Savilahti – Valley of new talent and innovations

The hub of businesses and educational and research institutes that is being built on the shores of Savilahti is a unique combination of leading expertise, new ideas and communal spirit. It is a place where people and ideas meet.

Savilahti not only gathers local talent and students together, but is also part of a global network through businesses, educational institutions and international students. According to Kirsi Soininen, Marketing Director of the City of Kuopio, the best thing about Savilahti is its community. Buildings are just buildings – they do not have a purpose unless they contain meaningful content, people and activities.

Soininen points out that the huge group of approximately 17 500 students in the area forms a unique community in itself, but when combined with the businesses in Savilahti, the result is something entirely exceptional. Students in Savilahti both discover and create new knowledge. What innovations could this remarkable pool of talent produce in the future? Soininen believes that the businesses located in Savilahti have an advantage over others, because they have direct access to the intellectual capital produced by three different levels of education.

“Future innovations will be created in the interfaces where unusual combinations are made. It is important to create touchpoints where the students and businesses in Savilahti can find each other. Through these touchpoints, students and businesses can pool their intellectual capital together. We need to foster numerous such collisions so that the different actors get to know each other and can discover common themes across organizational boundaries,” says Soininen.

Enormous Potential

The idea is to enable events where different actors can meet. The themes of these events could be linked, for example, to the priority competencies, but Soininen believes that they should not be narrowed down too much beforehand. They could also be leisure activities, such as a rowing competition on Lake Kallavesi for the entire Savilahti community or an event related in some way to light, which is the overarching theme of the area. The Circle of Light is not only a branding tool for the area, but also a programme for urban lighting, art, design and culture.

“Our goal is that the various actors in the area would take the initiative in organizing events. The starting points for building community in Savilahti are a safe, open culture for diverse ideas and a modern way of thinking,” says Soininen.

The amazing group of students in many different fields forms the backbone of Savilahti and the future of Kuopio, says Antti Niskanen, Project Director of the City of Kuopio. Students bring life into the area with their fresh thoughts and create a positive atmosphere.

“There is enormous potential there, as long as we can get even more students to stay in Kuopio and offer them paths to entrepreneurship and employment. We have a gold mine in our hands, if we succeed in doing this,” says Niskanen.

One example of the productive collisions fostered between the students and businesses in Savilahti is Pondi, a talent pool coordinated by

In Savilahti, art and design will enliven the streetscape with help of the Circle of Light. It aims to enhance the identity, attraction and spirit of the area and turn Savilahti into a vibrant urban space round the clock and year.

The Savilahti sports and event center, Luola, which will open in 2024, will become a versatile meeting place. The center also offers the district a communal shelter for 7,000 people.

Osuma Henkilöstöpalvelut and KPY Cooperative that connects talent and employers flexibly and effortlessly. The primary goal is that students would get to know local employers already during their studies through shorter and longer periods of employment. Once both sides are familiar with each other, getting a job after graduation will be easier. This also helps employers find future experts.

Modern Studying

The degree programmes offered by the University of Eastern Finland are expanding to include the field of technology. The Kuopio campus will start educating Masters of Science in Technology in the Degree Programme in Technical Physics. At the same time, Savonia University of Applied Sciences has received reinforcements in new study programmes, while Sakky has opened a new campus.

KPY Novapolis, a subsidiary of KPY, the accelerator of vitality and business in Kuopio, is helping to expand the education offered in the area by planning to establish a company-led coding school in Savilahti. The idea is to find big, strong companies as well as medium-sized and smaller companies that would form a community and establish a coding school. Similar concepts can be found all over the world. A new company-led coding school in Estonia, for example, has been a great success.

“This intensive software training programme does not lead to a qualification, but it is an excellent example of modern studying,” says Anssi Lehikoinen, CEO of KPY and KPY Novapolis. For example, a person with a master’s degree in mechanical engineering could take a quick course in software technology in the coding school and pursue a career in smart machine building.

Startups And Innovations

In recent years, Savilahti has provided a new home for several enterprises from outside North

Savo that could be classified as growth companies. The ICT sector has been heavily represented in this group, with the arrival of companies such as Vincit Plc, Nordcloud Ltd and Unikie Ltd. A new kind of startup culture has also spread across Savilahti. Hub Panostamo in KPY Novapolis brings together young, growth-oriented companies that are closely integrated into the campus area and are active players there.

“We organize events in KPY Novapolis that anyone can attend. The idea is that companies would find customers and partners and discover new ideas for their activities. We are the engine that brings companies and people together to come up with new ideas and innovations,” says Lehikoinen, describing the concept.

KPY Novapolis has also invested in shared facilities. Novapolis has noticed that the shift in work culture has inspired companies to look for flexible workspaces in the form of co-work solutions. The new CoWork environment opened in Savi- lahti also serves as a meeting place for students and companies.

One of the creators of new ideas and approaches is Genelec, the world leader in audio monitoring solutions, which has established its own Innovation Lab in Savilahti. The goal is to nurture creativity and entrepreneurship and attract the best professionals to the area. G Innovation Lab is aimed at motivated individuals with complementary skills and a deep shared interest in the audio industry.

“Students, on the other hand, can apply to the Genelec Mentor Program, where they can write a thesis, for example, related to the topic areas defined in the Pitch Challenge by Genelec,” says Managing Director of Genelec Siamäk Naghian.

Savilahti is a place that produces new entrepreneurship and innovations and a steady stream of new talent to fill jobs. It is a unique centre of excellence where leading competence is present on many levels.