Download northern research and innovation platform

OPERATIONAL PLATFORM FOR THE NORTHERN RESEARCH
AND INNOVATION
Dr. Päivi Iskanius, University of Oulu, Finland
[email protected]
ABSTRACT
Northern Research and Innovation Platform is an operational platform for promoting
northern know-how and expertise in the field of ‘the environment, energy and natural
resources’ with a strong geographical emphasis on northern and arctic aspects. The platform
brings together key research actors; universities and research institutes, universities of
applied sciences and companies, in addition to other public organizations, aiming to
generate multidisciplinary research projects and speed up innovations especially in the
mining and new forest and bio-energy industries, but also in the field of emerging
environmental technology industry. The platform also aims to support research in preventing
environmental changes in the northern regions and in man’s operational prerequisites in
cold climate conditions. Further, the platform aims to increase the awareness and visibility of
northern and arctic research within the local and national sphere, as well as within EU
authorities, and to strengthen the influence on national and EU programmes. The platform
acts as a channel between the regional actors and EU authorities. This paper presents the
development work of the Northern Research and Innovation Platform and shows how the
platform can be used as a tool for the promotion of research and innovation activities. The
platform is based on the European Research Area (ERA) and Northern Dimension (ND), and
it follows the recommendations given by Finland’s Strategy of Arctic Region. The
development work of the Northern Research and Innovation Platform is coordinated by the
University of Oulu, Thule Institute, and financed by the European Regional Development
Fund.
Keywords: Northern research and innovation, Platform, ERA, European Research Area,
Northern Dimension, Finland’s Strategy of Arctic Region
INTRODUCTION
The international interest in Barents region, North-western Russia and the entire Arctic
region has risen during the past twenty years. The economic potential of these regions which
are associated with natural resources; oil, gas, minerals, and new transport routes which may
open because of the climate change, may underline the strategic importance of the region.
The world heavily relies on fossil fuels to meet its energy requirements - fossil fuels such as
oil, gas and coal are providing almost 80% of the global energy demands (Korhonen and
Savolainen, 2001). On the other hand presently renewable energy and nuclear power are,
respectively, only contributing 13.5% and 6.5% of the total energy needs (Asif and Muneer,
2006). The global demand for energy is increasing, and the northern regions, with their new
energy sources, may become a major energy reserve for European Union (EU).
The growing exploitation of natural resources and enormous investments in energy and
mining industries offers new business possibilities for northern EU countries such as Finland.
Such possibilities abound, e.g., in the arctic shipbuilding and offshore industries, fields
relating to the construction of infrastructures in cold climate conditions, service production
and fields relating to security, energy, data transfer and the environment. The transport and
logistics sectors have particularly great growth potential when the Northeast Passage opens.
Also, renewable energy sector is growing fast. The development and use of renewable energy
sources, such as wind power, solar energy, hydropower, biomass energy and geothermal
energy, can enhance diversity in energy supply markets, contribute to securing long-term
sustainable energy supplies, help reduce local and global environmental impacts and provide
commercially attractive options to meet specific energy service needs, particularly in
developing countries and rural areas, creating new employment opportunities (Asif and
Muneer, 2006). Along with the forms of energy which are currently used, the prospect of
using wood, peat, logging waste, agricultural waste, industrial waste, household waste and
crop plants as fuel or a source of heat and power has also become a tantalizing business
opportunity (Korhonen and Savolainen, 2001).
Sustainable use of natural resources, preventing the climate and environmental changes and
international emissions trading, and protecting the livelihood and culture of indigenous
peoples require new technological, social and political innovations. For sustainable
development, it is essential that the natural resources of northern regions are exploited in a
controlled manner, taking into account economic, social, cultural and environmental impacts.
Promoting innovations; include product, process and organizational innovations of an
enterprise as well as social and institutional innovations at the level of industry, region and
nation (Morgan, 1997), is one of the most important regional development policy devices
(Kitson, et al., 2004), also for rural, sparsely populated areas such as northernmost regions of
EU representing.
Rapidly growing industries, related to the utilization of natural resources, need skilled
employees, and global level experts. These industries are highly location-specific and far
from the global markets, which increases the need for new knowledge, research, and
technology. Special emphasis needs to be placed on developing technology and know-how
which is compatible with the northern and arctic conditions, improving the business
environment, and pursuing national and international collaboration. Supporting fields of
business which show an upward trend, identifying new priority areas and interdisciplinary
research targets, and producing state-of-the-art research data for the use of companies and
business life in the region is a special challenge for the northern universities and research
institutes. Further, research actors and companies have to be tied into a common innovation
process. It is generally conceded that the innovative performance of regions is improved
when companies are encouraged to become better innovators by interacting both with various
kind of support organisations (Lawton-Smith, 2000).
