The CHARGE project officially accelerated into action with its first in-person partner meeting held in Tampere, Finland on 3–4 September, hosted by our Lead Partner the Baltic Institute of Finland, and Business Tampere.
This kick-off meeting brought together partners from across Europe to align strategies, deepen collaboration, and dive into the future of green mobility and battery innovation. While our Ukrainian partner, the Executive Committee of Zlatopil City Council of Kharkiv Region, was, unfortunately, unable to attend in person, the rest of the partnership enjoyed the event wholeheartedly.
We were also joined by a dynamic group of stakeholders from Lombardy, including:
👉 Erion
👉 Innovhub – Stazioni Sperimentali per l’Industria
👉 Cluster Lombardo della Mobilità
🔍 On the Agenda: Innovation, Policy & Power
The two-day program was packed with expert insights and local success stories from the Tampere region:
- Regional Development & Innovation Policy
Jari Kolehmainen, The Council of Tampere Region - Green Transition & Electrification Value Chain
Marita Jaatinen & Pirkko Eteläaho, Business Tampere - Implementation of the EU Batteries Regulation in Finland
Kati Suomalainen, Ministry of the Environment of Finland - Company Spotlights:
🚜 Sandvik, presented by Mikko Valtee
⚡ Merus Power, presented by Risto Laakso - Study Visit:
🔋 CeLLife Technologies Ltd., hosted by Tuomas Messo and team
🧭 Steering Forward: First Steering Group Meeting & Strategic Discussions
In addition to exploring regional innovation in Tampere, the CHARGE partners held the first official Steering Group meeting, and discussed common challenges, which set key project elements in motion:
- An in-depth look at the regional policy instruments guiding our work
- A presentation by Mikko Ahokas from Macon Oy on the preliminary findings of the state-of-play analysis of battery ecosystems and policy frameworks in our regions
- A thought-provoking discussion on the “Tampere Challenge” — exploring the exciting potential of creating a Finnish Battery Belt
🚀 What’s Next?
The CHARGE project, ideated originally by the Finnish producer organisation Akkukierrätys Pb Oy, is all about empowering regions to accelerate green transition through smarter policies, stronger ecosystems, and shared innovation. With such a stellar team and strong first steps in Tampere, the road ahead looks powerful and promising.
Stay tuned as we continue to charge forward — together. 🔋💚
