional Development Fund, the project is coordinated by Centria University of Applied Sciences, and other partners include the City of Ylivieska, Nivala-Haapajärvi Region NIHAK, Raahen Seudun Kehitys [Development of Raahe Region] and the University of Oulu Kerttu Saalasti Institute’s MicroENTRE.

Read more:

UMBR-ELLA project website: http://umbr-ella.eu/ 

Contact:



Research Director Anna-Mari Simunaniemi

anna-mari.simunaniemi@oulu.fi

+358 (0)50 466 2832



Project Researcher Eeva Leinonen

eeva.leinonen@oulu.fi

+358 (0)50 476 2278

Lue lisää:

UMBR-ELLA-hankkeen verkkosivut: http://umbr-ella.eu/ 

Ota yhteyttä:

Tutkimusjohtaja Anna-Mari Simunaniemi

anna-mari.simunaniemi​@​oulu.fi

050 466 2832



Projektitutkija Eeva Leinonen

eeva.leinonen​@​oulu.fi

050 476 2278

The development service for tourism companies includes the mapping of tourism products and overseeing the change needs, as well as supporting cooperation between tourism operators. The service is free of charge and it is intended for companies operating in the tourism sector, as well as for companies or other actors considering tourism as a secondary activity.



The services are produced in two projects: TourSME (Tourism cooperation between SMEs) and LAKU (From the valleys to the hills: making rural tourism visible through digitalisation and productisation).



TourSME’s objective is to increase the company’s awareness and ability to make visible the dormant tourism potential of North Ostrobothnia, Kainuu and Viena Karelia, to productise new tourism packages for international tourists based on the originality of the regions, and to support the combination of existing and new tourism operators’ services to make them more easily accessible.



LAKU focuses on improving the competitiveness of micro-enterprises and SMEs operating in the tourism sector in North Ostrobothnia, renewing the operations, and developing products in order to, for example, meet the consumers’ new needs created by the COVID-19 pandemic as well as Visit Finland’s criteria for sustainable development and internationalisation.

Read more:

kareliacbc.fi

Facebook: LAKUTourSME (mainly in Finnish)

Contact:

Project Manager Kyllikki Taipale-Erävala (TourSME)

kyllikki.taipale-eravala@oulu.fi

Project Manager Katariina Ala-Rämi (LAKU)

katariina.ala-rami@oulu.fi

The Digital Material Bank for Entrepreneurs provides tools for developing the business activities and digital competence of small entrepreneurs. The service is aimed at micro-entrepreneurs who need ideas and support especially in terms of digital competence, content marketing and sales, as well as managing their own activities and well-being at work.



The service is free of charge.



Read more:

www.yrittajandigi.fi (link in Finnish only)



Contact details:

Santeri Halonen

santerihalonen(at)oulu.fi

The Micro-Entrepreneurs’ Future Roadmap service



The Future Roadmap package provides entrepreneurs with a capacity to anticipate changes in the operating environment. After taking part in the individual and group coaching sessions on offer, the entrepreneur will:



- identify their core competences, important stakeholders and competence needs,

- become aware of the most productive core business of their company and thus be able to focus on the essentials,

- be able to respond to future changes in the company’s operating environment and

- adopt concrete tools for time management



The service is produced in the Micro-Entrepreneur’s Productivity and Well-Being at Work (MYTTY) project. The service is free of charge.



Contact:



Project Manager Mirja Väänänen

mirja.vaananen@oulu.fi



Project Researcher Eeva Leinonen

eeva.leinonen@oulu.fi

Coaching Programme of Agile Change Management



The Coaching Programme of Agile Change Management (KeMu) is a comprehensive service in which enterprises can assess the current state of their business activities and develop their expertise in an agile manner, taking future needs into account. The assessment of the current state is carried out using self-assessment tools for digital, growth and sales capacity. In order to develop competence, enterprises can choose from a wide range of micro-courses in change management that are suitable for independent and flexible remote study.



The service is particularly intended for enterprises that are in a situation of change or want to be better prepared for future changes in the business environment.



The service is free of charge for entrepreneurs.



Contact:

Mirja Väänänen

mirja.vaananen@oulu.fi

Coaching for innovation and product development is provided through two projects: InnoAID and RI-DIH.



InnoAID supports the recovery and growth of SMEs and micro-enterprises with limited resources. The project develops and tests product development tools, methods and operating models that are appropriate for the resources and business models of SMEs and micro-enterprises, and improves companies’ ability to enter new, perhaps international, markets if necessary.



The service is intended for SMEs in North Ostrobothnia. The services are free of charge for companies, but they are considered as a form of de minimis aid.



Rural Industry Digital Innovation Hub (RI-DIH) is a strong national development and support centre that accelerates digitalisation in sparsely populated areas. It provides product development services as well as training and advice.



The service is intended for SMEs. Some services are subject to a fee, some are free of charge.

