Encouraging innovation environment
Finland has proven an excellent location for testing out new products and services.
Businesses benefit from the country's advanced 'Living Lab' environment where users, companies, researchers and public institutions are joining forces to form problem-solving communities.
Characteristics of the innovation environment
Innovation policy has developed consistently
- Growing investments in R&D - public and private
Dynamic and transparent ecosystem
- Active, continuous and successful dialogue on all levels
- Involves companies, research institutes and the public sector
Broad interpretation of innovation
- Technology - society
- Products - services - processes
- Environment - user - design
Strategic Centres set the course for the future
The Strategic Centres for Science, Technology and Innovation established in Finland are new public-private partnerships. Their main goal is to thoroughly renew industry clusters and to create radical innovations.
- Energy and the environment (CLEEN Ltd)
- Metal products and mechanical engineering (FIMECC Ltd)
- The forest cluster (Forestcluster Ltd)
- Built environment innovations (RYM Oy)
- Health and well-being (SalWe Ltd)
- Information and communication industry and services (Tieto- ja viestintäteollisuuden tutkimus TIVIT Oy)
Strong international networks
Finnish research groups and companies have been successful in EU research programmes. Finland is also a member of the European Space Agency (ESA), the European Southern Observatory (ESO) and the European Organization for Nuclear Research (CERN).
The FinNode Innovation Centre network provides a gateway for international research groups and companies wishing to enter the Finnish innovation ecosystem.