The Interreg Europe-funded ZCI project aims to accelerate the development of carbon-free transport infrastructure and thus contribute to the creation of a greener Europe. Kainuu region aims to learn from other partner regions and will be planning, among other things, funding calls through which the green transition of transport in the region will be promoted as effectively as possible.
New project manager introduces himself
In late November, Teemu Kyllönen moved back to Puolanka in Kainuu and started as the new project manager for the ZCI project at the Regional Council of Kainuu. Professionally, Teemu comes from outside the EU project scene. However, as a solution-oriented person and enthusiastic network creator, Teemu has “jumped straight into the deep end of the pool” and his new career as a project manager has started off well. Energy, nature and the green transition are close to Teemu’s heart, so working on the theme of the green transition of transport suits him really well.
Teemu’s education is from the fields of physics and mathematics, in which he has qualifications both as a teacher and a researcher, and also his first work experiences are related to these themes. Yet, during years already, Teemu’s career has taken him in many directions, to start-ups and growing an international tourism company. So it is safe to say that he is used to leading projects of many kinds, and the EU project bureaucracy has not intimidated him so far. One might even say that he has delved into it with the efficiency of a researcher.
After spending twenty years in Oulu and Helsinki, the thought of moving back to his hometown finally became the reality to Teemu about a year ago. He moved back to Puolanka with his wife Michala and their two children, as the couple started as entrepreneurs in the international educational tourism company called Arctic Nest. While Teemu’s main job is now in the ZCI project, the company operations continue in the impressive, hilly landscape in the old forests of Puolanka. For the time being, the operations of Arctic Nest are being organized in a new way.
Teemu is a project manager who likes to visit the stakeholders and meet people face-to-face. He is eager to get to know the activities and needs of the ZCI stakeholders and has already carried out and/ or arranged a few visits to the stakeholder organisations, which have given him an extra boost to start developing the project’s operations in Kainuu. If you are interested in collaboration, please feel free to contact Teemu!
Status Report at the Stakeholder meeting on 11 December
Active stakeholder cooperation is an important part of Interreg Europe projects. In accordance with the ZCI project plan, regional meetings have also been held in Kainuu, inviting stakeholders relevant to the project’s objectives and measures to discuss important topics together. A few stakeholder representatives have also participated in the project’s international meetings and study visits.
The ZCI project stakeholders gathered once again on Wednesday 11 December for a hybrid meeting to discuss the project progress. So far, the project has, among other things, assessed regional learning needs and prepared regional action plans based on them, held 4 Master Class meetings for information exchange and learning, and started to learn about the good practices of other partner regions.
The meeting participants also heard an interesting presentation of the new biogas project of the municipality of Puolanka, which supports the green transition of transport in Kainuu very well, and has been reported as a good practice from Kainuu region. Honkainfra Oy, a subsidiary of the municipality of Puolanka, has received 5,599,522 euros in support for the construction of a new biogas plant. Preparations have been carried out at a rapid pace throughout the autumn, following the funding decision from Ministry of Economic Affairs and Employment. Agreements for both investments and raw material deliveries are being prepared, and the goal is for the process to proceed quickly. According to the terms of funding, the biogas plant must be ready for operation by June 2026 at the latest.
Plans for spring 2025
Learning visits in accordance with the project plan can still be carried out until autumn 2025. The Regional Council of Kainuu is now planning visits with Kainuu stakeholders for spring 2025, with the aim to provide them with plenty of useful information that meets their needs and creates as much added value as possible to support the green transition of transport in Kainuu.
The aim is to learn from other project partners and implement the suitable good practices during the project timeline in each of the partner regions, thus improving regional policies and practices. In Kainuu, the aim described already on the project application is to direct the use of ERDF funds managed by the Kainuu Regional Council in a way that supports the achievement of the project’s low-carbon transport objectives. This will be implemented by organizing funding calls, in which the lessons learned in the project will be applied.
More Information
ZCI – Zero Carbon Infrastructure | Interreg Europe
ZCI – Regional Council of Kainuu
