Internationalization Ecosystem of North Karelian Forestbioeconomy and Unique Food

The aim of the BIOSYS-project is to create and strengthen already existing international Ecosystem, to grow new collaboration and growth in research-development-innovation and company activities of the North Karelian forest bioeconomy and Food sectors together with partner networks in Japan and South Korea. This Ecosystem creates a working model and two way bridge also in RDI- and business- cooperation and enhances the competitiveness of North Karelia as an attractive and viable region for different actors: companies, connects operators,regional partners and stakeholders in to more deep and long lasting cooperation with Japan’s regions and builds new connections and scan the potential for collaboration with potential South Korean regions. The project strengthens the close connection that has already been

built between the Nagano Prefeture Administration of North Karelia and Japan, the City of Ina, and the actors involved in the forest and circular bioeconomy in the Hokkaido and Tokyo areas.

This Ecosystem also provides a bridge for operators in Japanese regions to enable cooperation

between RDI and business operations from Japan directly to North Karelia. The key themes of the project are;

1) Building and strengthening the ecosystem cooperation and interregional cooperation and operating models. 2) Enhancing together concrete new openings in

RDI and testing novel sustainability assessment schemes of forest bioeconomy technologies,3) Supporting international growth pathways of forestbioeconomy companies, 4) Cooperation on

platforms and pilots for wood construction, wood procurement and wood allocation, 5) Increasing new co-creation initiatives between regions, including testing of new solutions of enhancing wellbeing and focusing on health impacts of wood, forest based products and living environment in housing and service environments – and their applications/demos. North Karelian food producers are included into Ecosystem targeting to establish connections and to promote regions unique food solutions to Japan and South Korea.

All the Ecosystem partners in forestbioeconomy and food, added with digital and technology providers, SME's and experts are working crosssectorelly in the Eosystem and grow new projects (regional, direct business, EU-funding sources) together with Japanese and South Korean partners.