Boosting Innovations in the Helsinki Metropolitan Area
The Helsinki Metropolitan Area is currently the most exciting environment for innovation activities. Innovation and business ecosystems have emerged in the region in recent years. The mutual intention of the actors in the region to generate innovations and entrepreneurship has stimulated and strengthened the region. As a result, the operating culture emphasized by the thought "Innovation, they are done together" is rising.
The Finnish government has led innovation actors to work ever more closely together. Like other Finnish university cities, Helsinki, Espoo and Vantaa have signed an ecosystem agreement with the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Employment. The key objective of the agreement is to develop innovation ecosystems, i.e., strengthen cooperation between private and public actors, identify thematic spearheads, and thus increase the impact of RDI activities.
There is a need for more practical innovation development in many regions and sectors, especially to encourage companies and other actors to engage in RDI. This activation is part of the core mission of the Finnish Universities of Applied Sciences.
Finnish government strengthens regional innovation policy in 2023
The Finnish national budget will include increasing funding instruments to support RDI activities and strengthen regional innovation policies. The aim is to activate companies and other RDI actors to internationalize and grow.
In the 2023 budget, funding for RDI activities will be increased by around €350 million, consisting of:
- A permanent increase of €63 million in Business Finland's RDI grant mandate, plus a one-off rise of €60 million in the 2023 mandate for the funding of flagship companies.
- A mandate of EUR 10 million for a new regional RDI funding instrument
- An increase of EUR 5 million for research and development in universities of applied sciences.
The regional RDI funding is intended to support the implementation of regional programs and strengthen regions' vitality. The recently published Helsinki Uusimaa Regional Programme 2022-2025 has focal points for the development of the Uusimaa region, which aim to
- climate change mitigation
- economic competitiveness
- and social well-being.
The programme will be implemented jointly, drawing on the region's RDI capabilities and partnerships. Indeed, Uusimaa has solid RDI expertise at the national level in building well-being and vitality resource-wise.
The state's actions support the objectives of the RDI Roadmap 2030. The proposed new investments are welcome to strengthen cooperation between higher education institutions, research institutes, companies and other RDI actors. Universities of Applied Sciences have a pivotal role in achieving the objectives of the Roadmap.
Metropolia's RDI activities reflect the four regional key themes
The cities of Helsinki, Espoo and Vantaa are implementing their ecosystem agreement with the state through the HEVI-innovations project portfolio, consisting of four key themes. The objectives of Metropolia's RDI strategy and the project portfolios of the five innovation hubs are closely linked to these key themes.
1. Smart and sustainable urban solutions
The cities of the metropolitan area offer development and experimental environment that Metropolia has already been developing; for example
- smart mobility
- urban food production
- energy-efficient building solutions.
Strengthening the participation of citizens in development activities is key to achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), and Metropolia offers a participatory research partnership model for inclusive RDI work in the Hytke project.
2. Welfare and health technologies
The metropolitan area has significant research and business activity in well-being and health technology. As a Health Capital Helsinki partner, Metropolia has developed development and pilot environments related to this theme. The Metropolia Proof Health testing, validation and verification services support companies' product development work by opening up development and pilot environments.
3. Learning environments and digital solutions
Continuous learning and the learning environments that support it through digital solutions are at the heart of Metropolia's strategy. The new campuses will provide opportunities to develop educational technologies and learning environments that support new skills, digital learning solutions and approaches.
4. Overall ecosystem development
In line with the Finnish national RDI Roadmap 2030, Metropolia will systematically develop partnerships based on ecosystemic collaboration. Only in partnership can innovative solutions be created in our complex environment.
Metropolia's RDI activities have long and systematically invested in promoting innovation in all areas of its educational responsibility. More recently, Metropolia has emphasized entrepreneurial services and putting innovation into practice.
The Turbiini Campus Incubator has been extended to all campuses, reaching out to students and partners in different fields. This type of hands-on innovation activity encourages and supports businesses, communities and citizens to innovate in line with the UAS' core mission.
Eventually, the practical networking matters
We work actively to offer and find valuable partnerships. At two events, we networked and made our competencies visible to hundreds of Europeans in early June. Find out more about our participation in New European Bauhaus (NEB) Festival in Brussels and Eurocities 2022 Annual Conference in Espoo on our news.