3. Functional and effective innovation systems and processes

A Programme for developing and utilizing world class competence

The general goal is to develop Oulu into an international, top-level city of education. The aim is to set up world-class research units and to increase the provision of international training and education programmes targeted for people from abroad as well as applied research focusing on productisation in cooperation with businesses.

• Participants:
  University of Oulu, VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland, Oulu University of Applied Sciences, other educational institutions, service and other companies

B Business services development programme

The aim is to create an effective, customer and market driven business support network for the needs of new, growing, internationally oriented businesses and those establishing local branches in the region. The main goal is to improve cooperation between various operators and to organise services in a consistent manner.

• Participants: Oulu Innovation, Oulu Regional Business Agency, business consulting agencies, University of Oulu, VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland, POHTO Ltd. (the institute for management and technological training), funding organisations, educational institutions

C Xpolis as innovation environment reformer

The aim is to form an entity that activates the development of new, customer-based products and services at the interfaces between different domains. The operation of networks is made more effective throughout the innovation chain. In addition, new, internationally significant development and testing environments are created for the needs of product and service development.

• Participants:
  Everyone

D Fund focusing programme

The aim is to focus the funding of development programmes on larger, longer-term projects and their preparation.

• Participants:
  Funding organisations, public organisations, businesses

E Innovative experiments

The objective is to launch novel, national experiments in the Oulu region aimed at maintaining and improving international competitiveness.

• Participants:
  City of Oulu, other municipalities in the region, public organisations, funding organisations
   

Spearhead programme example 3C Xpolis reforms the innovation environment Applications from new fields The aim of Xpolis is to create new businesses by transcending borders between traditional business domains in new, unconventional ways and by applying technological know-how in multiple fields. Our globally unique test environments and piloting services for wireless technology provide a good basis for this. The Oulu region, with its 200,000 inhabitants, 9,000 companies and innovative service provision on the lookout for new service practices, provides businesses a conveniently-sized living laboratory in which it is easy to create new product concepts to be taken into use on a fast cycle.