Innovation is highly localized process (Asheim and Cooke, 1999; Maskell, 2001).
Innovations, whether they are radical technological advancements or incremental social and
organizational changes – are also often done in networks, where actors of different
backgrounds are involved in the interactive process (Asheim and Cooke, 1999). Innovations
are made inside complex innovation systems, which are formed by industries, universities,
venture capital organizations, governments and other public organizations. This paper
presents the development work of the Northern Research and Innovation Platform and shows
how the platform can be used as a tool for the promotion of northern research and innovation
activities. The platform brings together experts from different scientific and industrial fields,
from different regions, and different organizations; universities and research institutes,
universities of applied sciences and companies, in addition to other public organizations. It is
an open forum for collaboration, coordination and an increase of sense of community of
northern research, with a strong geographical emphasis on northern and arctic aspects.
The development of the Northern Research and Innovation Platform has started in northern
Finland in the field of ’the environment, energy, and natural resources’. The platform aims to
generate multidisciplinary research projects and speed up innovations, especially in the
mining and new forest and bio-energy industries, but also in an emerging environmental
technology industry. Further, the platform aims to support R&D activities in preventing
environmental changes in the northern regions and in man’s operational prerequisites in cold
climate conditions. The platform aims to promote northern know-how and expertise on
environmental and energy issues and the sustainable use of natural resources for the benefit
of the whole of Europe, and thus meet European needs, by combining the environmental and
social dimensions into technological expertise.
METHODOLOGY
The aim of this paper is to present the development of the Northern Research and Innovation
Platform and show how the platform can function as a tool for the promotion of northern
research and innovation activities. The development work has started in northern Finland in
the field of ’the environment, energy and natural resources’, but an international aspect was
already taken into account at the start. The aim of the Northern Research and Innovation
Platform is to act as an open forum for northern research actors in Northern Scandinavia,
including Finland, Sweden and Norway, and also Russia.
The empirical data for this study has been collected by analysing the publicly available
documents, by arranging five workshops, and by interviewing several experts in the field.
The development work has been carried out during the years 2009-2011. The research
questions are:
1. How is the Northern Research and Innovation Platform developed?
2. How can the platform be used as a tool for promoting northern know-how and
expertise in the field of ‘the environment, energy and natural resources?
First, in this study, the current state of northern Finland in the field of ‘the environment,
energy and natural resources’ is presented, based on the publicly available documents. The
most significant changes which have happened in the operational environment of Northern
Finland are presented. These major changes in the operational environment of northern
Finland must be taken into consideration and will direct the development of the Northern
Research and Innovation Platform. Also, based on the analyses of industries, the field of ‘the
environment, energy and natural resources’ is positioned within the other clusters and
industries.
Second, in this study, the initiatives that the European Research Area (ERA), Northern
Dimension (ND) and Finland’s Strategy of Arctic Region have recommended for northern
research and cooperation are analyzed. The platform is designed, based on the five initiatives
of the ERA related to 1) researchers, 2) research infrastructures, 3) knowledge sharing, 4)
joint programming, and 5) international cooperation. The platform follows the ND policy
recommendations that encompass cooperation among various stakeholders in the innovation
system; universities, research institutes, parliamentarians and business. Finland’s Strategy of
the Arctic Region states the targets for Arctic and northern know-how. These targets have
been taken into account in the development of the platform content. Further, several national
and regional strategies on northern research and know-how have been surveyed. Based on the
literature survey, the basis for the platform is formulated and the targets and tasks are
defined.
Third, in this study, the key research actors in the field of ‘the environment, energy and
natural resources in northern Finland’ were identified. Based on the identification, the
research community for workshops was formed. Five workshops were then arranged
(9.6.2010, 17.8.2010, 5.11.2010, 21.1.2011). Totally 80 experts from different regions of the
Northern Finland, from different scientific and industrial fields, and from different
organizations; universities and research organizations, universities of applied sciences and
companies, in addition to financiers and support organizations, were participated in the
workshops. The objective of these workshops was to examine and make forecasts of the
developmental trends affecting the northern regions, to analyze the manner in which the
northern regions should prepare for various possible future developments, by focusing and
integrating activities, as well as by developing research and infrastructures, to evaluate and
support the development of a northern research and innovation system, and to support the
drafting of a common vision and research agenda for the northern platform. Based on the
workshop process, the following content of the platform is formulated; future research needs,
cooperation methods, and the vision, strategy, research agenda and joint operational
programme for the platform. Finally, in this study, the Northern Research and Innovation
Platform is formulated. In this paper, the vision, objectives and tasks of the platform are
presented.
