Urban and Regional High Technologies: The Case of Oulu

This paper investigates the reasons behind what has been termed the 'Oulu Phenomenon' in Northern Finland. Over the past two to three decades the city of Oulu has transformed its economy from dependency on timber, paper and pulp industries into one based on High Technology, notably, telecommunications, biotechnology, electronics, multimedia and environmental technologies. In particular the paper will explore the role played by the national government via regional policy, higher education and the subsequent interaction between these, the local authorities and entrepreneurs