Estonian, Finnish Ministers Seek 'Unified Startup Region'
Estonian and Finnish ministers attended a meeting in Helsinki on November 19 between the two countries’ research and development councils.
The Estonian and Finnish prime ministers, Andrus Ansip and Jyrki Katainen, called for closer cooperation between Estonian and Finnish organizations in education, research and development in order to foster innovation and develop a "unified startup region,“ according to an Estonian government press release.
The main issues of discussion at the meeting were research infrastructure, enterprise growth, availability of venture capital, and mobility of researchers and experts.
The prime ministers said the success of the Baltic Sea region depends on high value-added products and services. They said close cooperation between Estonia and Finland is attested to by the 158 joint projects they have implemented through the European Union’s Framework Programme for Research (2007-2013).
The prime ministers, economics ministers and education and research ministers of both countries participated in the session. The Finnish environment minister also attended.