Read more:

https://ruralindustries.eu/



Contact:



Mia Kemppaala (InnoAID)

mia.kemppaala@oulu.fi



Mikko Himanka (RI-DIH)

mikko.himanka@centria.fi

The University of Oulu Micro-Entrepreneurship Centre MicroENTRE is one of the implementers of the DigiProcess project, which supports SMEs offering digital solutions for the digitalisation of process industries (Industry 4.0).



Free services:

- Organising international webinars and matchmaking meetings between SMEs and large companies in the process industry

- Business model innovation workshops for SMEs offering digital solutions for the process industry



Project website:

www.digiprocess.eu



Contact details:

Martti Saarela,

martti.saarela@oulu.fi

+358 50 4735470

The MicroENTRE® Business Developer Forum is a national peer network for business advisors. The forum is organised four times a year in February, May, August and November. During the meetings, business advisors share good practices, tips and regional news. The forum provides you with the most up-to-date information on the development of the field.

The Business Development Forum includes participants from various business development organisations and other actors in the field around Finland. Around 200 business advisors have currently joined the forum at the national level. Sign up and join us!

Contact:
Laura Veikkola, Network Coordinator
laura.veikkola@oulu.fi

The MicroENTRE® peer networking is our extensively tested approach, which has further inspired several themed development measures based on peer-to-peer activities. At the moment, peer groups produced by development projects are active in different regions, focusing on different themes, such as productivity and work capacity, ability to change and corporate responsibility.



These are based on the MicroENTRE® Growth Network (MGN) concept launched in North Ostrobothnia in 2015, which consists of local peer groups for micro-entrepreneurs. The concept has been tested in five regions, and in some areas the activities have become established as part of the public business service. The MicroENTRE® Growth Network (MGN) concept has also been approved as a good practice on the Interreg Europe Policy Learning Platform.



The MicroENTRE® Growth Network (MGN) concept offers business developers and educational organisations tested and proven operating models for project planning and other purposes.



If you are planning a business development project for your region, please contact us!



Further information:

Martti Saarela, MicroENTRE Development Manager, + 358 50 4735470

Updating the strategy for functional entrepreneurship education at all levels of education in North Ostrobothnia is under way on the themes of sustainable development, digitalisation and internationalisation.



Are you interested? Is strategy work topical in your region? Take part in the inclusive strategy process!



Website:

www.minunpolkuni.fi/en/



Contact:

Heli Vaara

heli.vaara@oulu.fi

The www.yrittavakulttuuri.fi website is a self-assessment test on entrepreneurial culture directed at educational institutions. It offers the management of educational institutions tools for developing entrepreneurship education and an entrepreneurial culture.



Created on the basis of key objectives in entrepreneurship education, the test provides the respondent with practical tips and development objectives. The test can be answered by any member of the staff in an educational institution.



The free self-assessment test is intended for all levels of education from early childhood education to higher education.



Website:

www.yrittavakulttuuri.fi (link in Finnish only)

The entrepreneurship education network of North Ostrobothnia offers diverse services for educational institutions and teachers. The website of regional entrepreneurship education is called www.minunpolkuni.fi/en. There you can find good practices, tools for entrepreneurship education and its development, and information on current projects, education and workshops. You can also ask for consultancy and support on issues related to entrepreneurship education on the website.

The Upper Secondary School of New Competence offers general upper secondary schools concrete operating models for cooperation with the world of business and higher education institutions. The models fit in the everyday life of educational institutions. This responds to the requirements of the reformed Act on General Upper Secondary Education, as well as the competence needs of future entrepreneurship and the world of work. It also provides tools for facilitating the implementation of reforms and the work of upper secondary school teachers in daily life at school.



Familiarise yourself with the operating models and examples of subject-specific cooperation between the world of business and higher education institutions!



Website:

https://www.minunpolkuni.fi/en/secondary-education/

The construction of an entrepreneurial mind is promoted and studied in the Pathways to Business project, which develops and pilots coaching modules especially aimed at promoting the employment and entrepreneurship of university students who are about to graduate or who have already graduated.



More information on the Pathways to Business project

(only in Finnish)

The Sales is a King material leads the teacher and business developer into the story of selling, and provides examples of how to make use of the elements of selling. Teachers can use the material to support teaching, help their pupils to succeed, and for communication within the educational institution.

The Sales is a King training materials provide guidance for developing the company’s strategy, brand, team collaboration, communication, presentation skills, sales and marketing.

The training material can be used in educational institutions of different levels and in all professional fields. The materials are free of charge.

