Business Facilities - November 2007 - (Page 19)

able. The province of Alberta, for example, recently announced a CA $130 million investment in nanotechnology, focusing on healthcare, energy, agriculture and forestry, and technology commercialization. The funds will be earmarked over the next five years to grow new nanotech businesses, garner nanotech talent, and build nanotech infrastructure. By 2020, the government hopes, Canada will secure a CA $20 billion share of the nanotech industry. EXTREME EUROPE In Finland, there is a high-tech city that has been developing since the 1970s in an unusual place: just a few hours south of the Arctic Circle. Dark and bitterly cold much of the year, the city of Oulu is a shining example of how industry, education, and economic development organizations can team up to spark a bustling economy in research and development. The city, which is home to the University of Oulu, became known as a wireless technology hub in the decades since Nokia built an R&D facility there more than 30 years ago. Today, some 800 high-tech businesses, mostly specializing in wireless technology, employ about 18,000 people within a region of 230,000 inhabitants, according to Oulu Innovation Ltd., a nonprofit development company that focuses on regional economic development in the hightech and high-growth business sectors. These sectors realize annual revenue of €5 billion, making Oulu one of the world’s most important centers of wireless communication. While Nokia is known for breaking ground in mobile services, Oulu’s innovators span a much broader range. Polar Electro Ltd. developed An employee for Gurit, located on the Isle of Wight, checks on the quality of finished wind turbine blades. the first wristwatch heart rate monitor; Buscom Ltd. came up with a zero-contact fare collection system for public transportation; and WinWind Ltd. devised wind turbines that are efficient even at low wind speeds. Among the more exciting startups is Ball-IT, whose Smart Ball Platform is the first wireless consumer-level platform that implements six degrees of freedom motion control, along with revolutionary user interface features. It works as a portable computer mouse, measuring tape, 3-D compass, pedometer and fitness logger, and PC remote control. Another exciting innovation to come out of the city is from Newtest Ltd., which developed a bone health monitor that keeps track of daily exercise, including everyday physical activity. The two main factors that have helped Oulu become what it is today are Nokia, which employs about 5,000 people there, and the university, which has produced many of the city’s researchers and business leaders. But the cooperative relationships between the university, the government, nonprofits, small- and medium-enterprise businesses, and the big companies play such a role that they’ve given it a name: “Oulu spirit.” The city has also been active in directly contributing to technology PHOTO CREDITS: BLADES, ISLE OF WIGHT ECONOMIC PARTNERSHIP; OULU FINLAND, ALPHAIOS Technopolis in Oulu, Finland BUSINESS FACILITIES 19

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Business Facilities - November 2007

Business Facilities - November 2007 Contents First Words Snapshots Metro Spotlight: Indianapolis Region, Indiana Georgia's Pursuit of Industry Extreme Technology Sites A Tennessee Trifecta A Watershed Moment for Philly Metro Spotlight: Mexico-Texas Border Region High Tech and Aerospace Heat up in Arizona Meeting the Information Technology Challenge IEDC Announces 2007 Winners Corporate Moves: Alabama Northeast Arkansas Scores Major Investments Corporate Moves: Virginia Metro Spotlight: Martinsville-Henry County, VA Renewable Michigan Advertiser Index Ask the Expert

Business Facilities - November 2007

For optimal viewing of this digital publication, please enable JavaScript and then refresh the page. If you would like to try to load the digital publication without using Flash Player detection, please click here.