Mayor Elo establishes Bloomberg Philanthropies Innovation Team to promote employment and a sustainable city
Turku is one of 18 new cities joining the international Bloomberg i-team program. The program includes more than 100 cities across 16 countries and four continents, reaching over 100 million residents.
September 2025.- Turku will establish a new innovation team focused on facilitating access to the labor market and accelerating sustainable consumption and lifestyle choices among young people. Supported by the New York-based Bloomberg Philanthropies, the team will begin its work in autumn 2025. It will consist of three specialized employees tasked with developing creative and resident-oriented solutions in collaboration with city experts and external partners. The team will receive technical assistance from both local and international experts as well as through cooperation with other cities.
The innovation team will place a particular emphasis on promoting the employment of international professionals and supporting young people’s sustainable consumption habits and lifestyle choices. The goal is to strengthen the ability of international talent and young students to adapt to the challenges of future working life, especially those changes in work practices, attitudes, and continuous skills development required by climate change.
According to Turku’s Mayor Piia Elo, the resident-oriented and data-driven solutions of the innovation team will improve the everyday lives of Turku residents.
"At the core of the program is, above all, the well-being of Turku residents. With the funding of the Bloomberg Innovation Team, the new innovation team will support every resident’s opportunity to build a good life, find their place in the community, and receive support for daily choices," says Mayor Elo.
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"The fact that Turku will be joined by Helsinki and Vantaa provides a unique opportunity to strengthen cooperation and advance Finland’s entire public sector innovation capacity," Elo adds.
National and global politics are increasingly tied to decision-making at the city level. To fully realize their potential, local governments need expertise and tools to solve problems across organizational boundaries. At the same time, they must be able to properly utilize data and emerging technologies, while keeping residents’ real needs at the core of their work.
In Europe, this is a particularly pressing issue: over 60% of mayors responding to an Eurocities survey stated that the ability to implement new solutions is the best strategy for achieving their most important goals. However, most cities lack the necessary resources to address the challenges they face. To meet these needs, the Bloomberg Philanthropies i-team initiative provides cities with funding and expertise to establish a multidisciplinary and goal-oriented unit. The initiative is part of Bloomberg’s Government Innovation portfolio.
"Delivering effective and efficient government is an inside job, and the innovation teams we support are doing this important work inside their municipalities across the world," says James Anderson, who leads Government Innovation at Bloomberg Philanthropies.
"We are delighted to see this model expanding in Europe with 18 new municipal teams. Team members work within local governments creatively and ambitiously, breaking down silos, solving problems, and delivering results that residents can tangibly experience," Anderson continues.
The new innovation teams will focus on finding solutions to strengthen disaster preparedness, reduce youth poverty, and lower household energy burdens. The teams will be established in the following cities: Brussels, Belgium; Zagreb, Croatia; Helsinki, Finland; Turku, Finland; Vantaa, Finland; Freiburg im Breisgau, Germany; Leipzig, Germany; Mannheim, Germany; Oslo, Norway; Madrid, Spain; Valencia, Spain; Zaragoza, Spain; Stockholm, Sweden; Edinburgh, United Kingdom; North East Combined Authority, United Kingdom; Liverpool City Region, United Kingdom; Greater Manchester Combined Authority, United Kingdom; South Yorkshire Mayoral Combined Authority, United Kingdom.
Bloomberg Philanthropies invests in 700 cities and 150 countries around the world to ensure longer and better lives for the greatest number of people. The organization focuses on creating lasting change across five key areas: the arts, education, environment, government innovation, and public health. Bloomberg Philanthropies is funded through Michael R. Bloomberg’s personal, corporate, and foundation giving. In 2024, Bloomberg Philanthropies donated a total of $3.7 billion to various causes.