Busi­nes­sOulu is strength­en­ing the devel­op­ment of the Defence, HealthTech and ICT sec­tors

Busi­nes­sOulu is refin­ing its respon­si­bil­i­ties in the Defence, HealthTech and ICT sec­tors. The aim is to strength­en sec­tor-spe­cif­ic busi­ness col­lab­o­ra­tion whilst util­is­ing Oulu’s tech­no­log­i­cal strengths more sys­tem­at­i­cal­ly across var­i­ous appli­ca­tion areas.

Jus­si Lep­onie­mi is respon­si­ble for Defence and, with­in cut­ting-edge tech­nolo­gies, con­nec­tiv­i­ty, 6G, micro­elec­tron­ics and semi­con­duc­tors, as well as Phys­i­cal AI. His work in the Defence sec­tor focus­es in par­tic­u­lar on dual-use busi­ness, cor­po­rate growth and inter­na­tion­al­i­sa­tion, the devel­op­ment of the DefTech ecosys­tem, and nation­al and inter­na­tion­al net­works.

Hei­di Tikan­mä­ki is respon­si­ble for the HealthTech sec­tor and, with­in the ICT tech­nol­o­gy sec­tors, arti­fi­cial intel­li­gence, data, and dig­i­tal solu­tions. Her work empha­sis­es busi­ness oppor­tu­ni­ties based on these tech­nolo­gies, cor­po­rate growth and inter­na­tion­al­i­sa­tion, as well as rela­tion­ships with stake­hold­ers in the OuluHealth ecosys­tem and the health sec­tor net­work, and with oth­er ecosys­tems both nation­al­ly and inter­na­tion­al­ly. The Oulu region’s strong exper­tise in dig­i­tal health, its inno­v­a­tive research and prod­uct devel­op­ment envi­ron­ments, and the close col­lab­o­ra­tion between com­pa­nies and oth­er ecosys­tem stake­hold­ers pro­vide an excel­lent foun­da­tion for new solu­tions and inter­na­tion­al growth.

ICT also serves as a cross-cut­ting tech­no­log­i­cal foun­da­tion. Oulu’s strengths in arti­fi­cial intel­li­gence, data, wire­less tech­nolo­gies, micro­elec­tron­ics, and new smart sys­tems serve a range of sec­tors and cre­ate new inter­faces between, for exam­ple, Defence, HealthTech, social and health ser­vices, and indus­try.

‘We want to clar­i­fy our respon­si­bil­i­ties whilst strength­en­ing coop­er­a­tion. Oulu’s com­pet­i­tive­ness is large­ly based on the abil­i­ty to com­bine strong tech­no­log­i­cal exper­tise with new mar­kets and areas of appli­ca­tion. Defence is one of the rapid­ly grow­ing strate­gic sec­tors in this regard,’ says Lep­onie­mi.

‘Our region is home to a strong clus­ter of health tech­nol­o­gy com­pa­nies that devel­op inter­na­tion­al­ly com­pet­i­tive solu­tions for health­care and well­be­ing needs. Hav­ing worked in the health tech­nol­o­gy sec­tor, I see every day the piv­otal role played by, for exam­ple, arti­fi­cial intel­li­gence, data, and dig­i­tal solu­tions in the sector’s trans­for­ma­tion. The move to ICT respon­si­bil­i­ties pro­vides an excel­lent oppor­tu­ni­ty to bring the needs and solu­tions of Oulu’s ecosys­tems even more close­ly togeth­er. Our team’s aim is to work col­lab­o­ra­tive­ly to sup­port com­pa­nies in util­is­ing our cut­ting-edge ICT exper­tise and shap­ing it into new, inter­na­tion­al­ly scal­able busi­ness,’ explains Tikan­mä­ki.

In the new oper­at­ing mod­el, Defence, HealthTech, and ICT are equal­ly strong pil­lars, and joint busi­ness, tech­nol­o­gy and devel­op­ment ini­tia­tives are being active­ly built between them. The aim is to help com­pa­nies find new mar­kets, part­ners, fund­ing, and growth oppor­tu­ni­ties, as well as to strength­en Oulu’s inter­na­tion­al posi­tion as a tech­nol­o­gy hub.

Con­tact per­sons

Jus­si Lep­onie­mi Key Account Direc­tor, Defence | +358 44 2387 860 | jussi.leponiemi@businessoulu.com

Hei­di Tikan­mä­ki Key Account Direc­tor, HealthTech & ICT | +358 40 542 0007 | heidi.tikanmaki@businessoulu.com

Joan­na Sep­pä­nen Sec­tor Coor­di­na­tor | HealthTech & ICT | +358 40 641 6937 | joanna.seppanen@businessoulu.com

Kati Ilk­ka Sec­tor Coor­di­na­tor, Defence | +358 40 183 9956 | kati.ilkka@businessoulu.com