We support your company's competitiveness and opportunities to achieve significant international growth

Considering Starting Exports?

Various initial survey services are available for companies operating in the domestic market, but considering internationalisation.

• Advice from the regional Team Finland Coordinators: Centre for Economic Development, Transport and the Environment
  • Sparring of potential, internationalising growth companies.
  • Advice and guidance for companies in cooperation with the rest of the regional network.
• Digital self-service: Suomi.fi
• Telephone advice by Suomen Yrittäjät offers free legal advice and expert help (business law, employment law, contract law, taxation).
• Development companies’ services include general business development, evaluation and development of internationalisation capabilities, and connections to public funding sources and services.

More information and help on expanding to international markets.

The company's internationalisation capabilities and development and service needs

• Growth and internationalisation advice and advice on financing internationalisation: Centre for Economic Development, Transport and the Environment (ELY)
• Support for the financing of growth and internationalisation in close cooperation with various financial partners: Chambers of Commerce

Team Finland Events

• Team Finland Talks, various road shows and other network events provide information related to international growth.
• See the events in the Team Finland event calendar.

Help in preparing the internationalisation plan and assessing internationalisation capabilities.

Planning of Internationalisation and the Growth Strategy

Business Finland advises in the planning phase of internationalisation and provides sparring for growth and innovation activities. Get going with an initial survey.

Guidance on export financing: Finnvera provides information on the various methods of financing exports and the management of credit risks. Contact Finnvera.

• Export payment methods, hedging against risks and funding needs come together in export trade, and they should be discussed well in advance with both your bank and Finnvera.

Finnvera: financing of SME export trade transactions

Ministry for Foreign Affairs: Market advice on the export country

Ministry for Foreign Affairs: Impact on Finland’s global operating environment

• General business environment and practices
• Political situation and conditions
• Target market regulations

Ministry for Foreign Affairs: Trade policy advice

Ministry for Foreign Affairs: Sanctions and dual-use export control

Other Network Operators Offering Export Advice

• Viexpo
• The German-Finnish Chamber of Commerce
• The Finnish-Swedish Chamber of Commerce
• EastCham
• The Helsinki Region Chamber of Commerce as part of Enterprise Europe Network services: general EU legal advice, EU internal market problems and SME feedback service and EU funding.

Develop your business, implement your internationalisation plan and use the services of the Team Finland network.

Market Entry

• Guidance in the target market: contact Business Finland
• Market Access programs

EU funding guidance and contacts

• Enterprise Europe Network: Market-specific information and contacts.
• EU funding advisory service: general information on the funding programmes offered by the EU, guidance on the application process

Market-specific Characteristics and opportunities

• Information, guidance, contacts and innovation funding related to emerging markets
  • Funding and advice from the Team Finland network: Supporting the various stages of sustainable business in developing countries (pdf in Finnish)
• The MFA's guidance on funding for emerging markets, incl. guidance on EU funding for emerging markets.
• Ministry for Foreign Affairs: Market entry assistance in case of trade barriers

Specific features of international public procrument

• Advice on public procurement by international organisations, development finance institutions and target countries.
• Guidance by Business Finland: how to gain access to UN procurements

When your company conducts international business and needs help with exporting and target markets.

Advice on the challengs of internationalisation 

• Problem solving in the market and help in removing trade barriers in acute cases: get to know the services offered by the Ministry for Foreign Affairs.

Grow your international business in your current or new markets or renew your operations.

Guidance on renewal and expansion

• Guidance in the target market: Business Finland helps with growth and renewal. Assess your opportunities.

General information about the Team Finland network and its actors, as well as current events.

• Get to know our website and the services of the organisations that belong to the network.

Market specific information to support internationalisation planning

Local business practices: "How to do business in..." -guide available as self-service on Business Finland's country pages

Market opportunities: Country Outlooks

Market opportunities: Future Watch reports

Market specific information to support internationalisation planning

Business Finland offers industry-specific market analyses and advises on planning customised market analyses.

