Space Wednesday: From Orbit to Opportunity – The Economic Impact of Space on Finland and the Nordics

Space Wednesday will take place on Wednesday, 12 August 2026, at the Wasa Innovation Center (Vaasa, Finland) as part of the Wasa Future Festival.

The programme is free and open to all — startups, companies, researchers, decision-makers, and anyone interested in the opportunities of the space sector.

Programme:

• Kvarken Space Center and the University of Vaasa, Ali Arslan, UniVaasa
• Presentation of the national SpacEconomy project, Heidi Kuusniemi, TAU
• Development of the roadmap in SpacEconomy project, Johanna Kalliokoski, UniVaasa
• Building a Competitive Space Economy: The Role of Finnish Governance and Policy Reform, Tero Vihavainen, Leading Specialist, Ministry of Economic Affairs and Employment of Finland
• Q&A and Mentimeter summary
• Nordic space cooperation, Søren Gram Riisgard, Space Denmark
• Results of the Nordic AuroraSpace project funded by Interreg Aurora, Petri Välisuo, UniVaasa
• Space economy and internationalization, Mikko Punnala, SharpNav Oy
• Panel discussion on space business, ESA BIC Finland