Technopolis Plc will continue to expand its Kontinkangas technology center in Oulu. This will be the second extension of the center to be commenced by the company within a short time period. Commencement of the previous extension was confirmed a couple of weeks ago. The stages will be built simultaneously and they will be completed in August 2008. According to Technopolis Director Reijo Tauriainen, the rapid expansion of Kontinkangas shows the attractiveness of the area. Kontinkangas can be reached easily, offers companies a highly visible site and is situated quite near the Oulu city center. The new extension's main tenant will be WSP Finland Ltd. Currently about 70 % of the premises have been leased out. Meanwhile, the occupancy ratio of the previous extension has risen to 84 %, for its premises house not only the previously announced TietoEnator Corporation, but also Analog Devices Finland Oy, the Finnish subsidiary of the U.S. company, Analog Devices Inc. WSP is a company offering design, research and consultancy services, mainly in the sectors of transport, infrastructure, environment, architecture, bridge building, property, and soil and ground engineering. In Oulu it employs slightly over 100 people. According to Esko Järvenpää, Director of the company's Bridges Division, WSP has so far been spread over three sites in Oulu. "Now we will all be under the same roof, which has been our goal for some time. At Kontinkangas we will have an operating environment that suits us and supports our image," says Järvenpää. Analog Devices, on the other hand, is an international semiconductor company, whose Oulu R&D center develops microcircuits for the power control of portable equipment. The R&D center now employs 13 people and the target is to triple that number in the coming years. Juha Nikula, Site Manager, points out that the R&D center will get specially tailored premises at Kontinkangas. Another factor influencing the relocation is the area's excellent transport connections. The gross area of the new extension will be 4,290 square meters. The investment will be approx. EUR 7.5 million. At the same time, Technopolis will build parking facilities for the whole block. The internal yard will have 76 parking places above ground level and 192 parking places below it. For further information, please contact: Technopolis Plc Reijo Tauriainen, Director, +358 40 515 9848 In terms of the number of customer companies, Technopolis Plc is one of Europe's largest technology centers. It is also Finland's largest company that specializes in providing operating environments for high tech companies and offers a comprehensive service package combining modern premises and business and development services. Technopolis operates in Espoo, Jyväskylä, Lappeenranta, Oulu, Tampere and Vantaa in Finland, and in St. Petersburg in Russia. Some 12,000 people from 930 companies are currently working in its technology centers. The company's shares are quoted on the mid cap list of the Nordic Exchange.