🇫🇮 Oulu wants a NATO Centre of Excellence – would benefit all of Finland
Oulu sees the benefits of the NATO Centre of Excellence for the whole of Finland and is ready to contribute financially to the project. Through Oulu, Finland would have the potential to become an internationally recognised player in dual-use technologies. Oulu already hosts the accelerator and test centre for NATO’s DIANA programme and leads an ecosystem of 5G and 6G research and industry in Europe.
The City of Oulu has presented to the Government – to Prime Minister Petteri Orpo earlier and again with further details on 18 September to Minister of Economic Affairs Wille Rydman – Its initiative to seek a NATO Centre of Excellence (CoE) in Oulu. The City of Oulu is ready to negotiate a contribution to the costs of establishing and maintaining the Centre of Excellence.
– The pursuit of a NATO Centre of Excellence in Finland is mentioned in the government programme. In addition, US Senator Lindsey Graham recommended earlier this year that Finland apply for a NATO Centre of Excellence focusing on 6G, edge computing, and quantum topics. The outgoing US Ambassador reiterated this call in an interview published on 18 September 2024, says Ari Alatossava, Mayor of Oulu.
Centre of Excellence to link export industry and defence needs
Oulu sees the centre of excellence as benefiting the whole of Finland. The establishment of the centre would be justified in terms of foreign and security policy as well as economic policy, as it combines the needs of the export industry and defence.
– The centre would operate nationwide and enable Finnish companies to enter the international business of developing dual-use technologies for civil and military use, states Juha Ala-Mursula, Director of BusinessOulu.
Technological strengths underpin the Oulu Centre of Excellence
Wireless communication technologies have been at the cutting edge of Finnish technological development for decades. Today, Finland is heavily involved in 5G and 6G research and industry, and the Oulu-driven ecosystem is leading the work in Europe. A strong radio and semiconductor industry in the Oulu region supports the development and application of these technologies.
“Oulu is doing high-level international work in edge computing research and industrial application development, and local companies are highly motivated to contribute to the defence sector. In quantum computing, Oulu’s focus is on cryptography, which concentrates on encrypting and protecting data. This is essential for secure communications in civil and military applications. In addition, hardware development related to quantum computing is progressing in Oulu,” Ala-Mursula lists.
A strong foundation from NATO’s DIANA unit
Oulu already hosts the accelerator and test centre of NATO’s DIANA organisation. The centre’s profile is based on 6G technology and Oulu plans to expand this unit with new resources.
NATO has established its Centres of Excellence in almost every Alliance member state. The centres are thematically profiled and provide specialised services to member countries, partners and NATO itself.
For further information:
Juha Ala-Mursula
Director, BusinessOulu
+358 40 559 7020
[email protected]
Jussi Leponiemi
Key Account Director, ICT, BusinessOulu
+358 44 238 7860
[email protected]
Juuso Rönnholm
Public Affairs Manager, BusinessOulu
+358 50 574 1504
[email protected]
Originally published on 19 September by Business Oulu.
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