The application period for the Baltic Sea Project 2020 is now open!

The application period for the funding call of the Bank of Åland’s Baltic Sea Project 2020 opens today. This year we are giving up to €500,000 to support projects that improve the state of the Baltic Sea.

The funding call is now being held for the sixth time. In previous years, funding from the Baltic Sea Project has enabled the establishment and development of a number of startups as well as the implementation of various innovations and ideas for a healthier Baltic Sea.

– If you or your organization have an idea that could help the Baltic Sea, we can help it become reality. We believe that real change is possible when we work together. That’s why we’re once again pledging significant amounts of money to projects that improve the state of the Baltic Sea, says Anne-Maria Salonius, Head of Finland Division at the Bank of Åland and Jury Chairperson of the Baltic Sea Project.

The Bank of Åland’s main goals with the Baltic Sea Project are to support projects that will have a tangible impact on the health of the Baltic Sea and to increase awareness of the state of the sea.

– The Baltic Sea is in critical condition. We need fresh ideas and innovations for conservation. The Bank of Åland’s Baltic Sea Project is a fantastic opportunity for startups to get the funding that they need in order to grow and develop their projects. Big visions can give birth to miracles, says Ilkka Paananen, CEO of Supercell.

Paananen and Skype’s founder Niklas Zetterström sit on the jury of the Baltic Sea Project as it evaluates digital innovations.

In over two decades, the Bank of Åland has spent nearly €2,745,000 in support of various organizations in their vital environmental work.

Major funding for startup innovations

Funding provided by the Baltic Sea Project has been used in previous years to enable a number of different startups to achieve their goals, from planning a new factory to product development and pilot projects.

Solar Foods, an Espoo-based startup that uses air to make protein, received €50,000 from the Baltic Sea Project in 2018 for designing their new factory in Finland.

– You should definitely apply for funding whether your project is big or small, or whether it’s happening now or a little later, like in our case. The funding allowed us to design our first factory. It also gave us a chance to tell people what the future of food might look like in practice, says Pasi Vainikka, CEO of Solar Foods.

The Baltic Sea Project has also funded the likes of Sulapac, a company developing biodegradable alternatives to plastic packaging, and Johannes Myllykoski, who invented a device for collecting marine plastics and founded the company Clewat Oy to develop the device further.

– Startups have become key recipients of the Baltic Sea Project’s funding, because often they have completely fresh ideas on how to help the Baltic Sea. We’re very proud of the projects we’ve chosen to fund and we keep a close eye on their progress, says Salonius.

Who can apply to get funding from the Baltic Sea Project?

Funding from the Baltic Sea Project is available, for example, to companies, foundations, and research projects with a concrete goal. Applicants do not need to be established names in their field. What matters is that the applicant has an idea to make a meaningful impact on the health of the Baltic Sea.

– Human activity leaves its mark on the Baltic Sea for good and for ill, and our sea still needs all the help it can get. The Baltic Sea Project is our way of encouraging everyone to take part in the sea’s conservation, says Salonius.

Last year the Baltic Sea Project gave €445,000 to support the work done by various actors to help the Baltic Sea. The largest amounts went to the John Nurminen Foundation, the Baltic Sea Action Group, the Keep the Archipelago Tidy Association and Emmaus Åland. Read more about the projects funded in 2019 here!

The amount of Baltic Sea Project funding is based on the total deposits on the Bank of Åland’s Baltic Sea Accounts. Each year the Bank of Åland donates to environmental protection a sum equaling up to 0.2% of all deposits on Baltic Sea Accounts

 

Contact:

Anne-Maria Salonius

Head of Finland Division, The Bank of Åland, Finland

tel. +358 40 733 1106
anne-maria.salonius@alandsbanken.fi

 

Crista Tammela

Marketing and Communications Manager, The Bank of Åland, Finland

tel. +358 40 646 3501
crista.tammela@alandsbanken.fi

 

The Baltic Sea Project works for a healthier Baltic Sea by funding great ideas and spreading awareness of the state of the sea. Through the Baltic Sea Project, the Bank of Åland wants to inspire other organizations to develop great ideas that help the environment.

Supporting environmental projects has been a key part of the Bank of Åland’s operations since 1997. To date, the Bank of Åland has spent nearly €2,745,000 supporting the vital environmental work done at big and small organizations alike. Each year the Bank of Åland donates to environmental protection a sum equaling up to 0.2% of all deposits on Baltic Sea Accounts.