Services to boost projects

Finding a business partner

A good local business partner many times holds a critical role for success in developing markets. If your company is applying for Business Partnership Support, prior to submitting the application, Finnpartnership can assist in the identification of a potential local partner based on the specific needs of the applicant company and its project.

The service benefits from Finnpartnership’s regional coordinators in Asia and Africa as well as Finland’s embassies in developing markets. The service covers the following markets: Asia (Cambodia, India, Indonesia, Laos, Myanmar, Nepal, Pakistan, Philippines, Vietnam), Africa (Algeria, Egypt, Ethiopia, Kenya, Malawi, Morocco, Mozambique, Namibia, Nigeria, Senegal, South Africa, Tanzania, Tunisia, Uganda, Zambia), Europe (Ukraine) and the Middle East (Iran).

The service includes the following steps:

1. Initial discussion with Finnpartnership where the Finnish company presents the planned project
2. Review with Finnpartnership and the Finnish embassy, after which the market is screened for identifying a suitable partner candidate
3. Digital meeting between the Finnish organisations and the potential partner

Finnpartnership also maintains a database of companies in developing markets that are looking for Finnish partners. The database contains the contact details of more than 600 companies from all over the world. You can find more information about our Matchmaking service and partner search here.

To schedule an initial discussion or to get more information, please contact Axel Sointu, Business Partnership Lead, axel.sointu@finnpartnership.fi, tel. +358 40 596 9877

Contact maps

Finnpartnership offers contact map service for all Finnish companies that have been granted Business Partnership Support from 2022 onwards. A contact map contains information on local contacts, including contact details of public authorities, governmental organisations, Finnish networks and international organisations.

The contact maps are created in cooperation with the consultancy NIRAS. Each contact map is tailormade for the needs of the company and its Business Partnership Support project, taking into account the target country and the sector of the project. The aim of the service is to help companies establish themselves in the target countries and facilitate connecting with new partners and the authorities in the country. You can find an example of a contact map here.

To create the contact map, Finnpartnership first interviews the company that has received the grant. During the interview, potential challenges and the needs for specific contacts are discussed.

If your company is interested in a contact map, please contact: Elsa Nyman, Programme Officer, elsa.nyman@finnpartnership.fi, tel. +358 50 555 4289

Consulting on the projects’ environmental, social, and human rights impacts (voucher consulting)

Finnpartnership offers consulting service to Finnish companies that have received Business Partnership Support and whose projects can be considered challenging due to environmental, social or human rights impacts. The aim of the service is to raise the company’s awareness of environmental and social issues and potential challenges related to human rights in the target country.

The voucher consulting provides companies with concrete tools to identify and manage risks in project planning and implementation. Finnpartnership assesses the need for voucher consulting for each project and, where appropriate, offers it to the company. Assistance can be provided in the form of three types of vouchers:

1. environmental and social impacts
2. human rights impacts
3. fragile states and conflict zones

Voucher consulting can be offered to the company at the beginning of the project, and during the payment or monitoring phase of the project. Consulting can also be offered several times to the same company.

For more information on vouchers, please contact: Eelis Hemberg, Programme Officer, eelis.hemberg@finnpartnership.fi, tel. +358 40 184 5723

Global Gateway campaign

In 2023-2024, Finnpartnership’s aim is to support around 15 Finnish companies to take part in EU-supported projects, for example through their own pilot or reference project. The Global Gateway campaign is a joint effort by Finnpartnership, the Ministry for Foreign Affairs, Finnish Embassies in Brussels and in developing countries, and Business Finland to build a tailormade path for companies to access business opportunities in the target countries. Read more about the campaign here and find out more about the projects where there is a particular demand for Finnish expertise here.