SDG Booster
Aiming to build Finnish and international consortia to meet local needs in developing countries.
Companies from different countries meet at SDG Boosters to discuss opportunities that are of interest from the perspectives of sustainability and commercial viability.
SDG Booster events also allow companies to meet up in the digital age. They bring companies from Finland and developing countries to the same table with the help of market research carried out specifically for each event. The objective of SDG Boosters is to build Finnish and international consortia to meet local needs in developing countries and to co-create sustainable business that promotes the implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Participation in SDG Booster workshops is free.
SDG Booster is a set of workshops founded by Finnpartnership in 2020 in collaboration with Business Finland, Fingo, Education Finland and UNTIL that offers Finnish companies and NGOs opportunities to develop and provide commercial solutions for identified needs in target countries working with local partners. Each SDG Booster focuses on a specific sector and geographic area. Organising SDG Boosters also involves organisations such as the Finnish Ministry for Foreign Affairs and the Finnish National Agency for Education and, depending on the theme, UN organisations working in the local area. Finnpartnership is the organiser in charge of SDG Boosters. The composition of other organisers varies depending on the SDG Booster’s target country and sector.
Before the SDG Booster workshops – needs assessment
Prior to the SDG Booster workshops, the needs of the selected focus sector in the target country are assessed. The assessment can be carried out by the SDG Booster organiser or a third-party consultant. The local organising partner also invites companies, authorities, educational institutions and NGOs operating in the selected sector to attend the SDG Booster.
The first SDG Booster workshop – getting to know each other and understanding needs
The Finnish and local companies and other parties meet each other for the first time at the first SDG Booster workshop, which is organised virtually via Zoom. Participants from both countries get to understand the needs of the focus area and also present their activities on a shared visual event platform. The event platform remains accessible to the participants after the workshop so that they can check out what the others have to offer. Each participant has a two-slide PowerPoint presentation as their showcase, and the other participants can submit questions and requests for meetings on the platform. Online events are also an opportunity to discuss things face to face. The event platform also contains all Team Finland and other services as well as the market research report.
The second SDG Booster event/workshop for Finnish companies – mapping where the offering of the Finnish companies and the local needs meet, leading the future discussion to these topics
In the second SDG Booster event, the Finnish companies and NGOs meet digitally to discuss the needs of the target country presented at the first event and to evaluate the suitability of their specific offering in relation to those needs. Preliminary ideas to meet the needs are further developed by teams in breakout rooms on Zoom and using the Miro whiteboard. The ideas that emerge at the workshop form the basis for discussion groups called the “innovation tents” that meet up at the third SDG Booster event.
The second SDG Booster event is also attended by local experts, who provide feedback and advise the Finnish partners on the development of their offering and also give their views on sustainability and development impacts.
A Miro whiteboard at an SDG Booster workshop
The third SDG Booster workshop – launching the collaboration
Participants from Finland and the target country meet for a second time to plan cooperation activities and joint projects. This takes place in theme-specific innovation tents, or discussion groups, using the breakout room function on Zoom and the Miro whiteboard platform. Each participant selects their innovation tent in advance.
Participants have the opportunity to present their activities and offering in more detail in the innovation tents. The innovation tents are set up by the organisers. The aim is to start cooperation projects, which involve both Finnish and local partners, in the target country.
After the SDG Booster – suitable services for further cooperation
After the third SDG Booster workshop, the participants can continue to keep in touch with each other. They can also book digital meetings with the organisers to discuss potential funding (e.g. Business Partnership Support, Business Finland) and other support for their joint project.
An SDG Booster may also be followed by a separate Meet the Organisers event, which provides the companies and organisations that took part in the SDG Booster with more information on the funding and other services offered by the organisers.
It is also possible to arrange a visit to the target country after the SDG Booster. The visit, payable by the participants, is an opportunity to meet potential partners in person.
Would you like to receive more information about SDG Boosters?
You can receive information about upcoming SDG Booster events by subscribing to the Finnpartnership newsletter and by following our website and Twitter account (@Finnpartnership).
The SDG Booster video made in 2020 also describes the background of the SDG Booster events (please note that the process shown in the video is slightly different from the current one as the concept has been further developed since the video was released):
