The Defence Industry Testing Centre to Vuosanka – Vuosanka2 Project

The defense industry is undergoing strong growth and change both in Finland and more broadly. Defense industry products and product development need testing, and the Kainuu region offers excellent conditions for product development. From a regional development perspective, promoting the operating conditions of the defense industry creates more opportunities for the future.

NATO membership and the military networking it brings will likely increase the international defense industry’s interest in our country, either through its own product development or joint projects

KAMK, funded by the Kainuu Region and the City of Kuhmo, implemented the RDI and competence needs of the defense industry – new opportunities in Kainuu – Vuosanka project between 25.9.2023 and 30.9.2024. The results of which showed that defense industry companies have a need for testing and that the Vuosanka shooting and training range and its surrounding areas are of interest both in terms of their own product development and joint testing with partners.

A major future goal should be to raise awareness among companies and educational institutions in the Kainuu region about the opportunities offered by the defense industry and to prepare regional actors for the growth in the volume of defense industry operations and its demands, services, resources, investments, or the needs of educational institutions to participate in or support research and development activities (ensuring critical competence).

The goal is to have a defense industry testing center in the Vuosanka testing area (Vuosanka shooting and training area and nearby areas).

The operating conditions of the testing center have been enabled and the volume of operations can be increased.

Long-term goals:

• There is an operating model and an area in Finland where the defense industry is able to carry out field testing in Finland confidentially and in an appropriate environment
• The critical expertise needed by the defense industry can be produced in Kainuu
• Increasing the vitality of the Kainuu region through the opportunities provided by the defense industry
• Strengthening overall security in sparsely populated areas

What changes and new things are happening compared to the current situation?

• An organized field testing area to support defense industry product development
• Better operating opportunities for defense industry product development (field testing) in Finland
• Product development can be carried out more flexibly through field testing even when a joint project is not being carried out with the Finnish Defense Forces but a product is being developed, e.g. for international buyers
  improve the implementation of the basic tasks of the Defence Forces through the development of the shooting and training range
• enable the development of higher education institutions’ competence and learning environments (R&D) to better support the defence industry.

The actual project activities will be implemented in seven different work packages.

WP 1: Defence industry, Kainuu SMEs and Vuosanga testing activities
• Focusing on the defence industry and the development of Kainuu SMEs serving its testing needs

WP 2: Defence forces and testing activities in Vuosanka
• Examination of the testing area usage criteria PLM, PV, Metsähallitus, Defence Properties

WP 3: Kainuu municipalities, Kainuu Region and strengthening of defence industry testing activities
• Zoning and land use planning, production of testing area services and development of the area

WP 4: Organisation of testing activities
• Examinating different organisational and operational models for implementing the testing area

WP 5: Research, development and innovation activities
• Researching activities support testing activities and provide services and expertise to testing defence industry companies, Diana cooperation (University of Oulu Testing Centre, VTT)

WP 6: Proposals for the development of the Vuosanga testing area
• Preparing development proposals for the development of the Vuosanka shooting and training area and its surrounding areas with the companies involved in the project and the area’s actors (road map).

WP 7: Administration
• Implementing the project’s administrative measures, such as measures related to financial management, steering group work and reporting

Key partners

• Regional Council of Kainuu, Kainuu municipalities
• Kainuu ELY Centre
• Ministry of Defence, Finnish Defence Forces
• National Forestry Board
• Defence Properties
• Finnish Defence and Aerospace Industries – PIA
• Cemis Network (University of Oulu, University of Jyväskylä, CSC, VTT)
• University of Oulu / Oulu Diana Test Centre
• Other universities
• Defence industry companies committed to the project, Kainuu SMEs, business ecosystems
• Several ongoing projects (KUMEA, OSKU, Rajakuntahanke, Itäpuu, Master Plan, development of association activities)

As a result of the project:

• The Vuosanka testing area is developing into a center with good conditions for supporting the product development of national defense industry companies and opportunities have been created for testing activities of international companies as well
• Investments have been launched/are underway to develop the testing area
• It is possible to support field testing of products from NATO DIANA test centers operating in Finland as part of the product development process (with a focus on dual-use products)
• To support testing, the cooperation and role of educational institutions in the defense industry product development process have been strengthened
• Better conditions have been created for performing national defense tasks
• A model for implementing a testing center has been created for establishing other testing areas or organizing existing areas into a testing area.

The results of the project will contribute to the fact that in the future the Vuosanka Testing Center would strengthen and diversify the development of the vitality of the Kainuu region and would also enable regional companies to collaborate with defense industry companies and thereby strive to create opportunities to participate in international activities.

Time frame: January 2024 to September 2027
Funding:
European Regional Development Fund ERDF: 389 859 €
Municipality funding: 60 757 €
KAMK University of Applied Sciences: 36 710 €

Total: 487 326 €

Below you will find all the English materials the project has published.

English language project flyer