A new growth platform for Tampere to accelerate business internationalization and innovation

Tampere’s innovation hub will bring together the region’s major anchor companies, local businesses and startups, research organisations, investors and international talent. The hub will provide a collaborative development environment where new partnership models can emerge, technologies can be piloted and connections to international markets can be built.

Tampere’s innovation hub is co-funded by the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF).

– With this procurement and funding, we are bringing to Tampere an internationally recognised operator and a new, permanent operating model that will strengthen our innovation ecosystem. Plug and Play was selected as the operator because its model rapidly turns companies’ challenges into pilots and business opportunities, says Irene Vekkeli, Director of Economic Development and Innovation for City of Tampere.

The innovation hub’s operating model will be built in close cooperation with regional stakeholders and will draw on existing strengths.

– Our partnership with City of Tampere reflects Plug and Play’s focus on supporting regional innovation ecosystems. Tampere’s combination of industrial heritage and advanced technology expertise provides a strong foundation for growth and positions it well within our global network. Through this collaboration, we aim to create a bridge between local startups and international markets, ensuring that the region’s talent has access to the resources and platform needed to scale globally, says Christian Johansson, Head of the Nordics at Plug and Play Europe.

The operating model supports the entire region’s innovation ecosystem

The innovation hub will be developed into a permanent, long-term growth platform for companies across the region. A shared operating model and shared resources will provide a direct route to international networks without each organisation having to build them independently.

– Our mission in Tampere and Finland is to foster a fast-paced environment where innovation and industry come together. Our role is to support scalable growth and create long-term impact across the ecosystem. We expect the collaboration to make a significant contribution to both the regional economy and the wider technology landscape, Johansson says.

– The innovation hub will not replace existing structures, but will complement them with a new, internationally scalable operating model that strengthens company-driven innovation. The hub will connect Finnish companies more directly with global networks, talent, capital and markets, while also bringing international startup and technology partners to Finland, Vekkeli concludes.

The innovation hub will be introduced at the Global Startup Accelerator launch event on 16 June from 15:30 to 19:00 at Åkerlundinkatu 8.