X Border Support4Games (Support structure for Game Start ups in the Arctic)

Programme 2021 - 2027 Interreg VI-A Sweden-Finland-Norway (AURORA)

Date of latest update: 2025-10-17

Description

Description (EN):

To accommodate the needs of the green industry clusters in and around the coastal cities of Österbotten and Västerbotten, and to keep enough people in rural areas to justify basic services there's a pressing need for more in-migration, diversification of the job market and more jobs for those with a higher education. The games industry, a fast growing and scalable digital export sector based on creativity, offers a complementary solution to manufacturing industries and create a more diverse labour market, increase the number of people with higher education in the programme area and introduce competences necessary to future sustainable intersective innovation in alignment with the EU taxonomy. Some of the existing companies have seasoned leadership with robust international networks and experience in company development, but most companies lack this well-needed expertise. Typically, game industry specific incubators and accelerators address these gaps, but both Österbotten and Västerbotten lack these. To solve that the project aims to strengthen the competitiveness with a digital first support system. The primary objective of the project is to bolster the competitiveness of SMEs in the games industry, enhancing their innovation process, fueling further product development, and strengthening their business capabilities. By achieving this, the project anticipates a stronger and more sustainable games industry in both rural and urban areas. The project also aspires to create the foundation for a cross-border game accelerator coordinated with EU-initiatives, innovation systems, municipalities, regions, and national programmes as well as other key stakeholders. This project will strengthen the competitiveness of game industry SMEs and also lead to a a fortified regional ecosystem, increased employment opportunities and a general broadening of the overall job market in Österbotten and Västerbotten.

Expected Achievements (EN):

The primary objective is to bolster the competitiveness of SMEs in the games industry, enhancing their innovation process, fueling further product development, and strengthening their business capabilities. By achieving this, we anticipate a stronger and more sustainable games industry in both rural and urban areas. This will also lead to a a fortified regional ecosystem, increased employment opportunities and a general broadening of the overall job market. We also aspire to create the foundation for a cross-border game accelerator, drawing inspiration and knowledge from the Baltic Sea Game Incubators initiative. This needs to be coordinated with EU-initiatives, the current innovation systems, municipalities, regions, and national programmes as well as existing parties in this area to find a sustainable and well-functioning solution that will support the game industry SMEs long term.

Website: https://www.interregaurora.eu

Thematic information

Labour market and employment Education and training Knowledge and technology transfer

Priority: (VI-A_S-FI-N_1) Smart and sustainable growth

Priority specific objective: RSO1.3. Enhancing sustainable growth and competitiveness of SMEs and job creation in SMEs, including by productive investments

Priority policy objective (Interreg specific objective): PO1 A more competitive and smarter Europe by promoting innovative and smart economic transformation and regional ICT connectivity

Type of intervention: 021 SME business development and internationalisation, including productive investments

Partners (3)

Lead Partner: Centria-ammattikorkeakoulu Oy

Partner’s ID if not PIC: 1097805-3

Address: Vierimaan 7, 84100 Ylivieska, Finland

Legal status: n/a

Organisation type: N.a.

Total budget: EUR 296 222.00

Partner’s programme co-financing: EUR 192 545.00

Partner’s programme co-financing rate: 65.00%

Partner contribution: EUR 103 677.00

Creative Crowd AB

Name: Creative Crowd AB

Partner’s ID if not PIC: 5569586695

Address: LABORATORGRÄND 7, 931 62 SKELLEFTEÅ, Sweden

Legal status: private

Organisation type: N.a.

Total budget: EUR 539 003.00

Partner’s programme co-financing: EUR 350 352.00

Partner’s programme co-financing rate: 65.00%

Partner contribution: EUR 188 651.00

Ab Yrkeshögskolan vid Åbo Akademi

Name: Ab Yrkeshögskolan vid Åbo Akademi

Partner’s ID if not PIC: 2059910-2

Address: Köpmansgatan 10, FI-68600 Jakobstad, Finland

Legal status: n/a

Organisation type: N.a.

Total budget: EUR 279 545.00

Partner’s programme co-financing: EUR 181 705.00

Partner’s programme co-financing rate: 65.00%

Partner contribution: EUR 97 840.00

Partners map

Partners and Projects info

Creative Crowd AB

X Border Support4Games (Support structure for Game Start ups in the Arctic)

Partners and Projects info

Centria-ammattikorkeakoulu Oy

X Border Support4Games (Support structure for Game Start ups in the Arctic)

Partners and Projects info

Ab Yrkeshögskolan vid Åbo Akademi

X Border Support4Games (Support structure for Game Start ups in the Arctic)

Lead partner

Project partner

Summary

Project name (EN): X Border Support4Games (Support structure for Game Start ups in the Arctic)

Project acronym: 20364309.0

Project ID: 20364309.0

Project start date: 2024-01-01

Project end date: 2026-12-31

Project status: ongoing

Total budget/expenditure: EUR 1 114 770.00

Total EU funding (amount): EUR 724 602.00

Total EU funding (co-financing rate): 65.00%

Co-financing sources:

Investments, deliverables, policy contributions

(bullets are inserted automatically and may be incorrectly placed)

Deliverables:

Finland, Ylivieska, Vierimaan 7, 84100

Programme Output Indicator:

ISO003 - Number of common actions promoting exchanges between professional actors, Measurement unit: actions

Information regarding the data in keep.eu on the programme financing this project

Financing programme

2021 - 2027 Interreg VI-A Sweden-Finland-Norway (AURORA)

Last month that data in keep.eu was retrieved from the Programme's website or received from the Programme

2025-10-17

No. of projects in keep.eu / Total no. of projects (% of projects in keep.eu)

146 / 146 (100%)

No. of project partnerships in keep.eu / Total no. of project partnerships (% of project partnerships in keep.eu)

582 / 582 (100%)

Notes on the data

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X Border Support4Games (Support structure for Game Start ups in the Arctic)

Description

Thematic information

Partners (3)

Partners map

Summary

Investments, deliverables, policy contributions

Information regarding the data in keep.eu on the programme financing this project

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