Possibilities for the Future Central Finland Pekka Lankia, Vice President of the Board 1 1 1

CENTRAL FINLAND Population: 274 000 Capital: Jyväskylä, with 130 000 inhabitants 23 municipals 2

Regional council, a tool for open democracy Regional councils are For municipals and citizens In a regional level, joint municipal author by law Municipals must be members of regional council Regional councils have a role in regional development land use planning implementation of EU structural fund programs regional foresight and strategy work lobbying and co-operation at regional, national and international level http://www.keskisuomi.fi/ 3

Major global changes – and possibilities! Climate change Growth of population Lack of clean water → All these have effects to human activities → But they also mean possibilities to new innovations, new products, new business, new sustainable growth, new wellness! 4

Wellbeing Bioeconomy Digital economy Knowledge based economy International approach Regional structure and accessibility 5

NEXT WAVE OF THE GLOBAL ECONOMY By 2030, the world will need 50 % more food, 45 % more energy and 30 % more water compared to present situation. http://www.biotalous.fi/?lang=en 6

Bioeconomy as a possibility Local example – A bioproduct mill to Äänekoski Largest investment in the history of the Finnish forest industry, 1,2 billion € Building has started, ready to operate 2017 Next-generation bioproduct mill, new products are developed in network with various players http://bioproductmill.com 7

Äänekoski bioproduct mill – some examples Main product is pulp, but... Target to be a factory without any waste – all raw material are used - biocomposite to replace plastic - even the smell or pulpmill is used, odorous gases are converted into sulphuric acid - etc. The mill is over energy self-sufficient - all energy from wood, no fossile energy needed http://bioproductmill.com 8

Bioeconomy - new product opportunities Next step - new bio-based products - new wood fibers replace cotton → saves farmland for food production → saves clear water and hard chemicals in cottonfields - new biobased materials for food and medicin packing? - flexible screens made by nanocellulose? 9

Digital economy is changing our world Digitalization mean revolution in all sectors of business Industrial production, marketing, banking, communication, commercial and public services etc. Important part of digitalzation is cyber security Some keywords: robotics, 3D-printing, internet of things, open data and bigdata, sharing economy, virtual currency... Question is not ”do we like everything what is happening?” – right question is ”do we understand and manage the change?” 10

Forerunner in cyber security Knowledge on protection of the cyber threats Test environment for companies JAMK University of applied sciences and University of Jyväskylä CENTRAL FINLAND IS... http://jyvsectec.fi/en/ https://www.jyu.fi/it/en 11

KNOWLEDGE BASED ECONOMY Success in global economic competition needs Innovations from knowledge Better cooperation with business, entrepreneurs and education in all levels from primary school to university Networking on local, European and global level Better partnership can mean win-win-situation → both sides can share the latest information. We can compete only with the know-how, not with cheap labor. 12

WHAT CAN WE DO FOR OUR YOUTH? We can encourage them to build their own future But we must also give them the best available tools for this We must keep our eyes open to see the change around us And also... 13

Frank Zappa Thank You! “A mind is like a parachute. It doesn't work if it is not open.” Thank You! 14