Website:

https://www.nihak.fi/fi/koulutusmateriaalit/  (only in Finnish)

Contact:

Mirja Väänänen

mirja.vaananen@oulu.fi

Timo Liimatainen

timo.liimatainen@nihak.fi

Partners of MicroENTRE®:

Business Kangasala / Panu Anttila
Central Uusimaa Development Center Ltd. KEUKE / Elina Pekkarinen
City of Iisalmi/ Terho Savolainen
City of Kajaani / Seppo Räisänen
City of Kuopio, Business Kuopio / Olli Kokander
City of Naantali / Lassi Rosala
City of Ylivieska / Juho Niemelä
Development company WITAS / Tapani Laitinen
Eastern Lapland Municipal Corporation / Jari Polvi
Haapavesi-Siikalatva Region / Tarja Bäckman
Into Seinäjoki / Leena Perämäki, Hennamari Niemi
Järvi-Pohjanmaa Business Service / Vesa Alanko-Luopa
Kaustinen Region / Petri Jylhä
KEHY - Imatra region development company ltd / Sven Langbein
Keksintösäätiö, Foundation for Finnish Inventions / Juhani Talvela
Kemi Digipolis Ltd / Tuula Saarela
Kokkola Region Development KOSEK Ltd / Timo Lahtinen
Kouvola Innovation Kinno / Kimmo Niemi
Lahti Region Development Ladec / Krista Mäkelä
Linna Business Development, Hämeenlinna / Outi Myllymaa
Miksei Development Company, St Michel / Mari Meriläinen
MYRY, Association of Micro and Sole Entrepreneurs / Kari I. Mattila
Nivala-Haapajärvi Region NIHAK Reg. Assn. / Toni Krankkala
Omapaja Ltd. / Matti Jääskeläinen
Prizztech, Pori / Jari-Pekka Niemi
Raahe Region Development / Pasi Pitkänen
SavoGrow / Aarno Niskanen
SEKES – Association of Finnish Development Companies / Jaakko Helenius
Vaasa Region Development Vasek / Antti Alasaari
Yrityskummit (Business Mentors) / Minna Järvinen
YritysSalo Ltd. / Jyrki Moilanen

The HYBRIDI project, a joint project between the University of Turku and the University of Oulu, collected information on the challenges and support needs faced by sole and micro-entrepreneurs during the Covid-19 pandemic and on corporate responsibility skills. The project provided entrepreneurs with support tailored to their needs through individual interviews and peer-based focus and core groups.

The project, funded by the European Social Fund, ran from 1 September 2021 to 31 December 2023 and provided valuable information to help understand the situation of sole and micro-entrepreneurs in the midst of the pandemic and to develop targeted forms of support for them. The project produced a Microentrepreneur's Responsibility Handbook (in Finnish), a guide to the Corporate Responsibility Focus Group Concept for business developers (in Finnish) and a description of the Hybrid Service Model for supporting the responsibility of sole and micro-entrepreneurs.

VAU!HAUTOMO project was implemented from 1 August 2021 to 31 December 2023. Its main goal was to establish a business accelerator for entrepreneurs and people considering entrepreneurship in the Nivala-Haapajärvi region called VAU!HAUTOMO. This goal was pursued by sparring the innovations of companies in the Nivala-Haapajärvi region in the VAU!HAUTOMO business incubator, which was formed by e.g. workshops, the digital VAU!HAUTOMO environment, participation in startup competitions and material supporting incubator operations.

As a result of the project, the capacities of about 70 companies or people planning entrepreneurship in the Nivala-Haapajärvi region were developed, about 40 workshops promoting entrepreneurial skills were organized, several business competitions were participated in and material was created to support business incubators in rural areas, which can be used for entrepreneurial activities in the Nivala-Haapajärvi region and other rural areas.

The project was financed by the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF). The main implementer was the Nivala-Haapajärvi region NIHAK ry, and the University of Oulu was the partial implementer.

The UMBR-ELLA project developed and piloted an internationalisation training programme to support the internationalisation capacities of micro and small and medium-sized enterprises in the North Ostrobothnia region. The combination of training workshops, trade fair visits and networking proved to be effective. The ELLA model was used to develop entrepreneurs' internationalisation skills and was praised by the participants. The project focused on the Polish and Central European markets and its interventions led to successful expansion into these regions. The project supported a wide range of skills related to the internationalisation of enterprises, such as entrepreneurial skills, interpersonal skills, teamwork and creativity, as well as specialist skills such as marketing. Specific target sectors were design, tourism and natural products.

The project was implemented from 01.12.2019 to 31.12.2023 with funding from the European Union's Rural Development Fund through the ELY Centre of North Ostrobothnia. The project was implemented by Centria University of Applied Sciences (coordinator), Kerttu Saalasti Institute of the University of Oulu, Nivala-Haapajärvi Regional Council NIHAK ry, Raahe Region Development and the City of Ylivieska.

In the KeMu project, between 01.11.2021 and 31.10.2023, change management skills were developed in companies suffering from the COVID-19 pandemic. The goal of the project was to strengthen the ability of micro and SME companies and their staff to manage changes. The goal was based on the need for anticipative planning, business risk mapping and change management, which are in the background in many micro and SME companies.

