Joensuu (Finland) hosted a business school organized for Russian and Finnish entrepreneurs and startuppers in the framework of the project KA-4022 BUSY – Business for Youngsters.

The project is supported by the Karelia Cross-Border Cooperation Program and is aimed at the promotion of youth entrepreneurship and self-employment, inclusion of young people (students and schoolchildren) into business and international economic activity, the establishment of Russian-Finnish entrepreneurial teams and alliances.

The coordinator of the project is the Karelian Regional Youth Center; among its participants is the Karelian Regional Institute of Continuing Professional Education of PetrSU, Corporation for Development of the Republic of Karelia, the University of Applied Sciences of Oulu, BusinessOulu Regional Development Agency of Oulu.  

The business school took place on the premises of the newly created co-working space SPARK. The event convened about 30 young entrepreneurs from Petrozavodsk (mostly PetrSU alumni), Oulu, and Joensuu. The lectures, workshops, and consultations for Russian and Finnish startups were aimed at developing modern professional skills required for the efficient promotion of business in the bordering regions.

Alongside educational events and consultations, the burgeoning entrepreneurs from Petrozavodsk, Joensuu, and Oulu took part in meetings and negotiations, presented their products and services, and shared their plans for the development of business in the bordering regions. Participation in the business school provided them with an opportunity to find partners and establish new contacts, attract investors, present their business ideas and assess the prospects for the development of their enterprises in the neighboring countries.

Invaluable information needed for promoting business in the Russian and Finnish markets was provided by the specialists of the Corporation for Development of the Republic of Karelia, PetrSU, the University of Applied Sciences of Oulu, practicing businessmen from Russia who work in Finland, as well as visiting experts of the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of the Republic of Karelia and the DRAFT Program for Entrepreneurship Development of the North Karelia.