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Tekes has had a significant impact on Finnish innovations
17.02.2012
Tekes has participated in the funding of more than 60 per cent of Finnish innovations. In 80 per cent of these cases, Tekes’ role has been significant.
An innovation is a new product, service or method that produces economic or
social benefit. A report compiled by the Technical Research Centre of Finland
(VTT) shows that Tekes has had a particularly significant role in the birth of
new innovations with major novelty value aimed at the international market.
The development work related to the birth of these challenging innovations
often takes a long time.
”Creating new innovations is
especially important in today’s world since innovations will secure Finland's
competitiveness and success in the future,” says Director General Veli-Pekka
Saarnivaara from Tekes.
The SfinPact report is based on the
Sfinno database that contains approximately 5,000 Finnish innovations. The
database that has been collected by VTT is a globally unique innovation
database that enables researchers to examine Finnish innovation activities and
policies over decades. The results are based on a representative sample, since
almost 1,000 people responsible for the development of innovations have
answered the survey.
”Social impact and examining it in a
transparent manner are an important part of Tekes’ responsibility. It is
important that Finns know what Tekes does and what kinds of impacts its
activities have on society,” says Veli-Pekka Saarnivaara.
The
report reveals innovation stories from game industry to bioethanol
According
to the report, Tekes has had a significant role as an activator of R&D
activities and a networker of universities, research institutes and businesses
in addition to its role as a funder. Tekes has played an important part in the
development of entire sectors, such as game industry or health-related
biomaterials.
In addition to examining the different roles
Tekes has had, the report describes the development and innovations of seven
thematic areas. It also presents the success stories of several innovations
including Rovio’s Angry Birds, Raisio’s Benecol, St1’s bioethanol and Polar
Electro’s wrist computers.
In conjunction with the
publication of the report, Tekes published a website called Innovation
Interstate that provides a visual presentation of the connections between the
Finnish innovation field, social changes and Tekes programmes from the 1980s
to the present. The website has been created by Flo Apps Ltd.
Tekes
Review 289/2012: Funder, activator, networker, investor
Innovation
Interstate
Further information
Dr
Veli-Pekka Saarnivaara, Director General, Tekes, tel. +358 10 60 55700
Dr
Raine Hermans, Director, Strategic Intelligence Unit, Tekes, tel. +358 10 60
55603
firstname.lastname@tekes.fi
Mr Juha Oksanen,
Senior Research Scientist, VTT, tel. +358 40 742 2439
Mr Torsti
Loikkanen, Research Coordinator, VTT, tel. +358 40 530 2587
firstname.lastname@vtt.fi