THE FIELD OF ‘ENVIRONMENT, ENERGY AND NATURAL RESOURCES’ IN
NORTHERN FINLAND
The current state of northern Finland
Northern Finland is the northernmost and one of the most sparsely populated areas in the EU.
According to Statistics Finland, the land area is 156 000 km2, over 50 per cent of the national
territory, and the population is about 700 000, 13.6 per cent of the country’s total population.
The average population density is 4.7 people/ km2. The region covers both rural areas and
several small and medium sized cities. Most of the people live in urban regions. FUR Oulu is
the largest centre with 220 000 inhabitants. The following five largest FURs; Rovaniemi,
Kemi-Tornio, Kajaani, and Kokkola, each have 50 000–60 000 inhabitants. The remaining
localities each have 20 000 inhabitants or less. The regions are also quite different in terms of
human and economic resources. In FUR Oulu, the investments in R&D are 12.8 per cent of
the national R&D funding, while the remaining localities have barely any investments in
R&D at all (Statistics of FUR Oulu). All in all, northern Finland is a region of opposites with
a strong concentration of high-tech manufacturing in the Oulu city-region, but, at the same
time, possessing a strong role of agriculture and forestry as well as tourism in most of the
other parts of the region.
The main challenges of the region stem from its peripheral location, harsh climatic conditions
and sparse and rapidly ageing population. Young people, i.e. future potential experts, move
away from the region in particular. One exception in northern Finland is the Oulu region,
with its youthful age structure and high birth rate. Only a few Finnish city-regions have the
necessary research base and knowledge producing organizations to support the innovation of
world-leading industries, but the Oulu region in northern Finland is one of these. Most of the
regions lack strong research and innovation environments. However, instead, they have a
relatively strong capacity in non-scientific practice-based innovation. In order to succeed,
northern Finland must lead the way on a global scale in selected sectors of innovation
activity. (Iskanius, et al., 2010)
Northern Finland has a rich stock of natural resources. Industries which are related to natural
resources include fossil and slowly renewable natural resources (metal ores, industrial
minerals, natural stones, soil and rock materials, groundwater and peat), resources related to
agriculture and forestry (wood, meat, milk and fur farming), as well as natural products and
experience management (mushrooms, berries, lichen, hunting, fishing, tourism, reindeer
farming) (Suorsa and Iskanius, 2010). The energy branch includes the production,
transformation and delivery of energy as well as the refinement of fuels. In northern Finland,
the focus in the energy field is concentrated especially in hydro-, wind- and bio-energy, as
well as in the refinement of industrial wastes. Northern Finland has also been promised to be
the location for a new nuclear power plant. The environmental sector includes the treatment
and recycling of wastes, water and the waste water supply and sewerage, as well as the
protection of air. The maintenance of biodiversity is also considered to be an important issue
of research in the northern regions (Aarras et al., 2008; Pohjois-Pohjanmaan liitto, 2005). The
enterprises in northern Finland are small. That is especially the case concerning business in
the bio-energy sector, as well as in soil and rock materials. The latter also suffers from a lack
of leading focal companies, as well as international marketing and productisation. In mining,
most of the owner companies are international, and the raw material is processed outside the
region. Based on the analyses of industries, the field of ‘the environment, energy and natural
resources’ is positioned within the other clusters and industries (figure 1).
Figure 1: The field of ‘the environment, energy and natural resources’.
Northern research
Northern research refers to research relating to the special conditions which are prevalent in
the northernmost regions of the world. The primary special characteristics of the northern
regions include a high sensitivity to the phenomena of global change, a cold climate, major
seasonal variations in the amount of natural light, a low population density, a considerable
diversity of cultures and identities, and rich natural resources. Northern research also looks at
issues relating to global economy, society, social and regional development and their effects
on the northern environment and communities (based on the Research Strategy Task Force of
the Universities of Lapland and Oulu 2007 – 2008). Northern research is fragmented across
various EU research programmes and research fields. Northern research has not been given
due emphasis in the research policies of the EU. Northern research has been poorly
coordinated in EU research policies, and EU funding for northern research has also been
random and uncoordinated. According to Finland’s Arctic Research Strategy (Korhola,
1999), the focus areas in the northern research are 1) Arctic natural resource research, 2)
Global change and adaptation strategies in the arctic regions, 3) People and communities in
the arctic regions, and 4) Arctic infrastructures.
