Sodankylä Municipality

Sodankylä Municipality

The business idea of Sodankylä municipality is to contribute to the welfare of its inhabitants by

• providing basic social security provisions
• improving the employment situation
• taking care of the state of the environment

In the beginning of its term the municipal council draws up a strategy to implement the business idea. In the strategy 2011 Sodankylä intends to focus especially on the following matters:

• development of trade and business
  • tourism
  • processing of local natural resources
  • high technology and research (also known as Astropolis)
  • mining industry

• securing and development of basic services
  • maintaining the present level of basic education
  • co-operation between education, research and business life
  • preventing social exclusion
  • preventive medical treatment
  • securing the welfare of elderly people
  • development of community planning and traffic

• management of personnel

• increasing regional co-operation

• taking care of the environment

• maintaining stable economy in the municipality

Sodankylä municipality

Jäämerentie 1 99600 SODANKYLÄ

PL 60 99601 SODANKYLÄ

tel. +358 (0) 400 618 870, fax +358 (0)16 618 102

Astropolis Sodankylä

High technology in Northern Finland is being developed by the so called Polis Network with Astropolis Sodankylä being the northernmost member of the network. The basis for Astropolis in Sodankylä is the research work carried out in Tähtelä, where Sodankylä Geophysical Observatory, FMI Sodankylä Observatory and Eiscat Scientific Association, Sodankylä site have their research centres. The observatories represent international top-class know-how especially in radar technology and ozone layer research, with about 80 people working in the scientific community.

The Goals of Astropolis Sodankylä for Years 2000-2006:

• to develop the operating environment of the enterprises in Sodankylä
• to create opportunities for further development and expansion of high technology and research
• to create new type of jobs through know-how and entrepreneurship
• to train skilled labour for the research centres and enterprises

The most important members in striving to achieve these goals are Sodankylä municipality, University of Oulu, University of Lapland in Rovaniemi, Sodankylä Geophysical Observatory, FMI Sodankylä Observatory, University of Art and Design, Rovaniemi Polytechnic, several enterprises, various research centres and financial institutions in Lapland.

Sodankylä municipality has drawn a local plan to create an industrial park for high-tech enterprises. The planned area is located in the immediate vicinity of Sodankylä, on a beautiful spot by the river Kitinen to the south of Sodankylä. The area has a pre-built infrastructure with roads, water supply and sewerage and computer network.

More information about the possibilities for new enterprises and research centres to settle in Sodankylä is provided by Mr Aarne Ranta, consultant for entrepreneurship and research, tel. +358 (0)16 619818, mobile +358 (0)40 5494950, email: aarne.ranta@sgo.fi.