Helsinki Region is home to 1.3 million inhabitants. Helsinki Region includes the capital, City of Helsinki with 560 000 inhabitants, and the neighbouring cities of Espoo, Vantaa and Kauniainen with eight other surrounding municipalities within wider Uusimaa Region. Helsinki Region is regarded as a functional urban region denoting a commuting area covering 3 000 sq. km.
Most of the 20 national public research institutes in Finland are located in Helsinki Region with nearly 10 000 staff.
Helsinki Region's population is one fourth of the population of Finland. Share of the jobs is 29 percent and the share of gross value added (GVA) 34 percent. GVA in the region is 44 percent higher than the per capita national average. Helsinki Region accounts for almost half of the public and private R&D funding and over half of the research funding for higher educational institutions. Out of 21 universities in Finland nine are located in the Helsinki Region with 100 000 students and 9 000 academic staff.
Local, regional and national authorities, universities and business community have actively developed the innovation environment and science and technology based business in the Helsinki Region through various initiatives, strategies and programmes.
Helsinki Region is widely recognised for creating a world-class cluster in information and communication technology. Service sector is the most dominant in the region, 80 percent out of the about 700 000 jobs in the region are within the service sector.
Wednesday, September 8, 2010
Helsinki
