Greetings from the MFA’s Team Finland Export Promotion Unit

Ministry for Foreign Affairs (MFA) has a new unit, the Team Finland Export Promotion Unit since the 1st of September 2021. It is responsible for

  • coordinating and developing Team Finland activities at the Ministry for Foreign Affairs and in Finnish missions abroad

  • coordinating visits related to the promotion of Finnish exports together with Business Finland

  • guidance, advice and training related to Team Finland work

  • fostering contacts and cooperation with the key stakeholders engaged in the government

  • providing concrete assistance to companies in their export efforts

More resources for export promotion

Finland’s Team Finland network (TF network) facilitates exports and international growth by offering a streamlined service path for internationalisation-oriented businesses. It coordinates services fostering exports and internationalisation at home and abroad.

TF network promotes Finland internationally as a hub of high-level expertise and attracts foreign experts and investors to Finland. Our goals are to promote exports and accelerate international growth of SMEs, to attract international investments and tourism to Finland, and to reinforce Finnish expertise.

Core members of the TF network are Ministry for Foreign Affairs, Business Finland, Finnvera (Finnvera is a specialized financing company owned by the State of Finland), Centres for Economic Development, Transport and the Environment, and Employment and Economic Development Offices. Partner organisations – such as the Finland Chamber of Commerce – are also producing export and internationalisation services in Finland and in the target countries.

MFA has about 90 embassies, Business Finland has 42 trade centers abroad

Ministry for Foreign Affairs has about 90 embassies and representations around the world. Good news is that Finland has recently opened two more embassies, one to Qatar (Doha) and another to Senegal (Dakar). One of their main duties is to promote export. Business Finland employs about 680 specialists at 42 foreign locations and 16 offices in Finland. About 160 experts out of 680 are located abroad.

Moreover, MFA has 20 new Counsellors for Trade and Investment since last summer (earlier 8)*. Their task is to explore market opportunities and suitable Finnish business offer, support the export efforts of Finnish companies, promote investments in Finland and contribute to the development of Team Finland export promotion services in their host countries. Their work is supervised by the Heads of Mission (usually Ambassadors), who serve as Team Finland country managers. This increase is an important investment to increase Finland’s export.

*Following Embassies: Ankara, St. Petersburg, Kyiv, Rome (2 x), Berlin, Prague, Belgrad, Pretoria, Tel Aviv, Ridyah, Abu Dhabi, Hongkong, New Delhi (2 x), Bangkok, Brasíl, Los Angeles, Washington and one at BF’s office in Taipei.

Business-to-Government (B2G) theme ambassadors

Ministry for Foreign Affairs (MFA) established a platform of Business-to-Government (B2G) theme ambassadors a couple of years ago. Since the beginning of this year, five B2G theme ambassadors have been integrated with the Team Finland unit. Earlier they had been working in three different departments. Marjaana Sall (education), Päivi Sillanaukee (health and wellbeing), Anne Vasara (energy and circular economy) and Stefan Lindström (digitalisation and new technologies) are now a part of the Team Finland export promotion unit. The B2G Ambassador for trade and development has not yet been appointed. You are welcome to contact them by email (firstname.surname@formin.fi).

The Team Finland Knowledge network

The Team Finland Knowledge network’s objectives are three fold. The network supports internationalization of higher education and research, attracts talented people to Finland and promotes Finnish knowledge, expertise and educational innovation.

The Team Finland Knowledge network comprises eight university and science experts in Abu Dhabi, Buenos Aires, Moscow, New Delhi, Beijing, Pretoria, Singapore and Washington. The tasks of the senior specialists stationed in Abu Dhabi, Buenos Aires, Pretoria and Singapore are regional.

The network is set up by the Ministry of Education and Culture and the experts are located at Finnish embassies abroad. They take part in the embassies’ Team Finland work.

The network is in line with policies to make Finnish higher education and research more internationally oriented. You can contact either the Ministry of Education and Culture or Ms. Marjaana Sall to get more information about the Team Finland Knowledge network.

More information:

Mr. Jyrki Nissilä
Senior Advisor, Trade Export Services
Team Finland Export Promotion Unit
Ministry for Foreign Affairs of Finland
Mobile: +358 50 4096222
E-mail: jyrki.nissila(a)formin.fi
Twitter: @JyrkiNissila

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