FDI Intelligence ranking: Uusimaa is the winner of the Economic Potential category

European Cities and Regions of the Future -study ranks biennially the most promising investment locations in Europe. This year Uusimaa region, consisting of the southern cities of Helsinki, Espoo, and Vantaa impressed in the Economic Potential category. In addition, the Finnish capital region performed well in their own categories.

FDI Intelligence, a service from the Financial Times, named Uusimaa as the winner when comparing the economic potential. Data was collected for 505 locations under six categories: Economic Potential, Human Capital and Lifestyle, Cost Effectiveness, Connectivity, Business Friendliness and FDI Strategy. The scores are weighted by importance to the FDI decision making process. In the ranking, the regions and cities are divided according to their size.

“Helsinki wants to be the most functional city in the world. In collaboration with the civil society and private sector, we aim to develop the city as a platform for innovation, investments and new talent. Helsinki’s excellent talent pool, geographical location, and strong ecosystem support companies who search for a test-driven, agile and trust-based operating environment. Winning the Economic Potential category demonstrates that these strengths are relevant. Greater Helsinki truly offers value for businesses.”, the mayor of Helsinki Jan Vapaavuori comments.

Perfect location for R&D and Innovation

Helsinki Business Hub is the international trade and investment promotion agency for the Finnish capital region, which accelerates businesses to and from Greater Helsinki. The message from the global companies is clear: Greater Helsinki offers very interesting opportunities for R&D and innovation.

“In Finland, both public and private sectors are very future-oriented. We want to be an innovative pioneer and have a significant role in solving big global challenges.” Marja-Liisa Niinikoski, CEO of Helsinki Business Hub states.

One good example is climate change. The Finnish government has set a very ambitious target to be carbon neutral by 2035. To succeed in this the capital city, Helsinki, plays a major role. The city has announced international one million-euro Helsinki Energy Challenge competition to find a solution for replacing coal in the most sustainable way possible. In addition to the efforts of the public sector, the private players have been working together with this issue for years. One example of this is the Climate Leadership Coalition, which develops business-led solutions for climate change.

“In Helsinki, we know, that most innovative ideas are born in a collaborative way. Greater Helsinki is a perfect location to develop new solutions. Not only because of our excellent talent pool, ecosystems and startup culture. Helsinki is an urban society with great piloting opportunities, thanks to our size and the fact that our society is built on trust.” Niinikoski continues.

“Smooth everyday life is important in Espoo. A top-three placing in Human Capital and Lifestyle category shows that active involvement of residents in the development of our services and our comprehensive co-operation with partners ensure effective services. The best resources in Espoo are our residents, communities and companies”, Jukka Mäkelä, Mayor of the City of Espoo states.

Greater Helsinki has been recognized by foreign companies especially in the ICT, Health and Smart & Clean sectors. A significant part of last year’s investments came from the Smart&Clean domain, a sector that actively is developing new solutions for the existing challenges.

ALL RANKING RESULTS:

Uusimaa

WINNER:
fDi’s Mid-Sized European Regions of the Future 2020/21 – Economic Potential

2^nd PLACE:
fDi’s Mid-Sized European Regions of the Future 2020/21

3^rd PLACE;
fDi’s Mid-Sized European Regions of the Future 2020/21 – Human Capital and Lifestyle

fDi’s Mid-Sized European Regions of the Future 2020/21 – Connectivity
fDi’s Northern European Regions of the Future 2020/21

8^th PLACE:
fDi’s European Regions of the Future 2020/21

Greater Helsinki

4th PLACE:
fDi’s Small European Regions of the Future 2020/21 – FDI Strategy

The city of Helsinki

4th PLACE:
fDi’s Northern European Cities of the Future 2020/21

7^th PLACE:
fDi’s Major European Cities of the Future 2020/21 – Economic Potential

fDi’s Major European Cities of the Future 2020/21 – Connectivity

9^th PLACE:
fDi’s Major European Cities of the Future 2020/21 – Human Capital and Lifestyle

10^th PLACE:
fDi’s Major European Cities of the Future 2020/21

13^th PLACE:
fDi’s European Cities of the Future 2020/21

The city of Espoo

10^th PLACE:
fDi’s Northern European Cities of the Future 2020/21

3^rd PLACE:
fDi’s Small European Cities of the Future 2020/21

4th PLACE:
fDi’s Small European Cities of the Future 2020/21 – Economic Potential

3^rd PLACE:
fDi’s Small European Cities of the Future 2020/21 – Human Capital and Lifestyle

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