A Goal to Double Company Cooperation in University of Oulu
Written by Maria Juurikka (Transl. Jussi Meriläinen)
Finland has an official goal of increasing R&D investments into 4% of GDP by year 2030. For University of Oulu this means increasing the volume of research projects. We intend to double the cooperation with different organizations by the year 2030.
The success of innovative companies and areas is tied to multiple factors. To increase effectiveness, we need the commitment of many players, like businesses, higher education, research facilities, and communities and public organizations.
The effectiveness of innovation activity has been researched in Finland and other countries. Well functioning company is often backed by efforts of many actors in the innovation ecosystem. In the background there are funding instruments, ways of taxation and other business supporting elements like supply of workforce. As a part of the whole there’s also the possibility for research organizations to provide research data for economic activities.
The effectiveness of innovations can be perceived being in decline in the last ten years. Some of the possible reasons presented are the decline of Nokia product development in Finland, the decreasing funding for national research facilities and other public innovation activities, and the small amount of R&D investments from companies. One significant reason for the decline of effective innovation activity is certainly in the universities funding and work culture not supporting enough innovation activity.
University of Oulu, a Part of Innovation Ecosystem
Many may be surprised - I certainly was when I started in the Innovation Centre - how diverse and strong the innovation activity already is in University of Oulu.
Company cooperation model has been introduced to have better ways for goal-oriented cooperation. Our goal is to bring university services out in the open and market them comprehencively. Up to date information can be found from the University of Oulu website.
At the moment cooperation models that companies and public organizations are most familiar with are study projects and thesis’ producing new product and service ideas.
Many companies and organizations are already our long time cooperators in student final projects and research and laboratory services provided by university. I had good experiences from beforementioned before my employment in university!
University of Oulu Career Centre helps companies in recruitment and finding interns. They arrange workshops, seminars and recruitment events the employers are able to meet peak talents of the future!
JOY - the University of Continuous Learning in turn offers traning solutions for people, companies and public organizations. The content of trainings can be tailored for the participants and the corresponding business.
University of Oulu is remarkable part of Finnish and international innovation ecosystem with it’s activity in RDI. We in the Innovation Centre strive to assist cooperation of companies and researchers and also lower the bar to apply for innovation funding!
Check marks of success
University of Oulu has invested in cooperation by naming Key Account Managers (KAM) for every faculty and Innovation Centre. They look after the most important customers and relations of university. The aim being that a KAM gathers a network of researchers and customers around them. In the KAM activity of Innovation Centre we focus primarily in helping researchers and companies with co-funded and ordered research projects.
Ordered research projects are persevering and they solve challenges of business and society. Projects are often funded partially by Business Finland, Academy of Finland or EU. Self financed shares come from companies or university.
Ordered researches can focus on product development, technological application or figuring out an existing phenomenon, to name a few. The project may get funding from different sources.
Innovation Centre, Help For Bussinesses
We in the Innovation Centre cooperate gladly with companies of different industries, of different size, and with different challenges. At simplest it’s low effort cooperation, where we’re finding the right door for company to fulfill their research goals. From there we can move towards into deeper partnership, contracts patents and wider research cooperation.
It’s important that the cooperation benefits both the researchers and companies. The first step for future client company is to contact us in the Innovation Centre. We gladly hear about your company and your challenges after which we search for right partners from our expert research units!
Maria Juurikka
Yritysasiantuntija // Business Specialist
+358 50 472 8204
maria.juurikka@oulu.fi
Tutkimusta hyödyntävä yritysyhteistyö, innovaatioekosysteemit, Business Finlandin co-recearch, co-creation ja co-innovation- rahoitusinstrumenttien sparraus, myös Veturi-ekosysteemihakuihin liittyen. Yritysyhteistyö ja Business Finland toiminnasta viestiminen.
Business cooperation utilizing research, innovation ecosystems, sparring of Business Finland's co-research, co-creation and co-innovation financial instruments, also in connection with Veturi ecosystem searches. Business cooperation and communication of Business Finland activities.