Market reviews: See the Ministry for Foreign Affairs' industry-specific market reports.

Market opportunities: Sales leads and Business Opportunities 

Finnvera's country categories and country classification map  

Chambers of commerce offer up-to-date global market information. For example, the Helsinki Region Chamber of Commerce, as part of the Enterprise Europe Network services, offers country and market information, EU funding information and company contact searches.

Funding to improve companies growth capabilities

Funding for internationalisation including fairs:Development funding, a lump-sum model, ELY Centres

Funding for developing internationalisation capabilities: Business Finland's Tempo funding

Funding for company-specific, tailored market surveys: Business Finland's Explorer funding 

Funding for developing a company's international operating model and management, as well as for increasing recruitment expertise and personnel's internationalization skills: Business Finland's Talent Funding 

Finnvera offers various financing solutions.

Finnvera: Credit risks and export trade

Business Finland Investor Services introduces selected Finnish growth companies for VC-, CVC-, and PE funds in Europe, Asia and in the USA by providing tailored dealflow that matches with investor's scope. Finnish company that is preparing a funding round (late seed, A-round, B-round) in near future, can contact the team at investorservices(at)businessfinland.fi

Product development funding

Get to know Business Finland's product development funding

Funding for product and service development: Development funding, ELY Centres

Before you apply for funding

Answer the questions about your company and find out if Business Finland can offer internationalisation or funding services for your company. The initial survey takes 5 to 10 minutes to complete.

Funding for international growth

Answer the questions about your company and you will immediately find out if Business Finland can offer funding and internationalisation services for your company. The initial survey takes 5 to 10 minutes to complete, and it cannot be done on behalf of another company. Complete the survey before submitting the application.

• Market access funding for groups: Business Finland's Group Explorer and Exhibition Explorer
• Funding for piloting in the target market: Business Finland's pilot loan

Money or collateral to obtain bank financing or supply security: Finnvera's loans and guarantees

The ELY Centre development funding is suitable for product development and investments in Finland: Development funding, ELY Centres

Development policy instruments

Financing of investments in developing countries for companies located or to be established in the target country. (Finnfund)

Business partner funding and matchmaking for preliminary studies and early-stage business in emerging markets. (Finnpartnership)

Mixed credit for public investments in emerging markets (PIF). (MFA)

Funding for cooperation in developing markets: Developing Markets Platform ja Business Finlandin Co-Innovation funding

Funding for international growth

Get to know Finnvera's funding services

• Financing for the buyer
• Export guarantees: Arranging terms of payment or credit to buyers and protection against credit losses. 
• Export guarantee

Funding for international growth

Finnvera's loan and guarantee

• The establishment of a subsidiary or financing an existing subsidiary, a foreign acquisition, financing a foreign buyer and project financing. 

International business expertise

Chambers of commerce trainings to strengthen international competence, such as CBM (Certified Board Member) courses and the export manager programme.

Different chambers of commerce also have different trainings, e.g. Global Steps, sales manager, export manager trainings.

Information and support for attracting international business talent

Work in Finland service

Improving the internationalisation capabilities of personnel

TE Services:

• Recruitment training
• Specific training
• Labour market training

Support for recruitment process

Hiring a foreign employee: EURES

Contacts and networks around the world

Export promotion visits in the target market

• Company visits led by a minister or a senior official
• Visits by groups of companies in the markets to promote exports

Business contacts: Business Finland

• We introduce the company to the necessary contacts from our local business network in the target market.
• Business matchmaking: tailored 1-to-1 meetings with potential buyers, partners or influential persons.
• Networking meetings in the market.

Contacts with the authorities in the export country, high-level decision-makers and industries (Ministry for Foreign Affairs)  

Use of embassy facilities and networking events. Information related to renting the premises can be found on the delegations' own pages under the Team Finland services.

Chambers of Commerce: Finncham partner search from the target market.

Visibility in international markets

Media contacts in the export country (MFA): Ask from the target country's diplomatic mission. 

Internationalisation services offered by Business Finland's programs: get to know the programs.