- The growth programme supporting innovation in the maritime industry continues after COVID-19 lets up
- Despite COVID-19, growth companies in particular are eagerly anticipating the programme’s next round
- All the rest of Turku Science Park Ltd.’s services are continuously available for businesses, organisations and other groups in the industry
The next round of the Maritime Growth programme, organised by Turku Science Park Ltd., has been postponed. The new schedule is so far undecided.
– The 2020 programme was moved due to COVID-19, and we believed that in 2021, the situation would be different. The Coronavirus, however, is still setting up challenges for the maritime industry, so we have to postpone the programme’s start once again. We can only promise that we are prepared to start the programme immediately when the situation allows for it, says growth advisor Sofia Pihlava from Turku Science Park Ltd.
– Interest toward the programme among growth companies is still high, but the large and established actors that are needed to play the roles of the partners are now focused on the acute challenges brought on by the pandemic.
Sofia Pihlava reminds that despite the date being moved, the regional development company’s other growth and development services for the maritime industry carry on as usual.
– A significant project that services the entire maritime industry in Finland is currently underway in the Turku shipyard area, where the development continues for the Blue Industry Park complex, which is entirely new and takes sustainable development into account in every facet of its operation. We also support the building of international networks that enable co-operation and development, and the smaller-scale coachings, sparrings and financial guidance services are always available both for the industry’s larger companies as well as smaller ones.
Companies interested in the Maritime Growth programme can contact Sofia Pihlava on a continuous basis. The aim of the programme is to strengthen the industry’s Finnish innovation and competitiveness, which means being open to operational models and solutions coming in from outside the industry itself.
– The need for reinventing oneself has not gone anywhere during the pandemic. In fact, the opposite seems to be the case. The significance of sustainable and innovative solutions in various fields appears to only grow, Pihlava says.