Finnish AI Region’s October newsletter: From a new physical AI accelerator to EU AI Act and AI governance workshops and a GenAI hackathon
In our October update, we point to a new Physical AI Accelerator, events on AI regulation and governance, a December hackathon and training for founders, developers and job seekers.
Martti Asikainen | 20.10.2026 | Photo by Adobe Stock Photos
We’re delighted to be back with our October update — bringing you the latest news, events, and stories from the world of AI and digital innovation in Finland and Europe. Our AI, XR, cybersecurity, and high-performance computing services are fully operational and continually evolving, ready for you to make the most of.
This October’s newsletter is packed with updates, insights, and opportunities to get involved. And please remember, everything on our website is available in both Finnish and English. Thank you for being such a valued part of FAIR. As autumn settles in and the year heads toward its close, we’re looking forward to the exciting developments ahead and to achieving great things together.
Four cities, one accelerator
AI is moving from the digital world into the physical one. Physical AI combines artificial intelligence with robotics, autonomous systems, sensors and intelligent machines that can sense and act in real-world environments. In this month’s open calls, we highlight the new Physical AI Accelerator.
It brings together companies, research organisations, cities and ecosystem partners to turn Finland’s technology expertise into new business, pilots and international growth. Espoo, Tampere, Oulu and Turku each bring complementary strengths.
In Espoo, Physical AI Partner Matching connects companies facing a business or technology challenge with companies that can solve it. The aim is to create new pilots, partnerships, research and development projects and business opportunities. The focus areas are defence and dual-use technology, smart cities and health tech. An online information session on 27 October needs no registration and will not be recorded.
From the AI Act to Match XR
Two workshops deal with AI regulation and governance. On 12 November, our hybrid workshop at Crazy Town in Espoo covers the EU AI Act’s risk classes and demonstrates the TESSA and AIRO tools. It also looks at AI governance in practice, including who owns AI decisions and how to track AI tools.
A separate workshop in Pasila on 4 November, organised as part of AI Scalers, asks how organisations can move beyond managing individual AI systems to governing AI across the whole business.
On 30 October, we host a Finnish-language webinar on medical device usability and why user interface design is a safety issue. Terhi Holappa, Development Manager at UNA Oy, leads it, and registration closes on 29 October.
Match XR 2026, a free event on XR, AI and the metaverse, takes place on 12 November at Metropolia’s Arabia Campus in Helsinki, with talks, exhibitors and business matchmaking. Knights of Nordics, where Nordic deep tech meets investors in Espoo and Helsinki, follows just before Slush.
On 3 December, a one-day hackathon in Pasila invites participants to bring a business process or knowledge-intensive task that nobody has automated yet. They will explore how generative AI, AI agents and the open-source GAIK Toolkit can solve real challenges from companies and public organisations.
The organisers are the Agentic AI Foundation Community, the AI Hub for Business and Education at Haaga-Helia UAS, the GAIK project, LUMI AI Factory, 8wave.ai and Brillian.
Three paths from idea to pilot
Companies usually contact us for one of three reasons. They want to identify the right AI use case, validate a solution before investing, or test it in a real-world environment. Our Test Before Invest services help companies turn ideas into evidence-based decisions before they commit larger investments.
Companies exploring an AI opportunity can start with a needs assessment or advisory discussion, then move towards a proof of concept. Those validating a technical solution can get help with proof-of-concept development and rapid prototyping. Those testing in a real-world environment can use testbeds and pilot environments, including city innovation platforms. Pilot activities can also be combined with skills development, networking and support in finding funding.
In a recent customer story, we worked with Vendre to turn its AI ideas into a prioritised AI strategy and a phased roadmap. A related article argues that a proof of concept is the cheapest way to discover you are wrong, and that companies should test their riskiest assumption first.
From AI agents to small language models
Our courses and training run until December, with more on our skills and training portal. They begin on 23 October in Tampere and online with a session on how AI agents use tools, remember and act, including live demos. On 28 October, an online session helps founders and leaders preparing to raise funding understand investors, funding options and common mistakes.
On 12 November in Espoo and online, participants can build a working voice assistant for managing meetings. On 19 November, a session at Tampere University’s Hervanta campus covers using AI for job searches, CVs, applications and interviews, and is part of Yrityspäivät. Its first hour is in English and the second in Finnish.
A session on 27 November looks at small language models and when they beat large ones. On 11 December, a session on agentic RAG and agentic AI is aimed at students, researchers and developers, who should bring a laptop with Ollama, Python 3.11 and Node.js 18 or later installed.
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Finnish AI Region (2022 to 2028) gives enterprises, SMEs, midcaps and public sector organisations accessible expertise in AI, augmented reality, high-performance computing and cybersecurity, and most of it is free.
We are funded by the European Union, the cities of Helsinki and Espoo, Aalto University, the Universities of Helsinki and Tampere, Haaga-Helia and Metropolia Universities of Applied Sciences, KIRA InnoHub and 28DIGITAL.
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