Arcticness is a natural part of everyday life in Lapland. Lappish people have adapted themselves and their activities to their environment and surrounding nature with a goal to become high level experts in Finland and in EU on sustainable development of the northernmost regions.

Arctic is one of the cleanest and best-preserved places on earth but facing yet many dynamic and complex changes. Worldwide interest towards Arctic natural resources and impact of climate change place Arctic countries and areas to a new position. Balancing with sustainable development sets new challenges for the Arctic.

In addition to challenges, global changes bring great potential. Lapland, as the northernmost region of Finland and European Union, is in the middle of these universal changes and opportunities. Sustainable development is the foundation of growth in Lapland. Looking for the the best balance in the utilisation of natural resources leads to continuous economic and social benefits for the current generations and the ones to come. Smart and arctic knowledge, sustainable utilisation of natural resources and strong communities are the evolving competitive advantages of Lapland.

The objective of international cooperation is to increase the produced added value for everyday life in Lapland and support the regional growth.

Lapland was one of the first regions in Finland adapting smart specialisation (S3). The systematic approach and strong strategic focus has led to recognition by the European Commission in good practice of governance. The vision of Lapland’s smart specialisation is to enjoy a leading position in sustainable utilisation and commercialisation of Arctic natural resources and conditions. Lapland is a melting pot of industries and it is one of Finland’s fastest growing regions with its backbones in forestry, mining, metallurgy and tourism.

Smart specialisation has been put into practice on grass-roots level in Lapland under the Arctic Smartness brand. Through the five chosen Arctic Smartness clusters Lapland is looking beyond the boundaries of traditional ways of doing things to get the best use of the regional expertise and strategic partnerships over the borders. All of the five clusters are implementing new local and European initiatives and projects creating a breeding ground for growth in the regional economy.

Learn more about the Arctic clusters through playing the Arctic Smartness Cluster Game.