Press Release April 19, 2007 Free for publication at 4 p.m. Raimo Sailas in Oulu: Economic growth is a national challenge Technopolis, the nationwide technology center operator, celebrated its 25th anniversary. Raimo Sailas, Permanent Secretary of State, highlights the achievement of sufficient economic growth in Finland as a tough challenge for the nation. According to Sailas, it will require substantial and continuous improvement in productivity and efficiency, in both the corporate and public sectors. In his address at the 25th anniversary celebration of Technopolis Plc, Sailas underlined that the growth requirement for production and the economy is necessitated by the increase in pension costs, the improvements in benefits and services agreed in the government program and the current account surplus target set for the national economy. “To maintain a surplus national economy with public expenditure on the increase, we need to apply an economic policy that supports very strong growth in output. This becomes all the more important when we know that the working-age population will begin to shrink around 2010 and decrease during the next decade by as many as 200,000 people,” said the Permanent Secretary of State. Pertti Huuskonen, President and CEO of Technopolis, a nationwide technology center operator and one of Europe's largest technology center companies, promised that Finnish technology centers will do their part in facilitating growth and well-being by promoting the competitiveness and success of high tech companies. “Technology centers have - through their collaboration with companies, universities and cities - played a key role in supporting the transformation of Finland during the past 25 years into a high tech country of international standard. The future holds major challenges for us, since we no longer have the head start we used to have. Fortunately, however, we do have diversified and broad-ranging competence in all the critical fields of high technology, an excellent track record in scoring successes, and resources that have grown to remarkable proportions," said President and CEO Huuskonen. According to Huuskonen, the Technopolis Group has a unique service concept on offer, with one organization serving Finnish high tech companies all over Finland and in the future abroad as well. This gives Finnish companies a clear edge over international competition. Technopolis is expanding Technopolis, a company that started out a quarter of a century ago in Oulu under the name Oulun Teknologiakylä Oy, is continuing its own growth path - and a strong one, too. The company has extensions pending or under construction in all of its current operating locations. Technopolis is also preparing to construct a technology center in St. Petersburg, Russia. The company already operates in the city, presently in leased premises. During its first years, Technopolis operated as very much an integral part of the business policy of its then-principal owner, the City of Oulu. Its objective was to support the growth of Oulu into an important technology city and facilitate the emergence of new high tech companies. Over the years, Technopolis has expanded into a nationwide network of technology centers, with units currently located in the cities of Espoo, Jyväskylä, Lappeenranta, Oulu, Tampere and Vantaa. Technopolis is one of Europe's largest technology centers and the largest company in Finland providing operating environments for high tech companies. It is also one of the world's few technology centers listed on the stock exchange. Technopolis President and CEO Pertti Huuskonen underlines that the company's strong advance in recent years is based on a growth strategy, according to which the company aims to operate in the best high technology cities in Finland and in Russia and 1-2 other countries by 2010. Technopolis seeks to reach this target through both organic growth and acquisitions. “This growth enables us to provide our customers with even better quality, diversity and pricing of services, a more comprehensive network and a good selection of operating premises suitable for varying purposes around Finland and abroad," says Huuskonen. From the outset, Technopolis's operating idea has been to support the growth and development of its customer companies. It implements this idea through its unique service concept which combines business and development services with state-of-the-art operating premises. A total of 12,000 people from 930 companies are currently working in Technopolis technology centers. The company's shares are quoted on the mid-cap list of the Nordic Exchange. The net sales of Technopolis increased last year to EUR 44.8 million, and the company's EBITDA (Earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization) amounted to EUR 22.7 million. Technopolis's market capitalization has grown during the company's eight years on the stock exchange from the initial EUR 26 million to the current EUR 300 million. The expansion of Technopolis into a nationwide network of technology centers has turned Technopolis Ventures, a business development and incubator enterprise and part of the Technopolis Group, into a leading company in its field in Finland. Technopolis Ventures operates mainly in the same localities as the parent company. Last year over 200 companies participated in its development programs. Four persons awarded Celebrating its 25th anniversary in Oulu on Thursday, the company presented awards to persons who have played an exceptional role in the company's development. The selections were guided by Technopolis's values: Customer orientation, innovation, corporate responsibility and profitable growth. Among the awarded persons were Hannu Käkelä, Managing Director of Nestix Oy, the first high tech company to become a Technopolis customer, Paavo Vasala, an entrepreneur with Wasala Communications Oy who was awarded for innovative collaboration in communications, and Lauri Lajunen, President of the University of Oulu, who was awarded as a corporate responsibility partner. Leena Marmila, Assistant to the President and CEO and a long-term Technopolis employee, was awarded as a key person facilitating the company's growth that has continued from year to year. Additional information: Technopolis Plc, Pertti Huuskonen, President and CEO, tel. +358 400 680 816 or +358 8 551 3213