TIVIT provides researchers with a gateway to industrial cooperation
(8 May 2009)
The Strategic Centre for Science, Technology and Innovation in the field of Information and Communication Industry and Services (ICT SHOK) has got off to a successful start. Its operations are managed by a limited company, TIVIT – the Strategic Centre for Science, Technology and Innovation in the field of ICT (Ltd), established in February 2008.
According to Reijo Paajanen, CEO of TIVIT, Finland now has excellent facilities for developing ICT competence in a comprehensive fashion.
“Driven by Nokia, Finland has advanced rapidly in mobile technologies. This competence will naturally be further promoted in the future, but this is the time to gain an overall grip on the rest of the ICT field in order to have an even broader innovative impact,” Paajanen states.
TIVIT will contribute to the accelerated utilisation of research results and the transfer of knowledge from the academic community to business operations.
TIVIT’s shareholders include a total of 40 companies, universities and other players in the ICT field.
Providing guidance rather than control
According to Paajanen, the utilization of scientific research does not mean, for example, that basic research would be subjected to specific terms set out by industries, or be carried out as commissioned by industries.
“We are, by no means, looking to start controlling what is being done within the academic community. The world must not be made unipolar. Rather than control, I am referring to the idea of steering, with a pull effect: the role of TIVIT is to communicate for what type of knowledge there exists industrial or market-driven demand,” Paajanen explains.
He emphasises the importance of introducing varying and mutually independent ideas in order to provide an environment that is conducive to the creation of innovations.
Where do we find research that is relevant and interesting in terms of ICT developments? This question will be systematically explored in the near future by TIVIT’s CEO Reijo Paajanen and CTO Pauli Kuosmanen.
“Through personal contacts and discussions, we will be able to identify the positioning of the researchers’ and research teams’ competencies within the multifaceted ICT field, and to clarify any new aspects within the research. TIVIT acts as a communicator for scientific achievements and provides researchers with a gateway to industry.”
Programmes to achieve international breakthroughs
Currently, TIVIT has four research programmes in progress: ‘Future Internet’ for the technological development of tomorrow’s Internet; ‘Flexible Services’ for the advancement of highly developed electronic services; ‘Device and Interoperability Ecosystem’ for the networking and new reality of smart devices; and ‘Cooperative Traffic ICT’, which focuses on next-generation travelling and traffic.
“In all these areas, we aim at achieving breakthroughs and creating business ecosystems that facilitate international business. Another aim is to establish internationally attractive research communities,” Paajanen states.
TIVIT has an internal foresight process for identifying new focal or thematic areas and establishing new research programmes, but all suggestions from external parties are also warmly welcomed. At present, two new thematic areas are being prepared, one focusing on software competence and the other on new media competence.
The preparation of programmes is a public process. Anyone with potential in the field and a will to invest in competence development may contribute to the process.
Bringing research results to the market
One half of the funding for research programmes and projects comes from public funding agencies, and the other half from the project participants. In its first year, TIVIT’s research funding amounted to 25 million euro. The goal for the calendar year 2010 is for this figure to double, for a target sum of 50 million euro.
TEKES, the Finnish Funding Agency for Technology and Innovations, provides financing for research programmes and projects being carried out within the Strategic Centres for Science, Technology and Innovation in various fields. The funding is granted on the basis of applications.
Reijo Paajanen encourages researchers to contact TIVIT at any time: “If there is sufficient response in the industry, we will offer our assistance. The idea is to aid scientific fields and research results in taking on a life of their own within the market.”
The Academy of Finland contributes to the activities of TIVIT by funding high-level research carried out at universities and research institutes. All forms of funding available from the Academy of Finland can be used to support research within the TIVIT programmes.
The Academy of Finland has appropriated funding for research related to the ICT field, such as, embedded systems, via separate application rounds.
Text: Paula Böhling
Photo: Peter Forsgård
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