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Future Business Finland services are not being opened up to competition

työ- ja elinkeinoministeriö
Publication date 10.8.2017 16.13 | Published in English on 11.8.2017 at 11.50
Press release

The Finnish Funding Agency for Innovation (Tekes) and Finpro will be merged at the start of 2018 to form Business Finland. Business Finland will bring all services related to innovation funding, exports, investment and tourism promotion under the same roof.

The draft budget for 2018 proposed by the Ministry of Finance includes a proposal that Business Finland would invite tenders for and then purchase R&D&I activities and expert services in internationalisation, foreign investment and tourism promotion. According to the proposal, the purchase of these services during the initial phase of up to three years would be on the basis of a service agreement between Tekes and Business Finland, and would subsequently be opened up to competition.

The Ministry of Economic Affairs and Employment is of the view that the Ministry of Finance’s proposal would not achieve the objectives of the merger process. The current Team Finland operators already purchase from the market a significant proportion of the services they offer. Taking Business Finland’s activities to the market is not possible to do in full because they incorporate duties allocated to public authorities. The Ministry of Economic Affairs and Employment and the Ministry of Finance will discuss the proposal during the week beginning 14 August.

Inquiries:

Ilona Lundström, Director General, Ministry of Economic Affairs and Employment, tel. +358 29504 7186

 
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