1994-2006

2007-2013

COFISA CLOSING CONFERENCE

Second generation of OSKE – Centre of Expertise Programme

N Tapani Saarinen
Vice President; Business Development
FINLAND
Population: 5.3 Million
Pop. Density 15.7/ km2
Area: 338 424 km2
GDP per capita: 34 769 €
 TURKU – SOUTHWEST FINLAND

85 Million People within 2 hours flight

¾ Turku, Åbo, the ancient trading place by the river, officially documented
from 1229, hosts now economical area of 290 000 inhabitants.

¾ Turku is the European Capital of Culture in year 2011

¾ Academia Aboensis, the Åbo Akademi, was founded already in 1640.

¾ Today Turku has two universities and the largest polytechnic

(University of Applied Sciences) in Finland.
Piece of History

New Programme

Lessons to learn
 Piece of History

TO UTILISE
TOP LEVEL KNOWLEDGE AND EXPERTISE
AS A RESOURCE FOR

BUSINESS OPERATIONS,
JOB CREATION AND REGIONAL DEVELOPMENT
 Piece of History

Triple Helix

ACADEMIA INDUSTRY

Producers of Uttilizers of
New Knowledge New Knowledge

SOCIETY

Facilitators
 Piece of History

• A fixed-term special programme that started in 1994

• Pools local, regional and national resources to utilise top expertise
• Supports specialization and cooperation between the CoE’s

• Concentrates on
- internationally competitive fields and
- on the development of business activities
 Piece of History

Partners at regional
level

Joint strategy
 Piece of History

Government’s catalytic basic funding 1999-2006

Total project funding: 525

million euros
Basic funding: 52
million euros
SPECIAL THANKS TO THE PIONEERS OF
CoE Programme – Activator in South Africa

Dr. Neville Commins, The Innovation Hub

Mr. Tsietsi Maleho, The Innovation Hub
Ms Jeanette Morwane, The Innovation Hub
Mr Stephan Lamprecht, Venture Solutions
New Programme
 New Programme

BASIC PRINCIPLES OF OSKE

Bottom-up approach: local strategies meet national

Innovation policy targets

Triple helix: interaction between academia

and the private and public sectors

Based on regional strengths and specialization (bottom up)

coordinated on national level by cross-sectoral committee
represented by ministeries, research organisations an
industry representatives (top down)
 New Programme

THE OPERATING FIELDS OF OSKE

• Internationality in R&D and business activities

• Boosting the growth of knowledge-intensive companies
• Activating knowledge intensive SME’s innovation actions
• Linking the regional-driven innovation actions to national
and transnational innovation framework
 New Programme
Operational model of OSKE
9 13 national competence clusters in 21 regional centres of expertise
(Regional technology centres and science parks work as operators)
9 Each competence cluster is comprised of network of 4-7 regional centre of
expertise
9 Competence clusters can be
- Technology-driven (e.g. Nanotechnology, HealthBio)
- Application-driven (e.g. Living business)
- Industry-driven (Forest cluster)
- Service-oriented (Tourism and Experience Management)
9 Competitive tendering for basic funding
─ 20 million euros annually, Government 50%, Municipalities 50%
─ RDI projects are funded through EU structural funds, EU framework
programmes, Tekes etc.
 New Programme
Thematic fields of OSKE - 13 competence clusters in 21 centres of expertise
HealthBio
Kuopio, Oulu,Helsinki,
Tampere, Turku
Nanotechnology
Living business Joensuu, Jyväskylä, Kokkola, Mikkeli, Oulu,
Joensuu, Hämeenlinna, Helsinki, Tampere
Lahti, Helsinki
Health and Well-being
Kuopio, Oulu, Helsinki, Tampere