From the viewpoint of the European research community, Finland possesses significant
know-how and is the home to a large number of world-class research actors. Finnish northern
and arctic expertise, know-how and research is internationally recognized. Finland possesses
top-level arctic know-how in many sectors, eg. offshore industries, shipping industries, forest
expertise, mining industry, metal industry, tourism, knowledge of traditional trades, lowtemperature experise, winter testing, measurement technology, power and heat generation
and distrubution, energy conservation and energy effidency, arctic wind power technology,
arctic building and infrastructure, environmental engineering and management of
environmental impacts, sustainable social concepts, northern environmental expertise,
northern health and well-being, waste management technology, informatioon technology and
public e-services, innovation-oriented development, cold climate research, bio and
nanosciences, risk analyses, oil spill prevention and response, material engineering (Finland’s
Strategy for the Arctic Region, 2010).
The research pertaining to nortehrn and arctic know-how and experiense is carried out in
many universities and research institutes in Finland, however the universities of Oulu and
Lapland, in particular, have been profiled as experts in northern and arctic research. Arctic
Centre, University of Lapland, and Thule Institute, University of Oulu, have a leading
position in the field. In August 2008, the universities agreed on a common strategy on
northern research. It creates conditions for a regional (economic life, regional development
organization), national and international network of northern research. In the annual
negotiations between the Ministry of Education of Finland and the University of Oulu in
April 2006, it was decided that; “the university will focus particularly on northern global
change research and on development of the Northern Research Platform of the European
research area, thus supporting the EU’s Northern Dimension Action Plan”.
Under the theme of global change in the northern regions, universities carry out top-quality
research in the following sub-areas, which were supplemented by research concerning the
Sami people in 2009:
- Natural systems: northern ecosystems, adaptation and climate.
- Environmental research and technology: natural resources, energy, land use, mining,
tourism.
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The economy and judicial systems, societal and regional development: changes in the
sources of livelihood, social structures and political structures.
Art and culture: northern culture and history, minorities and indigenous peoples,
northern art.
Health and well-being: the significance of environmental factors and diet for health
and well-being, indicators of health and well-being, social exclusion and special
groups, special circumstances and adaptation.
Methods and technologies: economical and judicial guidance, the interactions of art
and technology, the identification and monitoring of change, remote sensing and
geographic information systems, methodological and design-based research.
Research actors
Research is fragmented in the field of ‘the environment, energy, and natural resources’, both
in terms of the themes and actors (figure 2). The northern research is carried out in two
universities; University of Oulu and University of Lapland, but also in three university
regional units/consortiums; Kajaani University Consortium, Kokkola University Consortium
Chydenius, and Oulu Southern Institute; in five universities of applied sciences; Oulu, KemiTornio, Rovaniemi, Kajaani and Central Ostrobothnia, and in several university research
stations; Kevo Subartic Research Institute, Oulanka Research Station, Arctic Centre, Varrio
Subarctic Research Station, Sodankylä Geophysical Observatory and Kilpisjärvi Biological
Station. In addition, the northern research is carried out in several national research institutes;
SYKE –Finnish Environment Insitute, METLA - Finnish Forest Research Institute, MTT Agrifood Research Finland, RKTL - Finnish Game and Fisheries Research Institute, GTK Geological Survey of Finland, Evira - Finnish Food Safety Authority, VTT - Technical
Research institute of Finland, STUK – Radiation and Nuclear Safety Authority, and Finnish
Meteorological Institute (Suorsa and Iskanius, 2010).
Figure 2: Northern research is fragmentated - over 50 different units/organistations.
In northern Finland, there are over fifty different research organisations/units in the field
of ’the environnmet, energy and natural resources’. The research actors are small (staff <50)
and they are located in various regions throughout northern Finland. However, small units
tend to be more cooperative than large research communities. They are flexible in their
decision-making and have a natural need for collaboration with others. The benefits which
are reaped from collaborations are instantly visible as tangible increases in resources and
know-how or as access to national and international research infrastructure environments or
data. The research actors know each other, have few overlaps in their research efforts and
already work together in various research networks. However, most future research needs are
likely to involve more than one scientific discipline or field. Thus, greater effort should be
made to increase interdisciplinary cooperation. For instance, the utilization of information
technology in some of the more traditional fields might give rise to new innovations and
business opportunities. Fragmentation creates specific challenges for multidisciplinary crossscientific research, as well as research carried out in collaboration with business life. For
strategic reasons, universities and other institutes of higher education have agreed on
organization-specific responsibility areas in education and research, as well as on the forms
of cooperation between the various research fields (based on the strategies of. Lapland
University Consortium 2009 and the report of cooperation project of the universities of Oulu
and Lapland 2007-2009). Also, in the NorNET- Northern Environmental Research Network
cooperation, national research institutes aim towards a more coordinated research in the field
of the environment and natural resources.
