Finnish philosopher Pekka Himanen believes that Finlands economy is influenced by five global trends: innovation-based competition, the network organization, the rise of Asia, and the principles of absolute leadership and selectivity. In future the combined effect of these five trends may cause a significant displacement in the focus of economic activity, with a shift away from one region to another. This would benefit low cost countries and cause expensive countries, with the nations of Western Europe at the forefront, to go into decline. Himanen sees Finlands central competitive advantage as its success in innovation-based competition, which involves simultaneously increasing the efficiency of processes, creating higher added value and improving the productivity of innovation-based work.
In the Jyväskylä Region, as in the whole of Finland, the conditions for success in innovation-based competition are favourable, because Finlands comprehensive education system ensures that strong skills and competence will develop, as shown by the results of the OECDs PISA survey. The University of Jyväskylä and Jyväskylä University of Applied Sciences both play significant roles in the regional innovation system and since 2000 both have focused considerable efforts on applied research and high-level training and education. Organizations like the University of Jyväskyläs Nanoscience Center, Viveca, and the Agora Center are more flexible than conventional University-level institutions and network effectively with the regions businesses.
For Central Finland to be successful in an environment where global and innovation-based competition is getting tougher, new initiatives and more flexible structures are called for. During the term of the new EU Regional Programme (20072012), key clusters representing Central Finlands areas of focus will form the basis for efforts to further the regions development. Responsibility for managing the clusters and targeting the development measures lies with the participating companies. In future, development efforts will be more clearly targeted at the development and utilization of new technologies.
The most interesting new development in the next few years will possibly be the major technology business centre planned for the shores of Lake Jyväsjärvi. The centre is being planned by Technopolis Plc and the City of Jyväskylä, and the results of the architecture design competition were announced in December 2007. It is intended that the new facility will be home to parts of both universities, as well as growth-seeking technology companies.
By taking a flexible and open-minded approach to the way we utilize Central Finlands technology expertise, and by eliminating structures that are inflexible, we can ensure that we will be successful in an environment of global, innovation-based competition.
Dr Jussi Halttunen, President, Jyväskylä University of Applied Sciences