Preparation of a Vitality Dialogue Concept for the Southeast Finland ELY Centre

As part of the reform of Finland’s regional state administration, ten regional vitality centres (elinvoimakeskus) will be established, beginning operations on 1 January 2026. These centres will operate under the administrative branch of the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Employment and will replace the current Centres for Economic Development, Transport and the Environment (ELY Centres). The mission of the vitality centres is to promote regional development in areas such as economic activity, employment, agriculture, immigration, transport, land use, water resources management, biodiversity protection and fisheries. The reform emphasises a multidisciplinary and regionally present state administration that supports vitality development through strong collaboration with various stakeholders.

MDI prepared a vitality dialogue concept for the Southeast Finland ELY Centre. The aim was to develop a shared and participatory model for dialogue that supports the enhancement of regional vitality. The project included three main phases: project initiation and coordination, the planning and facilitation of two in-person workshops, and the finalisation of the concept with the presentation of results. The workshops were used to build the core structure of the concept, define its objectives, and identify new approaches for utilising interfaces between stakeholders. The end result was a clear and practical vitality dialogue concept that synthesised workshop findings and outlined proposals to strengthen regional vitality.