The project's activities were divided into four work packages, which created a state-of-the-art analysis of the business opportunities of companies, as well as a developmental learning package with 27 micro-courses and participatory change workshops based on the needs of entrepreneurs. The work package related to the change management development plans was cross-cutting for the whole project. The coaching program was also used to develop the ability of business service organizations to support small businesses in managing change capability also in the future. A total of 102 companies participated in the project measures with a target of 75.

As a result of the project, companies have a more versatile ability and tools to assess the current state of the business and its development, as well as to prepare for changes in the business environment. The results also support the regions' ability to change, as the benefits of the new operating model and strategy tools will continue to be available to business service organisations. During the project, Agile: A strategy tool to support an agile and changeable company (Kerttu Saalasti Institute of the University of Oulu publications 4/2023) was written and can be freely downloaded from the University of Oulu website in Finnish.

InnoAID project was impelemented 1.11.2021-31.10.2023. The purpose of the project was to develop the innovation and product development activities of SMEs and to improve the innovation capacity of their personnel. To this end, trainings were organised for staff of the participating companies on these themes. The participating enterprises were mostly micro-enterprises, but small enterprises were also involved. The total number of participating companies was 35.

The project's material bank (collection in the Library of Open Educational Resources) contains presentation materials used in the trainings and other content. Inter alia, there are tools for everyone to openly view.

In addition, a survey of the innovation activities of small enterprises in Northern Ostrobothnia was carried out in the project. The above-mentioned material bank contains report of this survey, and it is also available for everyone to see.

Funding was provided by the European Social Fund (ESF) and the State, and the beneficiary (University of Oulu) was self-financed. The funding authority was the North Ostrobothnia Centre for Economic Development, Transport and the Environment.

The Pathways to Business project developed a new approach to address the early entrepreneurial and work-life skills of unemployed jobseekers and university students with higher education qualifications. The project created educational models and services that supported the early stages of entrepreneurship. The coaching provided students and unemployed job seekers with the opportunity to strengthen their career and entrepreneurial skills. It consisted of the Spark, Roihu and Avanto modules, which ended in the academic year 2021-2022. The project resulted in new forms of collaboration and client-oriented support to support the earliest stages of entrepreneurship. This contributed to the transition of university graduates into entrepreneurship and working life.

The project was implemented from 01.01.2021 to 31.10.2023 and was funded by the European Structural and Investment Funds - European Social Fund (ESF), Centre for Economic Development, Transport and the Environment and Business Oulu.

The project was implemented by Learning & Educational Technology Research Unit(coordinator) and the Faculty of Education (coordinator), the Kerttu Saalasti Institute and Oamk.

The MERVA project aimed to increase cooperation and networking among small tourism enterprises in remote and sparsely populated areas and to promote the learning of responsible practices and best practices. The project was implemented in cooperation between the Kerttu Saalasti Institute of the University of Oulu and Kajaani University of Applied Sciences in North Ostrobothnia and Kainuu from 1.10.2022 to 15.10.2023 as one of the tourism projects in sparsely populated areas. The project was funded by the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry/Lapland Centre for Economic Development, Transport and the Environment and the Kerttu Saalasti Foundation.

The target groups of the project were tourism entrepreneurs, tourism operators and students. The project organised four tourism guild meetings in the project area, where together, on the basis of expert presentations, the selected themes were discussed, the host company was visited and networking with entrepreneurs and other actors took place. The project organised two events on sustainability, covering the basics of sustainability and the calculation of carbon footprints. Students from Kajaani University of Applied Sciences got to know the tourism companies by carrying out productisation exercises.

The project organised a study trip to the Jokkmokk winter market in northern Sweden in February 2023, explored the challenges facing the tourism industry in northern Norway, and established partnerships through visits to Tromsø and a tourism conference in Sweden. The project produced three videos on project implementation, tourism businesses in sparsely populated areas and sustainability. An Issuu publication on best practices and press articles are also published.

The project LAKU – From the valley to the hills: creating visibility for the rural tourism by digitalization and productizing- was implemented from 1.9.2021 to 30.9.2023 in the Nivala-Haapajärvi sub-region and the Raahe region. The project, funded by the European Structural and Investment Funds and the North Ostrobothnia Regional Council, was implemented from 01.09.2021 to 30.09.2023 by NIHAK ry, Kattilakoski Osuuskunta and Raahe Region Development under the leadership of the Kerttu Saalasti Institute at the University of Oulu. The project was also funded by the Kerttu Saalasti Foundation.

The project focused on improving the competitiveness of micro and small and medium-sized enterprises in the tourism sector. It reformed operations and developed products to meet the new needs created by the COVID-19 pandemic. About 40 small tourism companies took part in the project. The project strengthened cooperation between tourism companies in the region, developed digital competence, productization and regional marketing. The project promoted the digital discoverability of tourism companies by empowering businesses to develop their own websites and by providing social media coaching. Tourism services were taken to Visit Finland Data Hub service, which increased the visibility and discoverability of companies. The project provided productization sparring for companies, which allowed companies to develop improved products and services. The visibility of companies and regions was promoted by participating in the Tampere Travel Fair in two years and by making marketing videos on tourism in the Raahe region. Internationalization was promoted by organizing joint webinars with the Halifax region of Canada and by informing companies about the Polish market and participating study trips to Poland. The LAKU project has thus served as a starting point and inspiration for the further development of tourism companies and project work.