However, coordination, collaboration and the sense of community is still lacking. The
collaborative networks of these research actors should be tightened, and their roles and
responsibilities are in need of clarification. Particular attention should be paid to intensifying
the collaboration between the public and private sectors, universities, universities of applied
sciences and technology centers. Coordination is needed, and research activities should also
have a clearer focus. While one cannot be an expert on everything, even relatively small
competence clusters can represent top international expertise in a few carefully selected
fields.
STRATEGIES BEHIND THE NORTHERN RESEARCH AND INNOVATION
PLATFORM
ERA, European Research Area
The European Research Area (ERA) was launched in 2000 for composing of all research and
development activities, programmes and policies in Europe which involve a transnational
perspective. The ERA provides attractive conditions and effective and efficient governance
for doing research and investing in R&D intensive sectors in Europe. It creates strong added
value by fostering a healthy Europe-wide scientific competition whilst ensuring the
appropriate level of cooperation and coordination. It is responsive to the needs and ambitions
of citizens and effectively contributes to the sustainable development and competitiveness of
Europe. Europe 2020 – Smart, Sustainable and Inclusive Growth Strategy is integrated into
the development of ERA. The target is; that by 2020, all actors fully benefit from the “Fifth
Freedom” across the ERA: free circulation of researchers, knowledge and technology. The
EU Research Framework Programmes were designed to support the creation of ERA. ERA
was established to address the weaknesses of European research activities, such as
insufficient funds, the lack of a suitable environment for conducting research and exploiting
the results, and the fragmentation of research activities and resources. The last two apply in
particular to the northern regions. ERA aims at creating a unified, frontier-free zone, allowing
a more efficient pursuit of research activities and the utilization of scientific resources for the
ultimate goal of boosting employment and competitiveness in Europe. International
cooperation, the free movement of competent researchers between countries, top-class
research environments and research institutes, the sharing of knowledge, coordinated research
programmes and an openness towards the rest of the world are important tools in creating a
common research area. ERA aims to increase cooperation in five areas; 1) the careers,
working conditions and mobility of researchers between different sciences, industrial fields
and states; 2) the creation of world-class European research infrastructures, 3) the transfer of
knowledge 4) the joint design and operation of research programmes and cooperation
between public research and industry; and 5) the international cooperation in science and
technology. (European Research Area, 2011)
ND, Northern Dimension
EU is closely linked with the northern and Arctic regions owing to political, geographical,
economic and scientific factors. The impact of the EU’s policies and decisions also extend to
the northern regions. An example of this is the Northern Dimension (ND) policy, which was
elaborated in 1999 with the participation of Norway, Iceland, EU Member States and the
Russian Federation. The USA and Canada hold observer status. The main objectives of the
ND policy are to provide a common framework for the promotion of dialogue and concrete
cooperation, strengthen stability and well-being, intensify economic cooperation, and
promote economic integration, competitiveness and sustainable development in Northern
Europe. Related to the northern research and innovation, The ND also encompasses the
‘Arctic window’, which means cooperation on issues concerning the whole circumpolar
Arctic region. The core of the ND policy for research is the encouraging cooperation is
mutual dependence between the EU and Russia in the joint border regions. Besides
cooperation between governments, ND also supports the cooperation between universities,
research institutes and politicians and industry. Also, Northern Dimension Institute was
established for university networking to help coordination of research and education, and to
get funding for research projects. (Northern Dimension, 2009)
Finland’s strategy for the Arctic region
Finland has recently published Finland’s Strategy for the Arctic Region, the main objectives
of which are, related to the science, to give stronger support for northern research, the
development of regional climate models and the long-term monitoring of the state of the
environment as the basis for decision-making, and to reinforce the national coordination of
research and monitoring. Finland’s objectives are to strengthen Finland’s role as an
international expert in arctic knowhow by investing in education, research, testing,
technology and product development, to make better use of Finnish experience of winter
shipping and arctic technology in arctic sea transport and ship building, and to improve the
opportunities of Finnish companies to benefit from their arctic knowhow in the large projects
undertaken in the Barents Region by supporting the networking, export promotion and
internalization of small and medium size enterprises, in particular. According to Finland’s
Strategy for the Arctic Region (2010):
- The arctic region has considerable economic potential. The increase in maritime
traffic in the Arctic Ocean and exploitation of natural resources are an opportunity for
Finnish expertice.
