Finland has managed to organise and mobilise a nation-wide development process for its innovation environment. This has been a result of increasing co-operation between local Centres of Expertise, businesses and universities or polytechnics.

Finnish technology centres are growing strongly and focusing on the expertise of their surrounding regions. Given types of businesses are concentrating within specific Centres of Expertise. In addition to the IT industry, these centres host biotechnology, especially biopharmaceuticals, various materials technology applications, and new media industries.

Finland has 19 technology centres that house a total of 1,600 businesses and other organisations. The total number of employees working at these centres is 17,000. Each Finnish technology centre has a clearly identified technology profile as they focus on specific fields of technology.

The goal of the nationwide development process is to exploit expertise and skills as resources for business activity, job creation, and regional development. The guiding principle is competition. Becoming a Centre of Expertise is predicated on a concentration of internationally competitive expertise, effectiveness, and efficient organisation. The centres also compete annually for their basic funding from the government, which guarantees their continual development.

The Finnish Centre of Expertise model

The Finnish Centre of Expertise model and the broad nation-wide importance of technology centres have attracted widespread international interest for years.

The Finnish university system is rather unique compared to other nations, as well. Regional specialisation and division of labour have progressed particularly far among Finnish universities. This allows for the efficient use of limited national resources. The drawback of this model is that special arrangements have been necessary to focus the resources of management and EU programs, which are administered by 5 or 6 different ministries.

Finnish technology parks as concentrations of skills promote the start-up, development and internationalisation of technology companies. The current system has had impact primarily on the speed of growth of companies with an actual basis for running a successful business. As a result, high-technology jobs have been created, businesses have been borne, and new technologies are being exploited increasingly quickly in the operations of existing businesses. Also, a strong and workable national network of expertise has evolved to respond to the challenges of the information society.

Harnessing regional resources

The Finnish network model is reflected in a national declaration of intent, which is included in the current government programme and subsequent policy statements. Finnish ministries are participating in the national and regional development of innovation environments.

Technology centres as the cores of regional innovation are partnering up with such producers of skills as universities, polytechnics, individual businesses and various research institutions. National and regional partners include such authorities as ministries, the Academy of Finland, the National Fund for Research and Development (Sitra), the National Technology Agency (TEKES) as well as certain cities and municipalities, Employment and Economic Development Centres and expertise-intensive business clusters, and with individual businesses and other technology centres as operational partners.

The funding situation for technology centres is reasonably good. The funding of applied research and product development has increased and has remained at over 3 per cent of GNP, continuing at a high level internationally speaking. Finland ranks second in OECD research and development statistics.

Finnish Centers of Technology and Expertise:

Helsinki Science Park, Ltd
Biotechnology, medical, diagnostic, foodstuffs and environmental technology
Gene technology and molecular biology

Otaniemi Science Park
Active materials and micro systems

Joensuu Science Park, Ltd
Wood processing technology and forestry
Plastics technology and toolmaking

Jyväskylä Science Park
Information technology
Papermaking controls
Energy and environmental technology

Technology Centre Teknia Ltd (Kuopio)
Pharmaceutical development
Health care technology
Agrobiotechnology

Technology Centre Kareltek Inc. (Lappeenranta)
High-tech metal structures
Forest industry critical systems
Logistics and Russian expertise

Technopolis Plc (Oulu)
Information industry
Medical technology
Biotechnology

Tampere Technology Centre Ltd Hermia
Mechanical engineering and automation
Information and communication technology
Health care technology
Communications

Turku Technology Centre Ltd
Biomaterials, diagnostics and pharmaceutical development
Materials surface technology
Cultural production

Technology Center Merinova Ltd
Energy technology and economy

Culminatum Oy Ltd (Espoo)
Active materials and micro systems
Gene technology and molecular biology
Cultural industry
Software business
New media

Agropolis Ltd (Jokioinen)

Kajaani Technology Center

Technology Center Neopoli (Lahti)
Design
Quality
Ecology

Medipolis Ltd (Oulu)
Medical technology
Biotechnology

PrizzTech Ltd (Pori)
Materials technology
Distance technology

Foodwest Ltd (Seinäjoki)
Foodstuffs

Finn-Medi Research (Tampere)
Health care technology

Oy Media Tampere Ltd. (Tampere)
Communications

>> www.tekel.fi
>> www.intermin.fi/