Posts by The Hanseatic
Mari Parkkila receives €30,000 research grant
Mari Parkkila of the GeroNursing Centre at the University of Oulu has received a €30,000 grant from Päivikki and Sakari Sohlberg Foundation for her doctoral-dissertation research.
The aim of the research is to describe the competence of nurses in restorative care of older patients in geriatric hospital wards and the effectiveness of nurses’ educational intervention on older patients’ need for healthcare services and readmission.
The goal is also to produce information for the development of nursing work on restorative care of older patients in hospitals and health centers wards. The education is developed in the GeroNursing Centre, and it is based on scientific knowledge and is online training.
The GeroNursing Centre (GNC) is a centre of research and expertise at the University of Oulu, providing research, education and networks for both the successful aging of older adults and the well-being at work of health care professionals. The GeroNursing Centre represents the best-available evidence-based expertise and practices in the field.
Read MoreSwedes preparing to receive Bornholm refugees
Amid Swedish fears of Russian expansionism in the Baltic, local authorities in Ystad say they are preparing for a situation in which they receive refugees from Bornholm.
Ystad is a Swedish council, but it is the mainland port for the primary ferry serving the Danish island.
The Swedish military considers Bornholm, along with other Baltic islands, as targets of potential Russian attacks, and that has led Ystad council to include refugees from the island in its civil-defence planning.
Police on Bornholm are responsible for co-ordinating civil defence. In the event of an attack, they say their directions would come from Copenhagen, but Ystad officials have called for co-ordination at the council level with Bornholm.
Source: Ystad Allehanda / TV2/Bornholm
Read MoreBornholm’s off-season tourism growth offsets summer decline
The number of overnight stays on Bornholm grew marginally in 2024, but more visitors outside of the summer season and an increase in the number of visitors from non-core markets suggests that the island’s second-largest industry may be poised for growth in the years to come.
End-of-year statistics published by Destination Bornholm, the island’s tourism board, show the number of overnight stays rose at an annual rate of 0.1% in 2024, to 1,691,257.
Denmark and Germany remained the two largest markets for Bornholm’s 4.1 billion kroner (€550 million) tourism industry. Though fewer Danes and Germans are visiting during the July-August high season, the decline has been somewhat made up by an increase in the number of visitors in shoulder seasons. The result is a tourism season that now spans from March to December.
Destination Bornholm highlighted significant—if small—increases in the numbers of visitors from emerging markets, including France, Italy, the UK and America, that it reckons could make up for the high-season decline.
Read MoreLeena Rantasalo appointed VTT VP
Leena Rantasalo has been appointed as vice-president, communications and brand for VTT. She moves to the position after having headed VTT’s internal and external communications, media relations and the communications team since 2018. Previously, she headed development of VTT’s culture.
In her role as vice-president, Leena will lead and develop VTT’s strategic communications and brand, in alignment with the company’s business goals and strategy, reputation management and crisis communications and capabilities.
As a vice-president, Leena is a member of VTT’s commercial-operations leadership team.
Connect with Leena on LinkedIn
Read MoreThird disruption of Finland-Germany cable reported
Finnish and Swedish authorities are investigating a possible breach of the C-Lion 1 undersea cable linking Finland and Germany, Yle, a Finnish news outlet, reports.
The location of the break is reported to be near the island of Gotland in the Swedish economic zone, where a number of subsea cables have been damaged in recent months.
The cause of the break was not immediately known, and it may be due to the previous damage done the cable, a source told Yle.
The C-Lion 1 submarine cable, operated by Cinia, a Finland-based firm, was last damaged on Christmas Day. Finnish authorities believe that break was caused by the Eagle S, an oil tanker suspected of acting on Moscow’s orders. The same cable was also damaged last November.
Source: Yle
Read MorePirjo Juntunen joins BusinessOulu
Pirjo Juntunen has joined BusinessOulu as a key account director for social and health services. With extensive experience collaborating with companies and partners in workforce and economic development, both domestically and internationally, Pirjo brings a wealth of knowledge to the BusinessOulu team.
