Operation Pirkanmaa 2022–2024

The Legacy Project of the Tampere26 ECoC Bid

The City of Tampere, together with 19 partners from the Tampere Region, applied to become the next Finnish European Capital of Culture (ECoC) for the year 2026. The Saimaa Region (Saimaa-ilmiö) and the City of Oulu were our competitors in the bid, and in 2021 Oulu2026 was chosen to carry the title.

But the municipalities of Tampere Region (a.k.a. Pirkanmaa) decided already in 2020 that – even in the case of the title going for one of our competitors – the joint effort would be turned into effective Plan B for the benefit of the whole region.

Our Tampere26 legacy project has been renamed as Operation Pirkanmaa and it will run through the three following years, 2022–2024.

The aim of the project is to develop a vibrant cultural province and an international center of expertise in the creative industries. The project works to promote an increasingly equal, accessible, and sustainable operating environment in Pirkanmaa.

The budget for Operation Pirkanmaa for three years is 2.6 million euros

The planned project budget for the following three years totals EUR 2.6 million. According to the plan, Tampere’s share of this will be approximately EUR 1.9 million and the partnering municipalities will fund the Operation Pirkanmaa with a total of EUR 0.7 million.

In addition to Tampere, 19 municipalities in Pirkanmaa participated in the joint Capital of Culture bid and will be partners also in the Operation Pirkanmaa: Akaa, Hämeenkyrö, Ikaalinen, Kangasala, Kuhmoinen, Lempäälä, Mänttä-Vilppula, Nokia, Orivesi, Parkano, Pirkkala, Pälkäne, Ruovesi, Sastamala, Urjala and Valkeakoski.

The whole will be greater than the sum of its parts

Operation Pirkanmaa’s regional economic impact will be greater than the project budget of EUR 2.6 million, as the project will act as an enabler, and funding for the projects will also be sought from external sources.

Several projects involved in the Tampere26 application have already succeeded in obtaining funding. Cooperation in communication and capacity building are already taking place with some of the regional projects.

Contact information:

Ilona Kyykoski, Project Manager
ilona.kyykoski@tampere.fi
Tel. +358 40 706 5431

Satu Keltanen, Producer
satu.keltanen@tampere.fi
Tel. +358 41 730 5771

Sipriina Ritaranta, Producer
sipriina.ritaranta@taidekaupunki.fi
+358 44 7288 624