The project implemented training in the corporate responsibility competence of micro-enterprises in Northern Ostrobothnia to improve the ability of entrepreneurs to respond to changes in the operating environment and the demands of customers in the future. The ViVa project responded to the need to assess and develop the current state of responsibility in micro-enterprises. The aim was also to make responsibility a part of the systematic development and marketing communications of micro-enterprises.

Responsibility training for micro-enterprises was carried out from the beginning of 2022. The last training ended in April 2023. A total of 72 companies participated in the project measures with a target of 60. The project provided quick and practical training to increase the responsibility competence of micro-enterprises and to utilize it in the company's operations, to improve the ability to change and to bring a competitive advantage from responsibility.

“Responsibility as a Competitive Advantage – A guide to creating a responsibility plan for small entrepreneurs” (Kerttu Saalasti Institute of the University of Oulu publications 2/2023) has been prepared in its entirety based on the experience gained from coaching. Examples and templates of ViVa Road Maps have been added to the guide to create your own responsibility plan. An electronic guide with templates can be downloaded from vastuullisuusvalmennus.fi website (in Finnish).

The training of the project was carried out by Kerttu Saalasti Institute of the University of Oulu, Micro-Entrepreneurship Centre MicroENTRE and Centria University of Applied Sciences. The actors providing business services in the area NIHAK and the Kalajoki Region Business Service Centre with contacts and knowledge of the companies in the area were also involved. The project was funded by the European Social Fund and the funding had been granted by the Centre for Economic Development, Transport and the Environment of Northern Ostrobothnia. The other financiers of the project were the development of the Raahe region, the Haapavesi-Siikalatva region and the Kerttu Saalasti Foundation. The implementation period of the project was from 1 September 2021 to 31 August 2023.

Revance and Tolerance projects were implemented as mutually supportive projects 01.11.2021 - 31.08.2023.

The goal of the Revance project was to develop the conditions for companies to increase their investments in research, development, and innovation (RDI), in accordance with the Central Finland Regional Strategy. Increasing RDI investments and expertise in various ways enhances and renews businesses. The main objectives were:

• Enhancing companies' RDI expertise and co-development
• Improving the availability and relevance of RDI services for companies

The RDI expertise network was brought together, and a working model was developed, resulting in more timely and targeted development services for micro and small businesses. Access to research, development, and innovation-related services improved for businesses outside of major cities, regardless of their size and location. The project increased RDI activities and co-development among companies, supported their RDI and future readiness, co-developed products and services, engaged in student collaborations, and organized company-driven local and remote trial clinics. At the same time, the project aimed to strengthen peer learning and networking among entrepreneurs.

The purpose of the Tolerance project was to increase the resilience of businesses, which means the ability to respond to changes by strengthening the well-being of their personnel. The project's approach involved utilizing existing resilience research, development models, and tools to achieve rapid and effective benefits in companies. The goals were:

• Developing the change capability of businesses and sole entrepreneurs
• Enhancing the competence of business developers in supporting the change capability of businesses
• Developing peer learning in the themes of change capability

The project aimed at enhancing the change capability of small, micro, and sole entrepreneurs in the Karstula, Keuruu, Kinnula, Kivijärvi, Multia, Pihtipudas, and Viitasaari regions, as well as improving the competence of regional business developers to support the change capability of businesses.

As part of enhancing change capability, forecasting skills were strengthened to provide businesses with better tools for success in evolving business environments and changes. The measures were especially focused on minimizing the negative impacts of the COVID-19 crisis. Additionally, the well-being of the personnel was considered as an essential part of development activities.

During the project, existing resilience research, development models, and tools were leveraged to provide businesses with rapid and impactful benefits from the measures. Peer development and learning among businesses played a significant role in the development work.

The projects were funded by ERDF and ESF, with JAMK University of Applied Sciences Jyväskylä as the main coordinator and the University of Oulu Kerttu Saalasti Institute, Development Company Karstulanseutu Oy, Development Company Keulink Oy, Laukaa Municipality and Development Company Witas Oy as co-implementers.

The VÄKEVÄ project was implemented from 1.5.2021 to 30.4.2023 with funding from the European Structural and Investment Funds (ESF).

The VÄKEVÄ project renewed the strategy for entrepreneurship education in North Ostrobothnia in line with key societal trends. Sustainable development as a determinant of competitiveness, digitalisation as a renewer of entrepreneurship and an internationalising operating environment were brought into the strategy to give directions for the development of the content and implementation of education. The objectives of each theme were made achievable by breaking them down into manageable sub-themes by school level.

