Networking is one of the keys to successful innovation process – "Insights and inventions are often created by working together"
Kirjoittanut Vilma Lehto
Marko Heikkinen visited Innovation Centre this summer and gave a presentation about university and company cooperation.
Pipelife Finland Oy has developed innovations in cooperation with the University of Oulu. Marko Heikkinen, who is responsible for new business development at Pipelife, sees that cooperation is best achieved when ideas are processed and developed together. In addition, extensive networks between both small and large companies create new opportunities for collaboration.
Marko Heikkinen works at Pipelife Finland Oy and is responsible for developing new business in the Nordic and Baltic countries. The unit is responsible for developing solutions for intelligent water supply monitoring and control. These innovations are often developed with other actors, such as the University of Oulu, VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland or expert companies.
Pipelife manufactures a variety of HVAC products, including pipe and well products, stormwater management systems, and oil separators. Because the company has a wide range of products that they offer, the company must keep up with the market and product solution development.
"Our priority is to meet the needs of our customers. That is why early discussions with them are important. We don’t offer ready-made solutions, but we start to develop them based on the needs of our customers. In addition, no one is working on a solution alone, and we start processing and developing ideas together,” Heikkinen explains.
Heikkinen emphasises the importance of open interfaces.
"The intention is to expose ourselves to a wide range of networks and thus listen to and involve actors from different interfaces. In this way, knowledge, financial and human resources is shared and developed based on common knowledge and resources."
Commercialization as part of product development
According to Heikkinen, commercialization should be part of product development from the start. He feels that it is important to try to see what the commercializing world of new technology is like, for example, when the innovation is finally complete. Therefore, it is necessary to consider at an early stage how, for example, a new invention will be sold, how it will be distributed and what kind of actors will be needed to implement it.
"These actors can also be smaller organizations. It is good for them to be involved in such joint development projects from the very beginning, as working with them often facilitates and speeds up the process. Small businesses are flexible and fast in decision-making and project implementation. This is something bigger partners can benefit from. Speed is key in current development in addition to cooperation,” Heikkinen says.
Heikkinen also mentions that as part of the innovation network, both smaller and larger entrepreneurs keep up with the development. Insights and inventions are often created by working together, and that is why it is important to be part of the network.
“Companies must be at the dance, so to speak, even if the search is not on. You never know where the next good idea will come from to solve your own potential problem.”
University experts give guidance
Pipelife has collaborated with the University of Oulu on, for example, coordinated water industry development projects in the Oulu region and projects related to printed intelligence.
“We may have had some problem that we have set out to find a solution to by contacting the university's account managers, i.e. KAMs. They have been looking for experts at the university with whom we have discussed the problem. Sometimes the projects start from here, sometimes they get buried and sometimes they don't come to fruition."
Heikkinen points out that the key to successful cooperation is continuity and regularity. In particular, he emphasizes the importance of regular contact. It is important that both sides state what kind of development has taken place at each end and how, for example, different ideas and projects have progressed. This produces a successful innovation process in which the different components work together effectively.
Marko Heikkinen was a guest at the InnoVisitor organised by the Innovation Centre in early summer, which is a networking event for researchers and stakeholders. The next InnoVisitor will take place on Thursday, October 5, and then our guest will be Professor Andrew J. Bell.
Vilma Lehto
Viestinnän harjoittelija / Communications Intern
+358 50 305 5761
vilma.lehto@oulu.fi
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