The Smart Specialisation of Southern Kymenlaakso 2020
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The Smart Specialisation of Southern Kymenlaakso 2020 A preliminary study report Tommy Ulmanen Markus Petteri Laine University of Applied Sciences The Smart Specialisation of Southern Kymenlaakso 2020 A preliminary study report Tommy Ulmanen, project manager Markus Petteri Laine, project expert Kotka, Finland 2016 Publications of Kymenlaakso University of Applied Sciences. Series B. No: 149 Publisher: Kymenlaakso University of Applied Sciences Copyright: Kymenlaakso University of Applied Sciences Printing press: Juvenes Print 2016 ISBN (NID.): 978-952-306-142-2 ISBN (PDF.): 978-952-306-143-9 ISSN: 1239-9094 ISSN: (e-version) 1797-5972 TABLE OF CONTENTS 1. INTRODUCTION 5 2. BACKGROUND 7 2.1 Study objectives 7 2.2 Project and steering group 7 3. A DESCRIPTION OF THE OPERATING ENVIRONMENT 8 3.1 The cities and municipalities of southern Kymenlaakso 8 4. THE POSSIBILITIES OF OPEN DATA FOR THE REGION 10 4.1 The benefits of open data 10 4.2 The social applications of open data 12 4.3 The open data situation in southern Kymenlaakso 13 5. TOWARDS INNOVATION ACTIVITIES 15 5.1 Urban regions as innovation clusters 15 5.2 Innovation ecosystems in professional literature 15 5.2.1 A methodology and operating model for building innovation clusters 16 5.2.2 Organising authentic dialogue in accordance with collaborative rationality 17 5.2.3 Co-operation between universities, businesses and the public sector 18 5.2.4 Future activities and foresight 18 5.2.5 Naming a core organisation for innovation clusters and organising the process 19 5.3. The innovation ecosystem and trial environments in southern Kymenlaakso 20 6. THE POSSIBILITIES OF SPECIALISATION 23 6.1. Study method and data analysis 23 6.1.1. Selecting a study method 23 6.1.2. Security takes precedence 23 6.1.3. Crowdsourcing data collection 23 6.1.4. Data analysis – data division structure 25 6.1.5. Data description 26 6.1.6. Data analysis 32 3 7. CONCLUSIONS AND ACTION PROPOSALS 33 7.1. Open data 34 7.1.1. Open data in southern Kymenlaakso 34 7.1.2. Open data efforts in other regions 34 7.1.3. A proposal to open up data in Kymenlaakso 34 7.1.4. Workshop activities 35 7.1.5. Open data training 36 7.2. Open participation and customership 36 7.2.1. Open decision-making 37 7.2.2. The developing domestic and export markets 37 7.3. Open innovation platforms 37 7.4. My data 38 7.5. Marketing 39 References 40 Appendices 41 4 1. INTRODUCTION The scope of this preliminary study is limited to the development pressures and opportunities faced by the cities, municipalities, businesses and civil society of the southern Kymenlaakso region. The research project is based on a national smart specialisation strategy and an in-principle decision made by the govern- ment in 2011 to provide free access to public information assets. The steering group of the project believes conducting a regional preliminary study on the matter is important for assessing the current conditions and de- veloping a general understanding to serve as a basis for the development of smart urban environments and responsive transport systems in southern Ky- menlaakso. The preliminary study was administered by the Kymenlaakso University of Applied Sciences. The study was carried out between 1 August 2014 and 31 April 2015 with a total budget of 60,000 euros. The project funding was pro- vided by the Regional Council of Kymenlaakso, the Kymenlaakso University of Applied Sciences and Cursor Oy. We are also grateful for the co-operation of SmartTrans, one of the spearhead programmes of the Technical Research Centre of Finland (VTT), as well as that of experts from the City of Helsinki, the University of Tampere, the Ministry of Transport and Communications, the IT Centre for Science (SCS), the Association of Finnish Local and Regional Authorities, and the Regional Council of Kymenlaakso. Nine months is a short time to search for relevant answers to the challenges faced by southern Kymenlaakso due to economic and technological change. Our project team has worked for nine months to develop an understanding of the strengths and possibilities of smart specialisation available to the region. A large amount of background information and input was needed for the project – and duly provided by various expert organisations and experts who regularly contributed to solving regional challenges voluntarily. The past nine months have felt, from the viewpoint of a researcher, like a very short time to learn to understand in detail the possibilities provided by digitisation for smart commu- nity design. Yet, we will seek to identify the most relevant measures that have to be introduced in southern Kymenlaakso to enable the region to take advantage of its strengths and possibilities as efficiently as possible. 