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Maintenance and further develpoment of arctic know-how, research and special
experience require strategic choices and decisions on the part of Finland, and also
relevant university-level education, correctly targeted investments and national and
international cooperation.
The development of know-how and technologies applicable to Arctic circumstances
in the global operating environment highlights the importance of institutes of higher
education.
Competition is increasingly based on skilled labour and research resources in addition
to market shares and capitals.
The supply of new information and skills, and their diverse utilisation, will also lay
the foundation for success in the future.
The changes that have taken place in the operating environment require that
universities accelerate their internationalisation efforts and resources are increased
and focused on core strengths.
International cooperation is a means of improving quality, eliminating overlapping
activities, and gathering domestic and foreign resources for joint projects.
Top-level competence is necessary when seeking interaction with leading global
centres and actors.
Finland has an extensive research infrastructure and a wide network of research
stations.
It is important that the national input into multidisciplinary scientific research
continues.
Guaranteeing broad-based Arctic research competence requires that universities and
research insitutes emphasise their expertise in their strategies and activities and make
use of the funding opportunities offered by the Academy of Finland and the EU
Framework Programmes for research.
Research and development bring economic benefits but also support environmental
protection and the discovery and spread of best practices.
Essential targets of the northern research have been summarized based on the Finland’s
Strategy for the Arctic Region (2010):
- Owing to climate change and international emissions trading, environmental
technology has the potential of serving as an engine in the expoert sector.
- Research plays a key role in adaptation to Arctic climate change and in the utilisation
of opportunities offered by the Arctic region.
- The environment is fragile in the Arctic, including Northern Finland.The principal
problems include climate change, the environmental impacts caused by increased
shipping and exploitation of natural resources, reduced biodiversity, long-range
transportation of pollution and issues pertaining to nuclear safety.
- The research carried out in Finland, especially in the monitoring of the state of the
environment and in collecting long-term research material, has world-class relevance.
- The improvement of transport, communications and logistics links and simpler border
formalities are key factors for the development of Northern Finland.
- The Sami in Finland are the Arctic indigenous people, whose status has been secured
in the Constitution.
Finland’s Strategy for the Arctic Region (2010) also promotes Finland’s interests within the
EU at a time when the EU is formulating its own Arctic policy, and specifies Finland’s views
in relation to the Arctic policies of other countries. According to the Communication from the
Commission to the European Parliament and the Council – The European Union and the
Arctic Region (2008), the European Community should maintain the arctic region as a
priority area for research to close knowledge gaps and assess future anthropogenic impacts,
especially in the area of climate change. The proposals for action include, for instance,
developing further research programmes, assessing the state and evolution of the arctic
environment, creating a new research infrastructure and enhancing monitoring and
surveillance capabilities, and coordinating efforts in different research areas relevant to the
arctic region, as well as developing arctic technologies.
Finland’s Strategy for the Arctic Region includes a large variety of goals relating to the
northern research and know-how. However, there are some important issues which are not
covered by the strategy. The Northern Research and Innovation Platform aims to contribute
to a part of these goals:
- Finland should make the northern regions a priority area for research, and additional
resources should be earmarked for these activities in the governmental budget.
Finland should also lobby for the European Union and other international actors to
channel more resources into research carried out in the northern regions.
- Research should be integrated with environmental, foreign and industrial policies as
this promotes collaboration between science and industry.
- New opportunities generated by interdisciplinary approaches should be exploited.
- Integration and the strategic development of northern infrastructures should be
pursued.
- Networks should be created between regional research clusters, and a competence
area focusing on northern know-how should be established.
- The knowledge and skills of people living in the northern regions, especially those of
the indigenous peoples, should play a role in the development of the northern regions.
- Finland should shoulder its share of the global responsibility, i.e., be "a caring
mediator".
NORTHERN RESEARCH AND INNOVATION PLATFORM
The Northern Research and Innovation Platform is based on ERA and ND (figure 3). The
platform is formed by analyzing the five areas of ERA; 1) researchers, 2) research
infrastructures, 3) the transfer of knowledge, 4) joint design programmes, and 5) international
cooperation in science and technology. Further, the platform follows the ND policy
recommendations that encompass cooperation among various stakeholders in the innovation
system. Finland’s Strategy for the Arctic Region includes a large variety of goals relating to
the northern research and know-how, which has been taken into account in the development
of the platform content. Also, there are some important issues which are not covered by the
strategy. The platform aims to contribute to a part of these goals.