Digital Content Energy Technology

Hämeenlinna, Helsinki, Tampere, Kouvola Joensuu, Jyväskylä, Vaasa, Pori ja Tampere
Ubiquitous Computing
Jyväskylä, Oulu, Pori,
Food Development Helsinki, Tampere
Cleantech
Kuopio, Helsinki, Kuopio, Lahti, Oulu, Helsinki
Seinäjoki, Turku
Tourism and Experience Management
Helsinki, Rovaniemi, Savonlinna, Turku
Forest Industry Future Intelligent Machines
Joensuu, Jyväskylä, Kajaani, Kokkola, Mikkeli, Hyvinkää, Hämeenlinna, Lappeenranta,
Lappeenranta, Turku Seinäjoki, Tampere
Maritime
Lappeenranta, Pori, Turku, Vaasa, Raahe
 New Programme
ROVANIEMI

21 CENTRES OF EXPERTISE
OULU
RAAHE

KAJAANI
KOKKOLA

VAASA
KUOPIO
SEINÄJOKI
JOENSUU

JYVÄSKYLÄ

SAVONLINNA
MIKKELI
TAMPERE
PORI
IN ONE COMPETENCE CLUSTER HÄMEENLINNA LAHTI LAPPEENRANTA
HYVINKÄÄ KOUVOLA
IN NINE COMPETENCE CLUSTERS
TURKU HELSINKI
 New Programme
HEALTHBIO – BIOTECH COMPETENCE CLUSTER 2007-2013
Oulu
Oulu ––
Oulu
Oulu InnovationLtd
InnovationLtd
•• Biomoleculars
Biomoleculars
•• Bioprocess
Bioprocess
•• Biosensor
Biosensor research
research Kuopio
Kuopio ––
•• Bio
Bio -- electronics
electronics Kuopio
Kuopio Innovation
Innovation Ltd
Ltd
•• Pharmaceutical development
Pharmaceutical development
•• Molecular
Molecular Science
Science
Tampere
Tampere –– •• Biomaterials
Biomaterials
Finn-Medi
Finn-Medi Research
Research Ltd
Ltd
•• Biomaterials
Biomaterials
•• Tissue
Tissue Technology
Technology
•• Immunology
Immunology
•• Bio
Bio -IT
-IT

Helsinki
Helsinki Region
Region –– Culminatum
Culminatum Ltd
Ltd
Turku ––
Turku •• Molecular Medicine
Molecular Medicine
Turku •• Neuroscience
Turku Science
Science Park
Park Ltd
Ltd Neuroscience
•• Bioinformatics
Bioinformatics
•• Pharmaceutical
Pharmaceutical development
development •• Industrial
Industrial process
process development
development
•• Biomaterials
Biomaterials
•• Diagnostics
Diagnostics
•• Molecular
Molecular Biology
Biology
 New Programme

CENTRE OF EXPERTISE PROGRAMME OFFERS

9 Networks and contacts to the best Finnish

expertise in the selected fields
9 Business opportunities with Finnish companies
9 Co-operation in innovation activities
9 Research commercialisation
 New Programme

OUTCOMES OF OSKE

9 Over 4 000 Finnish companies take part each year in the

preparation and implementation of OSKE projects
9 The cluster approach increases the critical mass needed in research
and development as well as internationalisation of businesses.
Lessons to learn
 Lessons to learn

ƒCommitment of different actors in the regions (incl. companies) to

long-term cluster based R&D

ƒEfficient exploitation of interfaces between different fields of expertise

within the Competence Cluster

ƒBigger programme entities create better prerequisites for

internationally remarkable innovation environments

ƒGathers scattered top expertise and at the same time creates an

effective new way to disseminate information and know how

ƒDespite a region-based model, connection to national innovation

policy will be strengthened
 Lessons to learn

N. I. H.

•Not everybody is happy to cooperate on a national level

•Not everybody is competitive on a national level
•Local authorities are not always happy to finance national activities
•Best results are coming trough open cooperation
•Learning phase takes more time, than expected
 GREETINGS FROM MY HOME TOWN
8. FEBRUARY 2010

THANK YOU, FOR YOUR INTEREST