My Oulu: 20-year-long cooperation continues between Sendai and Oulu – partnership brings benefits to university hospitals
The Sendai delegation in Oulu included the city's political leadership and officials, as well as representatives of Tohoku University Hospital. Photos: Marko Sulonen
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The partnership between the City of Oulu, Finland, and Sendai, Japan, has flourished for 20 years. Recently the cities renewed their cooperation agreement for another five years, aiming to elevate collaboration to a broader, cluster- and ecosystem-based level. During the visit, Oulu University Hospital and Tohoku University Hospital also signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU), underscoring their commitment to joint progress.
The aim of the Sendai City delegation’s visit to Oulu was to strengthen cooperation between the cities and renew the cooperation agreement between Sendai and Oulu cities for the next five-year period. Sendai’s Vice Mayor Shinichi Takahashi and Mayor of Oulu Ari Alatossava signed the agreement at a formal ceremony held at Oulu City Hall on Tuesday, 14th of January. This renewal is far from a mere formality, as the partnership has consistently yielded tangible benefits over two decades.
“This is already the fourth cooperation agreement between the cities”, says Takako Uchida, Senior Advisor in Business Oulu for Japan International Affairs.
“Over the years, we’ve completed many concrete projects across various sectors. For instance, the Oulu Game Lab and Global Lab Sendai have worked together on educational initiatives in the game industry. We’ve also jointly showcased Oulu- and Sendai-based game companies at the Tokyo Game Show and facilitated similar collaborations for ICT companies at trade fairs”, she continues.
Ari Alatossava, the Mayor of Oulu, and Shinichi Takahashi, the Vice Mayor of Sendai, signed the cooperation deal between the cities until 2030.
Lots of Japanese company headquarters are located in Tokyo metropolitan area, which means that the decision making for international business is not done in Sendai for many cases.
“Typical matchmaking between Oulu-based companies and Sendai-based companies is not a viable solution for us to foster cooperation across industries. Instead, we focus on business clusters and entire ecosystems across industries, and foster collaboration between them, which has proven to work and thus delivers tangible results”, Uchida says.
Looking ahead, Uchida envisions the renewed agreement enabling deeper cluster- and ecosystem-based cooperation.
“Local municipalities must play a role in driving this growth, making ecosystem collaboration key between Oulu and Sendai”, she emphasizes.
Expanding collaboration across sectors
The partnership will leverage the strengths of both cities to explore new opportunities in ICT, healthcare, the circular economy, and printed electronics. Startup collaboration is particularly focused on health and life sciences, with Oulu’s Oyster incubator, StartupStation, and Polar Bear Pitching events complementing Sendai’s startup ecosystem and Sendai for Startups! initiatives.
Doctor Hideo Harigae, the Director of Tohoku University Hospital, and Miia Turpeinen, the Director of Oulu University Hospital, exchanged gifts after signing a Memorandum of Understanding.
Oulu University Hospital and Tohoku University Hospital have also shared innovations through platforms like OYS Testlab and Tohoku’s Open Bed Lab.
”They’ve learned from each other, adopting best practices to enhance their piloting services,” Uchida explains.
The renewal of the MoU between the two hospitals marks another milestone.
“Signing an official document like MoU is not a quick process. I’ve been working on building collaboration between the two hospitals since 2016. In November 2023, OYS and OuluHealth delegation visited Tohoku University Hospital in Sendai and last June Oulu hosted an Anaesthesiology and Intensive Care Medicine conference, in which key people from Tohoku University Hospital attended. It was a perfect opportunity to set up a meeting between Oulu and Tohoku university hospitals, and the decision to renew the MoU was made”, Uchida explains.
Addressing shared challenges
Japan and Finland face similar challenges in healthcare, such as aging populations and shrinking workforces. These issues have brought Oulu and Sendai’s university hospitals closer together. At the City Hall ceremony, the Memorandum of Understanding between two hospitals was updated for the next five years. Oulu University Hospital Director Miia Turpeinen highlighted the value of their cooperation.
“The first MOU cooperation document between Oulu and Tohoku University Hospitals was signed in 2020. Our testing platform, based on the OuluHealth Labs model, aligned well with Tohoku’s needs. Likewise, we’ve learned from their practical experiences, but our collaboration goes beyond our shared experiences”, Turpeinen says.
“We need modern solutions and technologies to address our shared challenges in healthcare. Our goal is to support companies in developing innovations that benefit both hospitals. By joining forces, the two university hospitals aim to modernize operations and drive meaningful improvements for the future of healthcare”, Turpeinen points out.
The partnership has provided Finnish companies with valuable connections in Japan, while experts from Tohoku Hospital have lent their expertise to Oulu-based initiatives. Plans are underway to establish an exchange program for professionals, focusing on areas like cleft patient treatment, where OYS holds national responsibility in Finland.
“This program would allow our professionals to learn new techniques and improve care quality in Finland”, Turpeinen explains.
When asked about the broader benefits of international partnerships, Turpeinen is optimistic.
“OYS currently has no other similar international partnerships, but new collaborations are in the pipeline. Our Sendai connections will be instrumental in developing these.”
The renewed cooperation agreements promise to elevate collaboration between Oulu and Sendai to new heights. With plans in motion and concrete progress visible, this partnership exemplifies how long-term cooperation can drive meaningful outcomes across sectors.