As part of the cooperation activities between the Region of Magallanes (Chile) and the Region of Ostrobothnia (Finland), a delegation of two government officials and a sectoral expert from Magallanes carried out a study visit to Ostrobothnia (Finland) from Monday, March 20 to Wednesday, March 22, 2023.
The study visit was attended by Ms. Belén Sapag Muñoz de la Peña, Ambassador of Chile to Finland and Estonia, who represented Magallanes and Chile in a seminar held during the Energy Week, an international event celebrated in Vaasa (Ostrobothnia), in which the delegates participated.
Moreover, a delegation of two government officials from Opolskie (Poland), a region which is also part of the IURC Programme, participated in the study visit. The pairing of Opolskie with Tierra del Fuego (Argentina), a neighbouring region of Magallanes, opens several possibilities for cooperation and definition of multinational projects between the four regions.
During the study visit to Ostrobothnia, Magallanes’ delegation had the opportunity to learn about the regional innovation ecosystem development of the host region, in terms of renewable energy projects and, in particular, those related to the power-to-gas value chain and hydrogen production. Several hydrogen projects are being developed in Magallanes and the study visit was an opportunity to identify possible lines of cooperation; Ostrobothnia’s expertise could accelerate the creation of an energy hub in the Chilean region.
In addition, existing know-how and projects on agriculture, and in particular the strategy for establishing and operating greenhouses in adverse climatic conditions, were presented in Ostrobothnia. Magallanes is interested in developing similar projects in the region, which could ensure more efficient and sustainable agricultural production.
Furthermore, the main universities in Ostrobothnia were visited to learn about the role of academic institutions in the regional development, not only as centres for the education of citizens, but also as hubs for research, development and implementation of projects that increase Ostrobothnia’s competitiveness.
The IURC program is the second phase of the International Urban Cooperation Program (IUC, 2016-2020) with the objective of leading and fostering urban and regional international cooperation focused both in urban, sustainable urban and regional development. The program supports the development of pairings between cities, on the one hand, and regions, on the other; these pairings include one EU region and a counterpart region from of the following Latin American countries: Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, México and Perú. Therefore, an international network of 24 cities and 20 regions has been conformed.
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March 24th 2023