The Co-operation between the City and the Universities in Turku; Promoting and Developing the Innovation System

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The Co-operation between the City and the
Universities in Turku Promoting and Developing
the Innovation System

• University - City Co-operation seminar
  11.5.2007Mayor Mikko Pukkinen,
• City of Turku, Finland

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Table of contents

• A joint strategy for regional development
• A regional innovation system
• Transfer of know-how benefits all parties
• Communication and marketing
• Enhancing well-being
• Cooperation in cultural policy

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A joint strategy for regional development

• Strategic interests between the City and the
  universities
• Shared visions and understanding of the direction
  in which the city, the region and the province
  might best develop and the challenges in store on
  this path.
• Exchange of information, expertise and know-how
  in a variety of fields on a day-to-day basis.

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• The concentration of higher education
• Three universities and four universities of
  applied sciences
• University of Turku, Åbo Akademi University and
  the Turku School of Economics
• Turku University of Applied Sciences, the
  campuses of the nationwide Diaconia University of
  Applied Sciences (Diak) and Humak University of
  Applied Sciences, and Sydväst Polytechnic
  (Yrkeshögskolan Sydväst).
• ? Underpins the success - well-being, economic
  growth and rich cultural life - of the City of
  Turku as well as south-western Finland at large.

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Regional cooperation and development strategy
2006-2012

• Represents universities joint vision of how
  resources should be focused to best serve their
  regional development mission.
• The plan is based on the strategic focuses of the
  City of Turku, the Regional Council of Southwest
  Finland and other central actors in the region.
• Commitment to a high level of expertise,
  promotion of technology and the development of
  innovative businesses. Key fields are
• biotechnology and health
• information technology
• cultural services
• environmental industry
• material production with special emphasis on the
  metal, maritime and graphics industries.

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Promoting regional development in four areas

• Social responsibility
• The universities will work together to improve
  well-being, social and cultural capital and the
  prospects for sustainable development in the
  region.
• Internationality
• The universities will promote internationalisation
  of the region and develop international
  cooperation.
• Entrepreneurship
• The universities will work together to further
  entrepreneurship in the region.
• Cooperation between universities
• The universities will strengthen their
  cooperation for the benefit of the region.

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Students in Turku
Basic education 16 000
Universities 25 100
Upper secondary schools 4 500
Universities of Applied Sciences (Polytechnic)
9700
Vocational education 5 100
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A regional innovation system

• Turku Science Park
• Finlands most urban campus it features over
  250,000 square metres of facilities housing
  operations that provide some 14,000 jobs.
• Turku Science Park Ltd, Turku University Hospital
  and a large number of information-intensive
  development companies.
• The principal shareholder of the Turku Science
  Park group is the City of Turku.
• The focal areas within technology are the
  biosciences and information sciences.
• In the new national centre of expertise
  programme, Turku is coordinator of the Health-Bio
  Cluster and the Maritime Cluster.
• Paves the way for expanding research and
  education in the field, where the universities in
  the Turku region offer solid know-how in
  technology, the maritime industry, and the
  environmental industries.

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Time magazine 19.7.2006
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Transfer of know-how benefits all parties

• The City and universities exchange experts
  regularly in a range of strategic and planning
  teams.
• Cooperation between the city and universities to
  improve employment prospects for graduating
  students is a strategic goal geared towards the
  success of the entire region.
• KIBS (Knowledge Intensive Business Services) the
  Turku region has over 8,000 jobs and 2,000
  business in this sector, with an annual turnover
  of 1.2 billion euro.

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Practical examples

• Finland Futures Research Centre - indicator
  systems and forecasting methods focused on
  analysing the relationship between environmental
  and societal development.
• University of Turku and Åbo Akademi University -
  In addition to the strong natural science
  approach, environmental research emphasises legal
  and social points of view, such as those relevant
  to city research.
• The GI Centre of Southwest Finland produces
  products such as digital maps and information on
  Southwest Finland.
• The Turku Development Forum (TDF)
• Donated professorial chairs, project funding and
  scholarships.

Research
Public sector
Enterprises
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Communication and marketing

• Turku Tutorial website
• Promotes the city as a place to study.
• Features the University of Turku, Åbo Akademi
  University, the Turku School of Economics, and
  the Turku University of Applied Sciences.
• www.turkututorial.fi
• Centrum Balticum
• Think-tank launched in 2007.
• Regional, national and international actor
  focused on finding new perspectives and
  strengthening the influence of the Baltic Sea
  region, particularly in the European context.
• TURKU-Southwest Finland European office in
  Brussels
• The universities in the Turku area now contribute
  to supporting the office set up by the City of
  Turku and the Regional Council of Southwest
  Finland.

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Enhancing well-being

• The universities in Turku contribute to
  monitoring and developing well-being as
  appropriate to their particular research and
  education profiles. Cooperation with the City of
  Turkus provision of services in the welfare
  sector is extensive and multifaceted.
• Get Turkus schools moving project
• A number of other joint research and development
  projects based on researcher cooperation are in
  progress in the field of enhancing health and
  well-being.
• Southwest Finland Centre of Expertise on Social
  Welfare (VASSO)
• Baltic Region Healthy Cities Association, a WHO
  collaborating centre

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Cooperation in cultural policy

• The University of Turku provides Finlands
  broadest selection of art and culture subjects.
• The cooperation between the universities in Turku
  and the City of Turku promotes the creation of
  projects and events between culture and science.
• The University of Turku, Åbo Akademi University,
  Turku School of Economics and the Art Academy of
  Turku University of Applied Sciences are actively
  involved in the Citys European Capital of
  Culture 2011 project.

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Turun kaupunki PL 355, 20101 Turku Puh. (02) 330
000 turun.kaupunki_at_turku.fi www.turku.fi