A new innovation university is being created out of three Finnish universities. The aim is a world-class university that would be able to compete with the best foreign universities and be an interesting co-partner for them.

The initiative for combining the expertise at the University of Art and Design Helsinki, Helsinki School of Economics and Business Administration and Helsinki University of Technology was taken by Yrjö Sotamaa, the principal of the art and design university, in the autumn of 2005.

"I firmly believe that Finland's competitiveness in the future could be built on the ability to combine in a superior way the expertise in various fields in order to create innovations and successful corporate activity," Sotamaa emphasizes.

"Mere technical pre-eminence is not enough for creating successful innovations. Top-class design and business skills are also needed. The significance of experiencing and usability of technology will be given greater emphasis."

Innovation university creates interest

"We principals have discussed among ourselves about increasing cooperation and the possibility of forming one university," Sotamaa says.

"Business circles have given a favourable reception to increasing cooperation among the universities and the idea of an innovation university. We've been given support to make advances in the matter quickly."

Sotamaa says that university students look on the cooperation ideas as something that will improve the scope for studying. In academic circles professors have reacted favourably to the proposals. "To be sure, there are others with something to say and they have to be listened to sensitively," Sotamaa adds.

Ability for creative cooperation

Sotamaa does not think that putting the innovation university into effect will necessarily require joint administration. It is more a matter of the ability to construct creative and ambitious cooperation.

"The administrative merging of universities is such a demanding process that it requires a thorough examination and wide-ranging discussion inside the universities before it can be considered. However, giving cooperation by the universities greater scope and depth can go ahead quickly."

The principals have set up a working party of deputy principals to consider tangible cooperation ventures in teaching, research and innovation activities. The principals will also be looking into the establishment of a joint innovation and product development institute that would open up new opportunities for a Master's and Doctor's degree, joint colleges for researchers and international cooperation.

"Innovation management and research and product development are areas with the potential to create significant activity at the international level," Sotamaa thinks. "We want to create something that does not exist yet."

First step taken

January 2007 will see the start of the Helsinki School of Creative Entrepreneurship (HSCE), which is being looked on as the first step in the innovation university. Marketing the programme will start in the spring and student applications in the autumn of 2006.

"The new school of creative entrepreneurship has aroused interest far and wide. It is a good example of what can be achieved by combining the skills of the universities. HSCE is just what I am thinking of with the innovation university: cooperation that produces creative and ambitious new expertise."

"We need a creative alliance between design, technology and marketing, a real innovation university," says Principal Yrjö Sotamaa.