In cooperation with project actors, other education actors and partners, the project concretised the contents of sustainable development, digitalisation and internationalisation as part of entrepreneurship education. During the project, a wide range of participatory workshops were held to agree on school-level objectives for each theme. The work was based on school-level curricula and qualification frameworks.

The project collected proven digital solutions and introduced a range of suitable sector-specific learning environments. The training tested different models of cooperation with international networks using digital channels. The successful experiments were written up into very user-friendly guidelines and stored on a common online platform (minunpolkuni.fi) for free use.

The project was coordinated by the Kerttu Saalasti Institute at the University of Oulu and co-implemented by Centria-ammattikorkeakoulu Oy, Oulun Ammattikorkeakoulu Oy, Raahe Education Group, Jokilaakso Education Group, City of Oulu and OSAO Education Group. The project was also funded by the Kerttu Saalasti Foundation.

The University of Oulu participated as a project partner in the SEUTUKAUPUNKIrekry project from January 2022 to June 2023, focusing on international recruitment, international student retention, immigrant integration and increasing the attractiveness of labour shortage sectors. The project targeted different sectors and businesses in the region's cities and was implemented through the Regional Cities in Finland -network. The project leader was Yrityssalo Oy. The role of the University of Oulu in the project was related to the organization of information sessions and the integration of international students.

The project developed a “Live & Learn” operating model to support international students. The University of Oulu was involved in the development of the integration model, especially in leisure and welfare services. The model was divided into four areas: study support, employment and career development, leisure and well-being, and language skills and culture.

In terms of the information sessions, the University of Oulu participated in the project by scheduling the briefings, moderating the meetings on Teams, editing the recorded briefings for publication, and publishing the videos. Feedback was also collected from the participants after the first series of briefings, based on which a second series was planned. The University of Oulu carried out one information session (Social media videos for business use) and also organized a follow-up workshop on the topic. Other topics covered included: internal employer image, LinkedIn in recruitment, TikTok to support corporate image, Corporate image basics, Case: The basics of successful digital marketing, Facebook to support corporate image and Employer image.

The project resulted in the "Live & Learn" model for international students, which was published in 2023 and provides a comprehensive framework to support studies and life in Finland. The "Employer Image and Recruitment Marketing Handbook" was also published in August 2023, based on the project's webinars. The handbook provides guidance on digital and social media-based marketing and the development of a successful employer image.

The KasvuDATA project produced a data-driven analysis of the growth, sectoral development pattern, employment, exports and related spatial factors of rural SMEs and micro-enterprises in Northern Ostrobothnia. The project was implemented from 01.01.2022 to 31.12.2022. The data produced was analysed together with the business services of the rural areas of Northern Ostrobothnia. With the most accurate data possible, we showed each business service the central changes in their domain and compared them to the overall picture of Northern Ostrobothnia. Together with the business services, we identified development trends, bottlenecks and best practices and compiled synthesis data for the development of business services in the whole province.

The project was funded by the European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development (EAFRD) and implemented by the Micro-entrepreneurship (MicroENTRE) and Regional Excellence (REx) research groups of the University of Oulu Kerttu Saalasti Institute.

Final report of the project (in Finnish): Maaseudun pk- ja mikroyritysten kasvu- ja vientiolosuhteiden data-analytiikka ja yhteisoppiva tietojohtaminen Pohjois-Pohjanmaalla.

The OVI - Change of Ownership with Joy / Development of acquisition culture in Northern Ostrobothnia project was implemented from 1.4.2021 to 31.12.2022. The main implementer of the project was the Entrepreneurs of Northern Ostrobothnia, the University of Oulu Kerttu Saalasti Institute was a sub-implementer, and the funding was provided by the Regional Council of Northern Ostrobothnia, the municipalities of the region and the European Regional Development Fund. The objectives of the project were to increase the number of ownership changes in the Northern Ostrobothnia region, to raise awareness that a company can also be bought, to bring the culture of business acquisition to Northern Ostrobothnia, to bring the diversity of financing channels to the attention of entrepreneurs and to highlight mental preparation for the sale of a company.

During the project, 39 events were organised, reaching 804 entrepreneurs. Business-specific advice was given to 131 buyers/sellers. The objectives of the project included a change of ownership survey and awareness-raising tests, which were successfully carried out. The project had a communication component and was highly visible through various media, with a special mention to the year-long radio campaign. The project "Developing an entrepreneurial culture in North Ostrobothnia" was primarily a regional project, but cooperation also took place at national level. The University of Oulu's Kerttu Saalasti Institute / MicroENTRE carried out a study on the project.

The report (in Finnish): Veikkola, Laura; Pihlajamaa, Paula; Hänninen, Kai: Yrittäjänä omistajanvaihdoksen jälkeen : yrityskauppakulttuurin kehittäminen Pohjois-Pohjanmaalle -hankkeen selvitys ostajayrittäjien kokemuksista yrityksen haltuunotosta ja kehittämisestä. Oulun yliopiston Kerttu Saalasti Instituutin julkaisuja 5/2022.