5 We will review the views of the task force on the most urgent regional measures based on the outcomes of a workshop organised on 17 March 2015. We will also present a literary review to familiarise readers with the concept of open data and the utilisation of innovation platforms. The report will also include proposals for the designation of trial environments. The need for innovation platforms was confirmed by the development ideas we received from regional decision-makers in the context of the workshop. The final report of this preliminary study is only the first step towards the smart development of the region. We prefer to refer to it as a process rather than a project. Our task force hopes that the region will continue to develop in an open-minded climate of reciprocal trust. We want to thank all parties who attended the discussions, offered expert ad- vice or partook, in one way or another, in conducting the preliminary study. We especially want to thank the keynote speakers of the workshop and seminar as well as the residents of southern Kymenlaakso who participated in our work- shop on 17 March 2015. You offered us your invaluable time and expertise. Thank you. In particular, we want to express our gratitude to research professor Nils-Olof Nylund and key account manager Karri Rantasila from TransSmart. Your kind advice and personal assistance have allowed us to achieve so much. We hope that the results of this preliminary study can be applied further in the scope of the Kymenlaakso Smart Specialisation Strategy (KymRIS), a project adminis- tered by the Kymenlaakso University of Applied Sciences that will continue the implementation of smart specialisation in the entire region of Kymenlaakso. 6 2. BACKGROUND 2.1 Study objectives Smart Cities and Responsive Transport is a preliminary study carried out in order to plan and prepare the cities, municipalities and businesses of the region to produce open data and provide free access to their information assets. The study offers information and insight regarding the possibilities of open data for the cities, municipalities and industries of southern Kymenlaakso. We have assessed the needs of the region and, based on those needs, established tentative guidelines for the first logical measures as well as identified the suit- able partners, funding instruments and tools to realise the smart specialisation of southern Kymenlaakso. 2.2 Project and steering group The preliminary study was administered by the Kymenlaakso University of Ap- plied Sciences. A project manager and a part-time project expert were assigned to co-ordinate the study. The responsibilities of the project manager included administration tasks, the production of results and the co-ordination of vari- ous tasks in accordance with the objectives. The responsibilities of the project expert, in turn, were related to communications, the presentation and adoption of new working methods and various steering tasks with which the success and sufficient quality of the results was ensured. The steering group of the preliminary study convened three times in the course of the project. It included Riitta Kallström of the Regional Council of Ky- menlaakso, Mika Perttunen of Cursor Oy, and Pauli Korkiakoski and Mervi Nurminen of the Kymenlaakso University of Applied Sciences. Toomas Ly- beck of Cursor Oy served as a supplementary member of the steering group due to his experience in a similarly-oriented project, the E18 Growth Corridor. 7 3. A DESCRIPTION OF THE OPERATING ENVIRONMENT Finland has a solid education system. The high education level of the popula- tion, safety of society, stability of institutions and proximity of nature unite the population and facilitate co-operation. A number of our regional strengths, indeed, apply also to society at large. Regional differences become apparent at closer inspection however. Each region has its unique industrial base and struc- ture as well as a development and operating culture that has developed over time. These aspects together determine what type of specialisation opportuni- ties are available to the region. Technological development and the concentration of a skilled workforce are factors that have traditionally contributed to the specialisation and competi- tiveness of regions. Development has shaped local institutional structures and working methods. The ability of people and businesses to learn to utilise and apply new information and technologies has emerged as a primary competitive factor. It is crucial for co-operation how people are able to trust each other and how they receive and share information. The nature of the entrepreneurial cli- mate in the region is determined largely by the prevalent culture of interaction. 3.1 The cities and municipalities of southern Kymenlaakso Southern Kymenlaakso comprises the municipalities of Pyhtää, Miehikkälä and Virolahti as well as the cities of Hamina and Kotka. It is located on the shore of the Gulf of Finland in the region of Kymenlaakso, close to the border with Russia, and is cut through by Highway E18 as it connects Helsinki with St.