About the Centre of Expertise

What do we do? 

 The Centre of Expertise offers nationwide advice and guidance to entrepreneurs and communities involved in or starting up a social enterprise, regardless of the type of company or sector. 

We advise, help and train companies with a social purpose. Our aim is to help create new social enterprises in Finland. 

We help existing social enterprises grow and operate more effectively. We are working to make social entrepreneurship a well-known and attractive option for creating jobs and well-being in Finland. 

Who are we? 

Our network, launched in October 2021, is called a consortium in administrative language. We are a group of social entrepreneurship experts: communities and businesses who have combined their strengths and knowledge for the benefit of the Centre of Expertise. Our network is led by Arvo – the Finnish Association of Social Enterprises, and the other members are the Diaconia University of Applied Sciences, Rehabilitation Foundation, Pellervo Coop Centre, Silta-Valmennusyhdistys and Vates Foundation. The Centre of Expertise is also built by all of you, with whom we will work in the future, and whose needs we will try our best to meet. 

More information 

Our network harnesses the expertise of specialists from different backgrounds to provide the right kind of expert assistance to those who need it. In addition to businesses and those interested in social entrepreneurship, we also serve, for example, Centres for Economic Development, Transport and the Environment and other public business services. 

The Centre of Expertise is part of the Finnish Government’s Work Capacity Programme (2019–2023), and one of our key tasks is to promote the employment of people with partial work ability. We provide guidance, advice and networks to promote the employment of people with disabilities and strengthen the role of social enterprises in this work. 

The Centre of Expertise was founded on the basis of the strategy for social enterprises. The Ministry of Economic Affairs and Employment has granted a state subsidy for the launch of the Centre of Expertise. It is also responsible for steering the Centre of Expertise.