# Sustainable Societies - Savonia AMK

> We create societal impact by conducting RDI work with our partners, developing networks of companies and organizations, and promoting responsible business models.

## Our Impact
*   **Societal Impact:** We conduct RDI work with our partners, develop networks of companies and organizations, and promote responsible business models.
*   **Comprehensive Security:** As a key builder of comprehensive security, we strengthen preparedness, resilience, and mental endurance by providing holistic support to individuals, companies, and public actors.
*   **Circular Economy:** We promote the circular economy and sustainable consumption by developing resource use across sectors while taking into account global climate, economic, and raw material pressures.
*   **Regenerative Industry:** By focusing on regenerative industry and business, we advance systems thinking and operating models related to the green transition and support innovations that generate sustainable growth.
*   **Regional Development:** We promote the smart specialization priorities of the region by building international clusters and ecosystems with our partners and by engaging in project preparation and implementation.

## Expertise
Our expertise includes:
*   Business development
*   Management and supervisory work
*   Internationalization
*   Service and product development
*   Sales

## Contact Us
*   **Download our service offerings:** [Link]
*   **Share your ideas:** [Link]

**RD Manager**
Kaija Villman
+358 44 785 6840
kaija.villman@savonia.fi

**Research Manager**
Tuomo Eskelinen
+358 44 7856613
tuomo.eskelinen@savonia.fi

**RDI Team Leader**
Raisa Leinonen
+358 44 7855 833
raisa.leinonen@savonia.fi

## Articles
*   **Can play help solve regional challenges? Lessons from cooperation across borders** (29.6.2026)
*   **Building Resilience Through International Collaboration: Savonia at FH JOANNEUM Staff Week 2026** (26.6.2026)
*   **Impact Pathway – A Tool for Evaluating Alternative Futures, Action Portfolios, and Adaptive Pathways** (17.6.2026)
*   **Savonia participated Waste4Soil Project Meeting in Ljubljana** (26.5.2026)
*   **Learning to Use AI Wisely: Insights from a Practical University Students’ Workshop** (22.5.2026)
*   **Lessons from Conference Visits: What Did We Learn from Gamification and Games for Health?** (15.5.2026)
*   **Two Mission Soil projects developing business models for soil health in a co-creation workshop** (8.5.2026)
*   **When games and regional development met – InnoGS project partners’ visit to Finland** (4.3.2026)

## Projects
*   **Waste4Soil:** Develops technological and methodological solutions for recycling food waste from the food industry into local bio-based soil conditioners to improve soil health.
*   **SOILPROM:** Improves the modelling of soil pollution processes for metals, PFAS, nutrients, microplastics, and pesticides to reach reduced levels of pollution and healthier soils across Europe.
*   **Climate Innovation Laboratories:** Launches five new Climate Innovation Laboratories, strengthening entrepreneurship, accelerating innovation-to-market pathways, and embedding long-term institutional change.
*   **City-oriented art and cultural activities:** Experiments with new uses for empty spaces in cities and encourages resident-based development of urban culture.
*   **CHANCE:** Aims to improve the competencies and skills of adults in the 50+ group through a tailored training program to start their own entrepreneurial projects, pursue a career change, or work as freelancers.
*   **Social inclusion through art:** Aims to increase the participation and inclusion of those in the most vulnerable positions and to improve the target group’s social cohesion through art activities.
*   **METRIC:** Focuses on measuring and developing the innovation capacity of sparsely populated areas in Northern Europe using the METRIC (Measurement Tool for Regional Innovation and Competitiveness) tool.
*   **North Savo Ecosystems:** The goal is the user-based joint development of North Savo’s ecosystems and cluster cooperation.
*   **Responsible process development:** Produces a new responsible process development model for planning and decision-making regarding alternative uses for underutilized properties.
*   **Climate change adaptation:** Focuses on promoting adaptation to climate change, preventing risks, and enhancing disaster preparedness and resilience.
*   **Digital Innovation Districts (DIDs):** Supports rural regions by developing inclusive, digital innovation communities to solve challenges using creative and gamified digital solutions.
*   **Centre of Excellence for Comprehensive Security:** Develops the operating model of the Centre of Excellence so that comprehensive security expertise can be productized and solutions transmitted to national and global networks.
*   **Tahko Tourist Resort:** A two-year business group project to attract more international tourists from nearby markets to Tahko and enhance the international productization, marketing, sales, and communication skills of local companies. (Contact: Tiina Kuosmanen, +358 44 785 6097, tiina.kuosmanen@savonia.fi)