GENGREEN supports female entrepreneurs in sustainable business

The GENGREEN project supports Nordic female entrepreneurs and other small and medium-sized business owners through training and networking. We operate across the regions of South and Central Ostrobothnia, Lapland, Norrbotten, Troms and Finnmark.

Are you an entrepreneur keen to get involved? Join our events, explore our online training and follow us on social media.

We organise training and networking events in our regions and provide free online training on topics such as business idea development, sustainability and management. GENGREEN focuses on creating networks, sharing knowledge and fostering business collaboration.

A key element of our project is the establishment of Living Labs, which you can read about below. GENGREEN seeks to promote Nordic collaboration between Living Labs in the different regions.

The project is scheduled to run for three years, from 1 January 2024 to 31 December 2026. It is funded by the European Union’s Interreg Aurora programme, with matched national funding from the Regional Council of Lapland, Interreg Norge and the Luleå University of Technology. See our .

The project manager is Senior Researcher Silvia Gaiani from the University of Helsinki Ruralia Institute:

GENGREEN in social media:

Events

19.2.2026 , Kurikka
12.3.2026 , Rovaniemi
13.3.2026 GENGREEN Goes Kokkola +
18.-20.3.2026
9.4.2026 , Kokkola

Open online training

How to create a DigiCampus account:

Living Labs

Finland - South Ostrobothnia

The South Ostrobothnia Living Lab is based in Seinäjoki, in the premises of Skaalaamo Start Up Hub office in Rytmikorjaamo (Vaasantie 11, Seinäjoki). Its called GENGREEN Hub Skaalaamo.

The aims of the GENGREEN Hub Skaalaamo will be to provide a physical meeting place for the beneficiaries of the project, offer a wide range of networking activities, and deliver professional support at various levels for start-ups and companies. Additionally, the Living Lab will support and encourage female green and innovative entrepreneurs. Furthermore, the GENGREEN Hub Skaalaamo will organise public events aimed at boosting green entrepreneurship and provide regional and local public authorities with initiatives that address societal needs.

The GENGREEN Hub Skaalaamo will be an experimental environment for entrepreneurs and companies that aim to launch new products or services in the green domain. Long-lasting synergies and exchange of good practices between local institutions, educational institutions, businesses, investors, large companies, entrepreneurial associations will be encouraged.

Contact: Johanna Rintamäki,

Finland - Central Ostrobothnia

Kokeilupaja – living lab offers a flexible and unique chance for female entrepreneurs and those interested in entrepreneurship or sustainability to get together and tackle major issues. The living lab concept arranges events, trainings, webinars, and opportunities to network with others facing the same issues. The living lab focuses on the topics of sustainability and circular economy, but also hopes participants bring up topics that they wish to get support with. Come join us at monthly coffee meetings and learn more about the other things we will be arranging in the living lab!

Finland - Lapland

Lapland´s living lab is running under the ROHKEA brand, which translates to "bold," "brave," or "courageous" in English. In collaboration with the GENGREEN project, the ROHKEA living lab aims to boost entrepreneurial mindsets and foster new businesses in the Finnish Lapland region. The ROHKEA guides encouraging you, Elisa Maljamäki and Sari Nisula, are based at Lapland University of Applied Sciences.

Sweden - Norrbotten

The GENGREEN Living Lab at Luleå University of Technology is situated within the research group Industrial Design, where we specialize in creating and implementing sustainable and circular design ideas. The Living Lab is located in the Multistudio, which is a space for creative hands-on experimentation, flexible and dynamic room arrangement to suit one’s needs, and it is also equipped with modern teaching facilities. In the Living Lab, the LTU GENGREEN team has installed five modular and themed boxes on-site, with each box created with the intention to challenge you and your company on how sustainability can be practiced. The boxes can be opened, and are full of prepared activities/games that one can use at anytime, catered to the learning of skills to create resilient, holistic, and creative green businesses.

Norway - Troms and Finnmark

The GreenHouse is an innovative workspace and community hub created for participants in the GENGREEN project. Located in Kirkenes at Nothing Hill, The GreenHouse offers free office spaces, modern conference rooms, and a communal area shared with local students, fostering a collaborative environment. It is designed to support green entrepreneurs in Northern Norway, providing not only a place to work but also opportunities for networking, learning, and growth. With workshops, mentorship, and access to events like the ICE Conference on Green Transition, The GreenHouse serves as a central space for cultivating sustainable business ideas and connections in the Arctic region.

Project publications

Throughout the project, we share information on female entrepreneurship in the Nordic countries. Below are links to resources such as news articles, press releases and video interviews with female entrepreneurs. Two English-language reports on the state of female entrepreneurship in the project regions have also been published.

News, press releases and blogs

Video interviews

Other material

Inforgraphics for female entrepreunership

In the pictures, you can find different informatics for female entrepreneurship. There is regional comparison of entrepreneurship in general between GENGREEN regions. We have identified also some positive effects for female entrepreneurship as well as challenges of especially female entrepreneurs.