President Kiska opened Slovak Innovation Contact Office in Finland

In the city of Espoo, the so-called Silicon Valley of Finland near Helsinki, Slovak President Andrej Kiska opened a Slovak Innovation Contact Office on Thursday to help the cooperation between Slovak and Finnish scientists, companies and startups. "I think that this is how a country with five million inhabitants (referring to Finland) can help entrepreneurs and young people reach the wider world," said President Kiska. It is the first such contact office of a foreign country in Finland and the first such Slovak office. "Two more similar offices are planned, one in the United States of America and one in England," said Kiska. The setting up of this office was allegedly a response to demands from the scientific, research and university fields and also from startups. According to the Slovak Ambassador to Finland Tibor Králik, the aim is to expand the office, as Slovakia would like the other Visegrad Group countries to join - meaning the Czech Republic, Hungary and Poland. In the first half of 2016, the office will be financed by the Slovak Foreign and European Affairs Ministry with almost €5,000. "In the next phase it could be financed with money from the EU and also from the private sector," said Ambassador Kralik. President Andrej Kiska was on a four day official visit in Estonia and Finland which ended on Thursday.