thisisFINLAND

We’re all in this together: First Helsinki Biennial highlights ties between nature and humans

People who take the 20-minute ferry to the island of Vallisaari in summer 2021 can connect with art and nature at the first-ever Helsinki Biennial. Digital material is on offer if corona-related restrictions or geography prevent you from attending in person.

Business & innovation Innovation

Protein and power out of thin air: Finnish projects capture value in CO2

Finnish innovations are finding new uses for carbon dioxide, such as creating fuel or even food. Could this help save humanity from itself?

Life & society Politics

Expats take part in Finland’s municipal elections, held after two-month delay

This time, it’s personal. It’s local politics all over the nation. Finland’s municipal elections include a larger number of candidates than other levels of politics. Foreign residents can vote or run for office, too.

Life & society Sustainability

Circular economy success: Finland’s recycling programme keeps bottles and cans off the streets

We see how Finland’s deposit system for bottles and cans achieves a recycling rate of more than 90 percent, and how city administrators and event organisers supplement the system with their own resourceful programmes.

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First place in European Happiness Equality Index

Source: The Happiness Research Institute

Facts, stats and info Webcam

Helsinki South Harbour and surroundings by webcam

Webcam view from Makasiini Terminal, South Harbour, Port of Helsinki Webcam view from South Harbour, Port of Helsinki

Life & society History

Åland marks centenary of autonomy agreement with a year full of events

The 100-year anniversary of a unique and enduring agreement in the Åland Islands is the occasion for a yearlong programme of special events and celebrations.

Life & society Sports

Excitement mounts as Finland’s men’s football team makes its Euro debut

Finland’s appearance in their first major men’s football tournament, in summer 2021, is a dream come true for long-suffering supporters of the Eagle-Owls.

Business & innovation Webpick

Ideas for a better life: Millennium Technology Prize livestream and online innovation forum

The 2020 Millennium Technology Prize winner is announced at a livestreamed ceremony on May 18, 2021. The ceremony is followed by a virtual event, the Millennium Innovation Forum, held online on May 19.

Business & innovation Technology

Inventors of next-generation DNA sequencing receive Millennium Technology Prize in Helsinki

Technology Academy Finland awards one million euros to two scientists who developed a faster, cheaper way to sequence DNA – a system that led to huge implications for genomics, medicine and biology. They were just looking for “something exciting to explore,” they say.

Hei!

Finnish word for "Hello!"

Life & society Family

Finnish society places value on family time and inclusivity

The significance that Finnish people attach to Mother’s Day and Father’s Day may reflect something that goes beyond the holidays themselves. It may be indicative of the way Finland, as a society, views and supports parents and families.

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