Five Finnish clean-tech projects have secured roughly €300 million from the European Commission’s Innovation Fund, according to the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Employment. Winners include the Porvoo SCOOP refinery-conversion and MAGHYC’s onboard hydrogen-production pilot for cruise ships. Grant agreements are expected to close in H1 2026.
Why does this matter for global mobility? Each project forecasts hiring 150–400 specialised engineers, many unavailable in the domestic labour pool. ABB’s NotNukeOne solar-agri park, for example, will source photovoltaic-agrivoltaic experts from Spain and Germany, while SB-Varkaus plans to bring in battery-chemistry PhDs from South Korea. Companies say they will use the fast-track D-visa and the new 14-day EU Talent Pass scheme (effective January 2026) to onboard talent.
![€300 m EU Innovation Fund award set to draw specialist expats to Finland]()
Local authorities in Loviisa and Varkaus are already scouting temporary housing and international school capacity. The projects also unlock intra-EU assignment opportunities: Wärtsilä has signalled it will second Finnish staff to partner sites in France and the Netherlands for technology transfer, triggering A1-certificate and Posted-Worker notifications.
Mobility managers should note that the funding contracts mandate gender-balanced, multilingual worksites and include relocation-cost clauses—meaning compensation policies must accommodate family travel, language training and residency paperwork.
Why does this matter for global mobility? Each project forecasts hiring 150–400 specialised engineers, many unavailable in the domestic labour pool. ABB’s NotNukeOne solar-agri park, for example, will source photovoltaic-agrivoltaic experts from Spain and Germany, while SB-Varkaus plans to bring in battery-chemistry PhDs from South Korea. Companies say they will use the fast-track D-visa and the new 14-day EU Talent Pass scheme (effective January 2026) to onboard talent.
Local authorities in Loviisa and Varkaus are already scouting temporary housing and international school capacity. The projects also unlock intra-EU assignment opportunities: Wärtsilä has signalled it will second Finnish staff to partner sites in France and the Netherlands for technology transfer, triggering A1-certificate and Posted-Worker notifications.
Mobility managers should note that the funding contracts mandate gender-balanced, multilingual worksites and include relocation-cost clauses—meaning compensation policies must accommodate family travel, language training and residency paperwork.
