Press releases: Innovations
The principal actors of the Team Finland model will move under one roof in Otaniemi
Finnvera, Finpro
and Tekes - the principal actors of the Team Finland model - will move to new
premises in Otaniemi, at the heart of the Nordic countries' largest innovation
hub. The new building will be located in the
immediate vicinity of Aalto University and VTT.
Scheduled for occupancy in 2015–2016, the construction of the building was ordered by Senate Properties. The plan was made public in Helsinki on 13 September 2012.
- This project will bring key actors participating in the new government model
for the promotion of exports, dubbed Team Finland, under one roof. The new
building will facilitate cooperation in areas such as raising funds for
innovation and pursuing the internationalisation strategy. The quality of
customer-oriented services will also be improved, Jyri Häkämies, Minister of Economic Affairs, declared at the press
conference.
The construction cost of the new building is expected to be approximately 35.5
million euros, with Senate Properties
bearing responsibility for financing the investment. The leasable floor area
will total approximately 12,000 m², which translates into space for more than
600 people.
- This building will be a forerunner to similar buildings. Wooden houses in
this size category are rarely built in Finland. It will also be designed for
maximum energy efficiency. With respect to work premises, many of the solutions
applied will be highly innovative, Häkämies comments.
Services for entrepreneurs are brought
closer to the customer
At the press conference, two reforms were announced with the aim of bringing
services for entrepreneurs closer to the customer. Public funding for start-up
companies with high growth potential will be managed under one roof, as Tekes
is made the sole organisation responsible for channelling risk capital. With
services centralised in a single location, various funding instruments – direct
aid, loan and capital investment – can be deployed for enterprises in an
optimal manner.
TEM will also discontinue the procurement of services from the Foundation for
Finnish Inventions. Instead, it will acquire them from the Centre for Economic
Development, Transport and the Environment of Uusimaa. For customers seeking
funding for inventions, this arrangement will make more services and funding
instruments available, including funding from structural funds.
The INKA programme for 2014–2020
The ´Innovative Cities´ programme, dubbed INKA, is a new instrument for
policy-makers involved in innovation, supporting a joint effort engaging both
national and regional players. In October, TEM will introduce a competitive
element to this programme. In collaboration with the state and urban regions, the
goal is to expedite the generation of new, major projects that are not only
national in scope but which have an international dimension. In part, the INKA
programme will replace the OSKE programme – the Centre of Expertise Programme - due to expire in 2012.
For more information, please contact::
Jyri Häkämies, Minister of Economic Affairs, tel. +358 295 063 501
Petri Peltonen, Director General, TEM, tel. +358 50 626 63
Pete Pokkinen, Special Adviser to the Minister of Economic Affairs, TEM, tel.
+358 40 756 7180