The Northern Research and Innovation Platform is a platform for promoting northern knowhow and expertise in the field of ‘the environment, energy and natural resources’ with a
strong geographical emphasis on northern and arctic aspects. The platform brings together
key research actors; universities and research institutes, universities of applied sciences and
companies, in addition to other public organizations, aiming to generate multidisciplinary
research projects and speed up innovations, especially in the mining and new forest and bioenergy industries. Further, the platform aims to support research in preventing environmental
changes in the northern regions and in man’s operational prerequisites in cold climate
conditions. The platform also operates in the field of emerging environmental technology,
focusing on, e.g., material and energy efficiency, renewable energy solutions and waste
management, as well as water and waste water treatment, air protection, environmental
measuring, monitoring, and analysis, environmental law and sustainable economy, and
climate-friendly and cost-effective processes, automation and services.
The Northern Research and Innovation Platform will develop know-how and expertise on the
environmental and energy issues and the sustainable use of natural resources for the benefit
of the whole of Europe, and thus meet European needs by combining the environmental and
social dimensions into technological expertise. The platform also aims to increase the
awareness and visibility of northern and arctic research within the local and national sphere,
as well as within EU authorities, and to strengthen the influence on national and EU
programmes. The platform can act as a channel between the regional actors and EU
authorities.
Figure 2: Northern Research and Innovation Platform.
Based on the ERA, ND and Finland’s Strategy for the Arctic Region, the Northern Research
and Innovation Platform is formulated:
1) The platform is an open forum for new partnerships between research actors,
companies and the public sector in northern Finland. The platform encourages people
living in the northern regions, especially those of the indigenous peoples, to share
their knowledge and skills in the development of the northern countries. The platform
encourages researchers and other experts to circulate and to cooperate across
scientific, organizational, regional and national borders and to create transnational,
multidisciplinary research groups.
2) The platform supports the development and operation of common research structures
in northern Finland. The platform aims to make the northern regions a priority area
for research, and recommend that additional resources should be earmarked for these
activities in the governmental budget. The platform develops an infrastructure of
electronic communication and promotes international networking.
3) The platform provides access for northern know-how and experience and promotes
the collaboration between science and industry. The platform disseminates the results
of publicly funded research to make them more exploitable, allowing them to be
refined into new products and services.
4) The platform increases collaboration, coordination and the sense of community in a
fragmented field of research actors. The platform actors participate voluntarily and
variedly in defining, developing and implementing a common strategic framework for
northern research. A shared vision on how the great societal and scientific challenges
should be addressed serves as the platform's foundation.
5) The platform promotes collaboration in northern research and also creates new
connections to neighbouring countries, while strengthening those that already exist. In
collaboration with international partners, the platform will actively participate in
addressing the challenges which are typically present in the northern regions. The
platform strengthens the northern negotiation power to have an influence on the
contents of national and international/EU programmes. The platform is a channel
between region and EU and other international actors to channel more resources into
research carried out in the northern regions. The platform develops recommendations,
detailing specific tasks, approaches, participants and the necessary infrastructure for
the national and EU programmes, such as FP 7 and the forthcoming FP 8.
Northernmost Europe's future growth, competitiveness and sustainability objectives are
dependent upon major research, innovations and technological advances in the medium to
long term. The platform will promote the creation of new partnerships between universities,
research institutes and companies, draft, in the first stage, a co-operation strategy for research
and development from the regional and national starting points and links it with international
strategies. The platform will play a key role in ensuring an adequate focus of research
funding on areas with a high degree of industrial relevance, by covering the whole economic
value chain and by mobilizing public authorities at national and regional levels. In fostering
effective public-private partnerships, the platform has the potential to contribute significantly
to the renewed Lisbon strategy and to the development of a ERA of knowledge for growth.
As such, they are proving to be powerful actors in the development of European research
policy, in particular in orienting the national and international research programmes better
meet the needs of industry in the field of environment, energy, mining and forestry.
CONCLUSIONS
The Barents region, North-western Russia and the entire Arctic region offer extensive
business opportunities especially in the sectors of shipbuilding and offshore industries,
sectors associated with the building of infrastructure, and in the sectors of the environment,
security, energy, and telecommunications. For sustainable development, it necessary to pay
increasing attention to environmental protection, and thereby, also to the preservation of
healthy living conditions for indigenous peoples and other inhabitants in the northern regions.
