Washington, Finland sign cooperative agreement to build economic, innovation partnerships

What this means

Washington Governor Bob Ferguson and Finland’s U.S. ambassador, Leena-Kaisa Mikkola, signed a cooperation memorandum at Seattle’s National Nordic Museum on October 13, 2026, according to the governor’s October 14 announcement. The framework covers maritime and aerospace innovation, clean energy, sustainable resource management and transportation, and emerging technologies. It is intended to support trade missions, research partnerships and connections between small businesses, suppliers and investors, including quantum-computing and polar-icebreaker expertise. The agreement expands a 2021 partnership that supported educational exchanges and official delegations. The release describes cooperation goals rather than confirmed commercial contracts, grant awards or a guaranteed job total.

Official release

Source material from Washington Governor’s Office. The wording below is the issuer’s statement.

October 14, 2026

Story Body

Governor Bob Ferguson and Finland’s Ambassador to the United States, Leena-Kaisa Mikkola, set a new framework to guide collaboration and trade between Washington and Finland. They gathered at the National Nordic Museum in Seattle to sign a joint Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between the two regions and launch a new era of partnership on research, academia, innovation and business. This is the first collaborative agreement with a foreign nation Governor Ferguson has signed since taking office in 2025.

The agreement lays out specific industries and research areas that will be the focus of ongoing collaboration between Finland and Washington. These include:

Modern maritime industry safety, efficiency and sustainability;

Aerospace and defense innovation;

Clean energy generation, transmission and storage;

Sustainable forestry, fisheries and water resource management;

Sustainable transportation, including sustainable battery development; and

Emerging technologies such as quantum technology and Artificial Intelligence.

The agreement helps facilitate trade missions, connects small businesses with potential investors and suppliers, and sets priorities for knowledge sharing and policy expertise.

For example: Washington state is a global leader in quantum computing research, and Finland is a leader in producing the cryogenic materials needed for quantum computing. The Washington-Finland agreement helps researchers build their supply chain, particularly small research firms who might not otherwise have the resources to locate international suppliers. Finland is currently building the next-generation fleet of U.S. polar icebreaker vessels. Washington serves as the home of the U.S. icebreaking fleet, employing skilled regional civilian maritime expertise that sustains these vessels between deployments. The partnership can help connect those experts to Finnish shipbuilders to share knowledge about ship design and maintenance as they come into U.S. service.

“Washington state and Finland are global leaders in developing cutting-edge innovations,” Governor Ferguson said. “Today’s agreement strengthens our ties and helps build connections to create business opportunities, share expertise and expand academic partnerships with our world-class universities. Our partnership is focused on industries that reflect Washington and Finland’s shared values and complementary strengths. I’m committed to building new opportunities for Washington.”

“Finland and Washington state share a strong commitment to innovation and sustainable growth,” Leena-Kaisa Mikkola, Ambassador of Finland to the United States. “Our renewed partnership provides a framework for turning that shared commitment into practical cooperation, including in maritime, clean energy, and advanced technologies. Finnish companies such as Nokia (mobile networks), Wärtsilä (marine and energy technologies), KONE (escalators and elevators), Vaisala (weather technologies), and Kemira (water treatment solutions) create jobs in local communities and further strengthen the ties between Finland and Washington. Partnerships at the state level support transatlantic relations, and Finland is pleased to deepen its ties with Washington state to build on the opportunities ahead.”

The signing took place yesterday as part of the 2026 Nordic Innovation Summit in Seattle. The Summit is a unique convening of policymakers, business leaders, researchers, innovators, and cultural voices from across the Nordic region, the Arctic, and the Pacific Northwest to explore the future of Arctic cooperation, climate resilience, energy transition, security, health innovation, and emerging technologies. The Nordic Innovation Summit has become an annual event at the museum, itself an indication of the importance of Nordic ties to Washington.

The new collaboration expands on a 2021 agreement, which led to a collaboration between University of Washington and Finnish educators and institutions on media literacy and combating misinformation. It also led to three official delegations from Washington visiting Finland and a 2023 Presidential delegation from Finland to Washington. One of those Washington delegations explored partnerships in sustainable forestry, forest management, biomass utilization, and innovative wood-based products. The prior agreement led to the President of Finland visiting Washington state, delivering the first-ever address by a foreign head of state to the Washington State Legislature.

More pictures from the event can be found here.

Release text attributed to Washington Governor’s Office. Consult the official publication for any subsequent corrections or updates.