Tampere and Austin, Texas, have formalised a five-year Memorandum of Understanding aimed at fostering economic links in areas of mutual interest. The agreement was signed by Mayor of Tampere Ilmari Nurminen and Mayor of Austin Kirk Watson at Austin City Hall. For Tampere, the main purpose is to help local companies grow internationally, with concrete pathways into the US market.
What the agreement covers
The cooperation will focus on the following fields:
- semiconductors and optoelectronics
- startups and scaleups
- resilience, defence and dual-use technologies
- advanced manufacturing and physical AI
- innovation ecosystems
- the experience economy
The agreement also encourages building business networks, advancing research and talent collaboration, and promoting joint projects. It encourages the cities’ organisations, companies, higher education institutions and other communities to cooperate directly. According to the City of Tampere, the agreement creates new opportunities for international business growth, investment, research collaboration and talent development.
How results will be measured
To evaluate the agreement’s success, the two cities will set annual objectives for the partnership and monitor progress on joint measures. Nurminen described the goal as “a practical partnership with an impact that extends beyond both cities.”
Why Tampere is doing it
From Tampere’s perspective, the partnership places particular emphasis on supporting companies’ international growth. The aim is to build practical links between the two cities’ innovation and business ecosystems and to make it easier for companies to enter new markets. Irene Vekkeli, Director of Economic Development and Innovation at the City of Tampere, said the city wants to create concrete pathways for Tampere-based companies to enter the US market. At the same time, the city will raise awareness among companies in Austin and across Texas of the opportunities available in Tampere and in Europe more broadly.
The wider plan
The agreement matches priorities in Mayor Nurminen’s 2027 budget proposal, published on 19 October 2026. The proposal says Tampere will strengthen future growth sectors such as semiconductor and defence technologies, improve access to finance for growth companies and promote international investment and exports. It describes employment as one of the city’s most serious challenges, with an unemployment rate of 15.9 per cent according to the latest available data. In September 2026, Tampere co-organised a forum on AI and the citiverse with the UN agencies ITU and UN-Habitat, whose programme included physical AI.