Environmental issues are not just a separate sector of their own; instead, they are an
important element of a wider whole. Because climate change and other environmental
hazards are not contained by national borders, international cooperation for prevention is
vitally important. The environmental problems in the northern regions must be identified and
tackled in the close cooperation among all actors in the northern regions, by launching
transnational, multidisciplinary research projects, and by making the implementation of
international treaties more efficient.
There is a strong increase in the demand for northern and arctic know-how and technologies.
The feasibility and use of technological solutions and tools related to the sustainable use of
northern natural resources and the preventing and adapting to climate and environmental
change must be studied. Economic, technological and social innovations arising from this
process must be developed. Controlling northern environmental issues contains business
opportunities which offer an important way to solve these issues. The need for problemoriented multidisciplinary research has increased, and solving research problems requires
more and more cooperation these days. The need for international centers of excellence is on
the rise. The small number of businesses is a weakness for northern Finland. This creates a
need for new methods of action to transform research-generated ideas and inventions into
commercial profits. The productisation of northern know-how has also become a high
priority.
Issues which are related to the sustainable use of ’the environment, energy, and natural
resources’ are usually politically and emotionally charged. Furthermore, different sources
provide conflicting information, e.g., on how non-polluting the various production processes
are, how sustainable the use of various natural resources is, and what the practical
implications of climate change actually are. More impartial information and open discussions
are required on these topics to allow an economically, environmentally and socially
sustainable use of natural resources in the northern regions. People who live in the region
tend to see the close proximity of, e.g., mines, waste incineration plants or nuclear power
plants as a threat to their personal health and well-being or the region's other businesses, such
as tourism. This is why we need information about the true impact of different industries and
should also be on the lookout for possibilities to develop production methods and make them
more ecologically sound. This is important in order to avoid pitting the region's different
businesses (industry, reindeer management, tourism etc.) against one another.
The northern research actors are small compared to their Central European competitors,
which encourages cooperating and networking. Improving coordination of northern research
will add interest in this horizontal area of research on a national and international level. This
will provide northern research with more resources which can be targeted on research
benefiting the economic life and developing new innovations. Thus, northern research will
offer better support for regional innovation activity and regional entrepreneurship, and
promote equal regional development.
The Northern Research and Innovation Platform is not ready, but it has already adopted some
specific characteristics when compared to the other actors in the northern research and
innovation community. The activities will stretch over the entire circumpolar belt, and
connect universities and the regions, from Canada to Sweden, from Japan to Russia, and
Iceland, Finland. Compared to the other research actors or networks in the north, the platform
is market-driven, down-up processes, and is also more focused to how research results can
benefit the business world around the research institutes. In summary, the Northern Research
and Innovation Platform supports the following activities:
 Scientific collaboration between various scientific disciplines, research institutes and
industries should be increased.
 Scientific and infrastructure collaboration (logistic arrangements, research-related
infrastructures) with other research institutes in the northern regions (Norway,
Sweden, Russia, Canada, Iceland, Greenland, the Faroe Islands) should be increased.
 EU subsidies and programmes targeted at the northern regions should be exploited
more efficiently.
 The European Union should be made aware of northern research needs.
 Existing networks and projects, and the results generated by them, should be utilized
more efficiently.
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Impartial information (concerning different forms of energy in particular) should be
generated and disseminated.
Regional strengths (minerals, geo-energy, water, ICT) should be utilized better, and
their true potential should be explored.
More emphasis should be placed on value chain thinking: the possibility to establish
new networks and adopt a perspective of sustainable production and product
development.
Education and know-how should be increased and developed by educational
institutions as well as the exploiters of research and education (companies, decisionmakers, officials) – targeted training based on regional needs, training for top
experts/researchers, the ability to accept new information.
Educational collaboration should be increased both internationally and between
various northern organizations.
The Northern Research and Innovation Platform strongly supports the action proposal of
Finland’s Strategy of Arctic Region, i.e., that the Academy of Finland should launch an arctic
research programme with a special emphasis on multi- and interdisciplinary research and
international collaboration, in order to safeguard Finland’s extensive competence in arctic
research. Finland’s Arctic Research Strategy is from the year 1999. Responding to today's
changing circumstances and financial situation through research requires an update to the
new national northern research strategy and the adoption of a new approach based on
Finland's Strategy for the Arctic Region. Vital important is also to influence on matters
relating to research and know-how in the coming EU Arctic Strategy and commit the action
proposals of the Northern Dimension policy. The Northern Research and Innovation Platform
may create a certain kind of EU Gateway status for the Barents region, North-western Russia
and the entire Arctic region related to the northern and arctic research and innovation.
¨
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