The MOPPI project (1.12.2021-31.12.2022) explored current and new opportunities for increasing multi-site living, entrepreneurship and remote working, identified challenges from the perspective of municipalities, (micro)enterprises and different target groups of residents in Northern Ostrobothnia, and put together a menu of tools for use by actors in the region. The project included three sub-studies on the current state and future possibilities of multi-location, teleworking and digitalisation from the perspective of companies, municipalities and residents in the region. The project was carried out by the University of Oulu's Department of Architecture (Project Manager, Professor Helka-Liisa Hentilä) and the Kerttu Saalasti Institute's MicroENTRE Microentrepreneurship Centre (Research Director Anna-Mari Simunaniemi).

MicroENTRE was responsible for a survey of businesses based on an online survey and interviews. The most common needs of the surveyed entrepreneurs for successful teleworking focused on functioning telecommunication connections and skills in the use of remote technologies. While teleworking reduced travel costs and improved the use of working time, the need for networking and meeting people was identified by a large proportion of the participating enterprises. The survey found that businesses in rural areas, particularly sole traders using home offices, would be interested in experimenting with low-cost shared facilities for business meetings and client meetings on an hourly or monthly basis. From an employer's perspective, offering remote working could help in recruiting experts when the job does not require a move to the region. This challenges traditional thinking about the physical proximity of work, home and formal residence.

The ELY Centre of Northern Ostrobothnia granted funding for the project from the European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development for the period 2021-2022.

MOPPI studies published by the University of Oulu Kerttu Saalasti Institute (in Finnish):

Kupila, Anna & Hentilä, Helka-Liisa. (2021). Monipaikkainen elämä ja työnteko Pohjois-Pohjanmaalla: teemahaastattelujen tuloksia.

Riekki, Sara & Hentilä, Helka-Liisa. (2022). Maaseudun monipaikkainen asuminen, yrittäminen ja etätyö Pohjois-Pohjanmaan kunnissa: kuntakyselyn raportti.

Simunaniemi, Anna-Mari & Heinonen, Samu. (2022). Monipaikkaisuus, etätyö ja digitalisaatio Pohjois-Pohjanmaan yrityksissä: MOPPI-hankkeen yritysselvitys.

The New Skills Upper Secondary School project responded to the demands of the rapidly changing environment and the new Upper Secondary Schools Act to promote cooperation between upper secondary schools and business and higher education institutions. The main implementer of the project was the City of Nivala / Upper Secondary School, with the extensive participation of upper secondary schools in the southern part of Northern Ostrobothnia, business actors and higher education institutions in the region, including the University of Oulu Kerttu Saalasti Institute and Centria University of Applied Sciences' Ylivieska unit. The project was implemented as an ESF project funded through the ELY Centre of Northern Ostrobothnia from 1.9.2020 to 31.12.2022.

The key elements of the new high school model of excellence are the living links between entrepreneurship and making visible and developing cooperation between high schools and higher education institutions. Through the development and consolidation of the new approach, the region's upper secondary schools will be recognised as an important partner for business and industry alongside vocational education and training. It will promote up-to-date entrepreneurship and working life skills among upper secondary school staff. New Skills High Schools offer their students excellent opportunities to develop work and entrepreneurial skills and promote students' employment in local businesses and their access to higher education.

The procedures and good practices developed and piloted in connection with the creation of the new operating model have been compiled on the website of the Regional Strategy for Entrepreneurship Education in Northern Ostrobothnia at www.minunpolkuni.fi. The effectiveness of the project was assessed through the Entrepreneurial Culture evaluation model for the management of educational institutions and through webropol surveys for students.

DigiProcess - Supporting the digitalisation of process industry ecosystems: developing service ecosystems among process industries and SMEs - project was implemented from 1.10.2019 to 30.9.2022. Its main objective was to support the digitalisation of the process industry and the development of digital service ecosystems among process industries and SMEs serving the process industry. This was achieved by identifying the digitalisation needs and opportunities of the process industry and SMEs serving the process industry, networking between process industry companies and SMEs, developing and piloting digitalisation ecosystems in the process industry, and creating digitalisation training materials for the process industry and SMEs.

The project resulted in identifying the digitalisation needs of the process industry (n=15) and SMEs serving the process industry (n=50), networking between the process industry and SMEs, developing the process industry digitalisation ecosystem further, and creating practical training materials for the process industry and SMEs.

The project was funded by Interreg Nord EU. The main implementer was Lapland University of Applied Sciences and the other implementers were Digipolis, IUC Norbotten, LTU and the University of Oulu.

Project website

Reports:
Learning material for SMEs
Final Report

The SEED project (1.1. - 30.9.2022) aimed to build a basis for research-based development of early-stage exports, sharing of best practices and sustainable growth of SME exports in northern and peripheral regions. The ability to push exports is critical to the market for SMEs in the Northern Periphery and Arctic (NPA) regions. In particular, there were large regional differences in the export performance of early-stage companies. However, some peripheral regions were able to perform exceptionally well as a growth platform for early-stage exporters.