In her new role, Pirjo will focus on supporting businesses, assisting them with business development, growth strategies and navigating change. She is also committed to aiding companies in recruiting skilled personnel and enhancing employee competencies.
Pirjo holds a degree in social sciences and has completed an executive MBA. Her professional background includes leadership and specialist positions, where she has demonstrated a solution-oriented approach and a passion for fostering business growth.
Read MoreArenijus Jackus new chair of Rail Baltica supervisory board
Arenijus Jackus has been appointed as the new chair of the supervisory board of RB Rail AS.
Arenijus Jackus brings a wealth of expertise to his new role as chair. Holding a master’s degree in transport engineering economics and management from Vilnius Gediminas Technical University, he has been deeply involved with the Rail Baltica project since its inception. Currently serving as the Chief Rail Baltica Lietuva officer at LTG, Arenijus has dedicated over 14 years to leadership roles within the public sector.
His extensive experience spans strategic planning and finance, EU-investment administration, project implementation, international relations and EU affairs, gained during his tenure at the ministry of transport and communications, which began in 1997.
Beyond his government roles, Arenijus has held prominent governance positions, including chair of the management board at Kaunas Airport, member of the supervisory board of LTG Infra and board positions with Klaipėda State Seaport Authority, Oro Navigacija and Rail Baltica.
His appointment marks the continuation of the rotational leadership structure that ensures equitable representation among Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania, the three member states of the Rail Baltica joint venture.
Connect with Arenijus on LinkedIn
Read MoreTomi Hugg named director of design services at Innokas
Tomi Hugg recently began as the new director of design services at Innokas.
An industry veteran in design engineering, Tomi brings over 20 years of experience in heavy industry from companies of various sizes. Working for Oulu-based Innokas marks his first venture into a company that specialises in medical and other safety-critical technologies
“All the new people and technologies have inspired me to get started,” he says of the transition. He also notes a strong balance between familiar systems and exciting new opportunities that he is eager to explore.
“The deep technological expertise at Innokas across industries was a major reason for my decision to apply,” Tomi says.
Read MoreDenmark not ready for long-term defence buildup, business lobby warns
Danish manufacturers are at the ready to facilitate the rapid military buildup to the tune of 50bn kroner (€6.7bn) over the next two years announced by the prime minister on Wednesday. But they warn that any return to a military-industrial complex needed to sustain the military for the long-term will require more than just money.
“We should use this an opportunity to think strategically and truly modernise our society,” Lars Sandahl Sørensen, the managing director of DI, a business lobby, said. “Lawmakers won’t be able to avoid making considerable reforms, improving efficiency and investing in new technology and competitiveness.”
The additional funding comes on top of a 10-year, 190bn kroner plan to revamp the military, bringing it in line with Washington’s increasing demands that Nato members spend more on defence.
Denmark currently spends 2.4% percent of its gross domestic product on defence. That places it above the Nato target of 2%, but in January, Mette Frederiksen, the PM, told Danes to be prepared for cuts to some services, as her government looked towards spending 5% of GDP on defence in the coming years
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The additional funding comes after years of cuts have hollowed out the military’s capabilities. And with Washington’s willingness to come to Europe’s aide in the event of a Russian attack now in doubt, Ms Frederiksen said the military would be allowed to fast-track purchases until it was rearmed, by-passing a lengthy and scandal-ridden tendering process.
Correction: We originally stated that the Nato spending target was 3%. Sorry.
Anders Wiberg named interim head of Destination Bornholm
Six months after joining Destination Bornholm, Anders Wiberg has been named interim head of the island’s publicly funded tourism-promotion agency.
Anders joined Destination Bornholm in August as the head of marketing and tourism information. He takes over the reins of the outfit after the unexpected resignation of its now-former director.
Anders will serve as interim head until February 2026.
Connect with Anders on LinkedIn
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