Institutional Mapping of Finland's National System of Innovation
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Institutional Mapping of Finland's National System of Innovation First Step RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT PARLIAMENT COUNCIL OF STATE Science and Technology Policy Council Ministries Finnish Higher Education Evaluation Council promoting and supporting organizations Academy of Finland Tekes PUBLIC R&D ORGANIZATIONS PRIVATE R&D ORGANIZATIONS Research Joint Private National Units and research nonprofit Private funds Technical Research Research departments institutes of research Scientific and Universities Centre of Finland (VTT) Institutes of entreprises enterprises institutes societies foundations TECHNOLOGY TRANSFER Science/Technology University/Research institute Centres of Expertise Regional Centres of Labour Parks based technology transfer companies and Business Development VENTURE CAPITAL SITRA Private and mixed VC organizations Industry Investment Ltd. Start Fund of Kera Ltd. Description of institutions Parliament makes laws with the President of the Republic and approves the annual state budget. Oversees the State administration and the activities of public officials. Council of State (or Government). For the general governing of the State there is a Council of State, which consist of a Prime Minister and the necessary number of ministers (up to 17). The term is also applied to the whole formed by the Government and the 13 ministries. Science & Technology Policy Council is an advisory body to the Government in issues relating to science, technology and innovation policy. The Council is chaired by the Prime Minister and its membership consists of 5 other ministers and 10 high level expert members. Ministries Ministry of Trade and Industry Ministry of Education Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry Ministry of Social Affairs and Health Ministry of Defence Ministry of Environment Ministry of Finance Ministry of Transport and Communications Ministry for Foreign Affairs Ministry of the Interior Ministry of Justice Ministry of Labour Prime Minister's Office Finnish Higher Education Evaluation Council (FHEEC) assists universities and polytechnics and the Ministry of Education in matters relating to evaluation. The aim is to make evaluations an integral part of institutional practice and to enhance institutions' expertise in evaluation. The Council may also evaluate the impact of certain higher education policy solutions. The Evaluation Council is a coordinating and implementing expert body independent of both educational administration and higher education institutions. It does not make administrative decisions. The Council consists of 12 members invited by the Ministry of Education for a four-year term. Its Secretariat has 4 members. Academy of Finland advances scientific research and its exploitation, develops international research cooperation and serves as an expert body in matters concerning science policy. Funding includes the funding of high-standard research and researcher training in fixed-term projects and the creating of other preconditions for research, such as participation in international research cooperation and the publication of research results. Expert tasks: The Academy has commissioned evaluations of fields of research in Finland since 1983. In 1995 it started an evaluation of the overall state and standard of research in Finland. The purpose of this evaluation is to provide an overall picture of Finnish research, and some of its most important functions will be to prepare a basic charting of, for example, the resources and organizational structure of science, the standard of research and its social significance. The first evaluation of these will be completed in 1997. The Academy is also responsible of the selection of Finnish researcher training programmes and in the designation of Centres of Excellence in Research. Technology Development Centre (Tekes) promotes the technological competitiveness in Finnish industry. Activities should lead to an increase and diversification of industrial production and exports and an improvement of well-being in society. Tekes promotes technological research and development and the cooperation of companies, universities and research institutes within Finland as well as internationally. Main duties: 1) laying out technological strategies, 2) funding applied research and development projects of industry (note especially Technology programmes which are a means of creating new technological know-how through the cooperation of companies, research institutes and universities. Industry plays an active role in coordinating and defining and directing the content of the programmes. Currently there are 80 active programmes), 3) co-ordination and funding of international technology co-operation (promotion of Finland's participation in research and development programmes of the European Union and cooperation with EUREKA, ESA, COST, IMS, IEA, OECD, the Nordic countries, USA, Japan and China) 4) information and technology transfer (especially sme). Finland has 20 Universities - ten multidisciplinary and six specialist institutions and four art academies - all of them State-run and engaged in both education and research. The university network covers the entire country. The development of the university system was characterized by expansion from the 1960s to the 1980s by a rapid growth in resources and an increase in independent decision-making from the mid-1980s up to 1990. In 1990s, the functional independence of universities has continued to grow, while attention has focused increasingly on improving performance and quality. The research expenditure of the university sector has also continued to grow after a slight decrease between 1991-1993 due to the economic recession. The structural development of the higher education system taking currently place in Finland will result in the establishment of a distinct non-university sector of higher education by the end of the decade. Finland has the following universities located in 11 university town: University of Helsinki Helsinki School of Economics and Business Administration Swedish School of Economics and Business Administration Sibelius Academy University of Art and Design The Theatre Academy Academy of Fine Arts Helsinki University of Technology University of Turku Åbo Akademi University Turku School of Economics and Business Administration Lappeenranta University of Technology University of Tampere Tampere University of Technology University of Jyväskylä University of Joensuu University of Vaasa University of Kuopio University of Oulu University of Lappland. 3 Technical Research Centre of Finland (VTT) is an impartial expert organization that carries out technical and technoeconomic research and development work. VTT develops technologies to improve both the competitiveness of companies and the basic infrastructure of society, and to foster the creation of new businesses. 9 Institutes :Electronics, Information Technology, Automation, Chemical Technology, Biotechnology and Food Research, Energy, Manufacturing Technology, Building Technology, Communities and Infrastructure. National Research Institutes The Research Institute for the Languages of Finland The National Board of Antiquities Geological Survey of Finland (GSF) The National Consumer Research Centre Agricultural Research Centre of Finland (MTT) Agricultural Economic Research Institute Finnish Forest Research Institute (METLA) Finnish Game and Fisheries Research Institute Finnish Geodetic Institute (FIG) National Veterinary and Food Research Institute (EELA National Research and Development Centre for Welfare and Health (STAKES) National Public Health Institute (KTL) Finnish Institute of Occupational Health Finnish Centre for Radiation and Nuclear Safety (STUK) The Defence Forces Research Centre (DFRC) Finnish Environment Institute Finnish Meteorological Institute (FMI) Finnish Institute of Marine Research Government Institute for Economic Research National Research Institute of Legal Policy Joint research institutes of enterprises. Central Laboratory (KCL). KCL is owned by four forest industry companies. Its task is to promote the competitiveness of these companies by carrying out their jointly funded research. KCL also serves other companies. Research is conducted into the raw materials for pulp and papermaking, the processes themselves, as well as the end products, i.e. the entire chain from wood to the final coated, calendered and printed end product. About 25 % of all pulp and paper industry r&d work in Finland is conducted at KCL. Science/Technology Parks are located in the vicinity of universities or research institutes. Judicial form is a limited company and shareholders consist of a mixture of private (financial institutions, industry) and public organizations (communities, universities, science institutions). In addition to offering premises and a technically developed infrastructure science/technology parks offer a stimulating and innovative business environment. In addition to industrial companies and research units different kinds of private and public/semipublic service organizations are located in the science parks. Science park often play an important coordinating or implementing role in various business development and regional development programmes. There are 12 science/technology parks in Finland: Innopoli (at Espoo), Otaniemi Technology Park (subsidiary of Innopoli), Helsinki Science Park Ltd, Carelian Science Park, Jyväskylä Science Park, Technology Centre Teknia, Finnmedi -Research Ldt., Kareltech Technology Centre, Oulu Technopolis and Medipolis, Tampere