The SEED project developed an approach to collaboratively explore the regional development landscape and interactively communicate best development practices among NPAs on early export factors.

The project was implemented in three sub-projects.
1. Data mapping and preliminary statistical analysis to identify SME exports and target areas for the main project.
2. Building a cross-regional learning network with the aim of identifying, evaluating and transmitting best practices and policy measures to promote early-stage SME exports.
3. The project laid the groundwork for a roadmap for the NPA region to develop an SME smart export ecosystem with project partners and stakeholders.

The main stakeholders of the project were public business services, regional development organisations and responsible ministries in the NPA region.

Funders:
European Union - European Regional Development Fund
Northern Periphery and Arctic Programme NPA

Research teams:
MicroENTRE® Microentrepreneurship Centre
Regional Excellence (REx)

The MYTTY project (1.1.2020 - 30.6.2022) helped entrepreneurs identify the most productive business activities for their company. It also supported self-management of micro-entrepreneurs and employees of enterprises, such as time management, workday organisation, work-life balance. Entrepreneurs identified strengths and key development needs in business and entrepreneurship skills.

During their own development pathway, entrepreneurs built competence needs maps based on their perception of future challenges and opportunities in relation to their own competence needs and core competences. This development path was supported by individual and group coaching, peer coaching and re-teaming coaching. The themes of the coaching sessions reflected the needs of entrepreneurs: time management, sales and marketing, media and time management, videography, foresight and megatrends.

The timeliness and necessity of the MYTTY project and the usefulness of the measures were highlighted, since the project came at the worst time of the corona pandemic. This was reflected in the entrepreneurs' experience of how it has supported entrepreneurs in these challenging times and has been reflected in their commitment, insights and growth stories. The Entrepreneur's Workbook for a Good Life, produced during the project, will continue to be available and used free of charge by entrepreneurs, those working with entrepreneurs and those interested.

Materials: the Entrepreneur's Workbook for a Good Life | Työterveyslaitos (ttl.fi)

Project promoters: the MicroENTRE Microentrepreneurship Centre of the University of Oulu Kerttu Saalasti Institute and the Institute of Occupational Health.

Partners: Kalajoki, Nivala-Haapajärvi, Raahe and Ylivieska.

ARVO-hanke toteutettiin 1.4.2020 - 31.3.2022 Oulun yliopiston Kerttu Saalasti Instituutin ja NIHAK ry:n toimesta. Hanke kohdistui Nivala-Haapajärven seutukunnan alueelle, erityisesti Nivalan teollisuuskylän yritysekosysteemiin. Hanke toimi avauksena vähähiilisyyden ja kiertotalouden kehittämisessä kohdealueella lisäten tietoisuutta vähähiilisyydestä. Hankkeen toiminnassa keskityttiin kolmeen teemaan 1) energiatehokkuuden parantamiseen ja jätteiden käsittelyn yhtenäistämiseen Nivalan teollisuuskylän ekosysteemissä 2) Alueellisesti skaalattavan mallin luomiseen biokaasun tuotantoyksiköiden sijainnin optimoimiseksi ja 3) tietoisuuden lisäämiseen vähähiilisistä ratkaisuista.

The project created an "industrial village garbage bag" business model, where companies can use a jointly tendered waste contract, which increased the recycling of sorted waste. The project developed a spatially based scalable computational model to optimize the location and raw material logistics of biogas plants with different input data. The results of the calculation identified the best locations for biogas production in Northern Ostrobothnia. The calculation model can be applied in the future to optimize and size biogas plant locations both in Finland and abroad.

The ARVO project published a guide "Towards Carbon Wisdom", which provides businesses and other actors with a practical information package on carbon wisdom and raises awareness. A compilation video of the ARVO project and its results was produced and is available on YouTube. Finally, the project increased dialogue and networking between businesses, development organisations and other actors, laying the groundwork for future development and cooperation projects.

Watch the video on the implementation of the value project.

TourSME was a two-year project (1.2.2020 - 31.3.2022), which aimed to increase the awareness and ability of the company to make visible the dormant tourism potential of North Ostrobothnia, Kainuu and Viena Karelia, to produce new tourism packages based on the originality of the regions for international tourists, and to support the combination of existing and new tourism operators' services into easily accessible ones.

Tourism-related businesses, or those wishing to become such, were offered the opportunity (or, in short, if you need this part, the key idea of networking, training and piloting):
• to find networking partners both at home and in Russia
• to find domestic and international customers
• receive up-to-date training in the tourism sector
• generate tourism ideas and conduct rapid experiments
• to be able to present tourism products/services to tour operators
• get to pilot the products developed

The project was funded by KareliaCBC. The project was implemented by the University of Oulu Kerttu Saalasti Institute / MicroENTRE Microentrepreneurship Centre and the sub-projects were implemented by OAMK, KAMK, Kostamus City and KarRC.
Read more about TourSME.