Finnish ICT Education Industry

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Finnish ICT Education Industry

Hannu Peltola Service Unit of Finnish Virtual
University 3rd November 2005
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Content

• Background
• Finnish Governmental Policy Programs and
  Strategies
• Finnish Innovation System
• Finnish Science and Technology Policies
• Public and Private Partnership
• Technology Development
• Finnish University System and Finnish Virtual
  University
• Key Experiences

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Background
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• FINLAND
• Area total
• 337,030 sq km
• Population
• 5,183,545
• GDP/ comp. by sector agriculture 4
  industry 34 services 62
• GDP/ capita purchasing power parity
• 26,200
• International organizations
• Member of United Nations since 1955
• Member of European Union since 1995

http//www.gandalf.it/data/data2.htm http//www.ci
a.gov/cia/publications/factbook/
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Research Development Expenditure
http//www.tilastokeskus.fi
Note 1) Public Sector includes private
non-profit activities 2) Education Sector
includes universities, polytechnics and central
university hospitals
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Research Development Expenditure
http//www.tilastokeskus.fi
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Governmental Policy Programs andStrategies
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Government Policy Programs

• The Policy Programmes cover the most important
  intersectoral subject matters in the Government
  Programme.
• Prime Minister Vanhanen's Government launched
  four policy programmes that are led and
  coordinated by a minister responsible for the
  programme
• Information Society Policy Programme (Prime
  Minister)
• Employment Policy Programme (Minister of Labour)
  
• Entrepreneurship Policy Programme (Minister of
  Trade and Industry)
• Civil Participation Policy Programme (Minister
  of Justice)
• The ministers responsible for the policy
  programmes are assisted by programme directors
  appointed to the relevant ministries.
• The coordinating ministers and programme
  directors organise the implementation of the
  policy programmes in a manner they consider
  adequate for the attainment of the objectives.
  They also make decisions on the division of
  responsibilities and on the organisation of
  detailed preparation, implementation and
  monitoring of the policy programmes.

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eEurope and Finnish National Information Society
Policy
http//europa.eu.int
http//e.finland.fi/
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Information Society Policy Program (1/2)

• The aim of the programme are
• to boost competitiveness and productivity
• to promote social and regional equality and
• to improve citizens' well-being and quality of
  life through effective utilisation of information
  and communications technologies.
• The Information Society Policy Programme aims to
  
  maintain Finland's status as a leading
  producer
  and user of
  information and communications
  technology.

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Information Society Policy Program (2/2)

• The Information Society Programme consists of
  seven sub-sectors
• telecommunication infrastructure and digital
  television
• Citizens' ability to utilise the information
  society and secure information society
• Training, working life, research and development
• Utilisation of ICT in public administration
  
  (development of public services, social
  
  welfare and health, information
  
  management in public administration)
• Electronic commerce and digital contents
• Legislative measures
• International dimension

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Finnish Innovation System
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Finnish Innovation System
Source http//www.research.fi
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Finnish Innovation System (1/3)

• Finnish science and technology policy is
  characterised by long-term development of
  knowledge and know-how.
• The national innovation system means a
  comprehensive entity composed of the producers of
  new knowledge and know-how, their users and the
  various ways in which they interact.
• Central elements in the innovation system are
  education
  and training, research and
  development, and
  knowledge-intensive
  business.
• New knowledge is produced by universities
  and
  polytechnics, research institutes and
  businesses, among
  others. Knowledge is
  chiefly used by
  businesses, private individuals,
  and the
  decision-makers and administrations
  responsible for
  the development of society.

Source http//www.research.fi
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Finnish Innovation System (2/3)

• The national science, technology and innovation
  policies are formulated by the Science and
  Technology Policy Council, which works under the
  Prime Minister.
• The organisations with primary responsibility
  for science and technology policy are the
  Ministry of Education and the Ministry of Trade
  and Industry.
• Nearly 80 of the government research funding is
  channelled through these two ministries.
• Finland has been transferring from an economy
  based on natural resources towards a
  knowledge-based economy. The rapid change in the
  industrial structure has also benefited
  traditional industries products and production
  methods are more knowledge-intensive in the
  economy as a whole.
• The globalisation of the economy and technology
  and the ensuing rapidly proceeding international
  change have a strong effect on the regional level
  on the industrial structures, business models and
  the competencies required of both the labour
  force and society at large.

Source http//www.research.fi
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Finnish Innovation System (2/3)

• The key challenge is to keep Finland
  sufficiently attractive to business, to jobs and
  as a living environment in general. At the
  national level, it is necessary to secure welfare
  services in the face of a rapidly ageing
  population and the ensuing pressures for
  taxation, to lower the unemployment rate, to
  improve employment and to balance regional
  development.
• The success of the national knowledge-based
  strategy entails
• 1) The capability for constantly generating new
  high-standard and relevant knowledge
• 2) Efficient and unimpeded diffusion of knowledge
  and know-how
• 3) Advanced capability for exploiting knowledge
  produced
  abroad
• 4) Effective horizontal partnerships in the
  domain
  of knowledge
• 5) network-building across sectoral boundaries
• Finland must identify the strength areas the
  national
  competencies and invest in their systematic
  
  development.
• Alongside technological innovation, the focus is
  
  increasingly on the promotion of social
  innovation.
  

Source http//www.research.fi
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Finnish Science and Technology Policies
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Finnish Science Policy (1/2)

• Finnish science policy is designed to ensure
  positive development in science and scholarship.
• The general aim is to
• raise the level
• ensure the comprehensiveness
• enhance the social impact
• promote the international penetration of Finnish
  research.
• Science policy is the responsibility of the
  
  Ministry of Education
• the most important research financing
  
  organisation is the Academy of Finland.
• Publicly funded research is
  
  mainly conducted in
  
  universities and
  
  research
  institutes.

Source http//www.research.fi, photo Helsinki
University of Technology
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Finnish Science Policy (2/2)

• The key targets and priorities in Finnish
  science policy
• To effect a substantial
  
  increase in research
  
  funding and maintain
  
  
  the GDP share of RD
  
  
  at a world top level.
• To step up the development
  
  of centres of excellence
• To promote national, European and international
  networking in research
• To support research especially in fields relevant
  to knowledge-intensive industries and services,
  such as biotechnology
• To intensify cooperation between the users of the
  research system and research findings and the
  diffusion of research findings
• To promote the commercialisation of research
  findings and the creation of new business and the
  utilisation of research findings and technology
• To make input into impact analysis and the
  evaluation of the state and
  
  performance of the research system.

Source http//www.research.fi, photo Academy of
Finland
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Finnish Technology Policy (1/3)

• Finnish technology policy is designed to
  strengthen the competitiveness of
  technology-based enterprises.
• Technological progress is used to create new
  business opportunities and promote the growth of
  existing business. Technology policy is a central
  component in industrial policy.
• Technology policy is the responsibility of the
  Ministry of Trade and Industry.
• The responsibility for measures geared to
  
  develop and disseminate new technological
  
  knowledge has been assigned to agencies in
  the
  Ministry's sector.
• The most important organisation financing
  
  technological RD is the National Technology
  
  Agency (Tekes).

Source http//www.research.fi
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Finnish Technology Policy (2/3)

• The aims of Finnish technology policy
• To develop the national innovation system with a
  goal of generating new knowledge and promoting
  knowledge-based production and services
• To increase and expedite the utilisation of
  growing research results and to promote the
  emergence and growth of new companies
• To effect a substantial increase in public RD
  funding, which will be allocated to RD and
  commercialisation of results in the services
  sector and in new production fields and to
  innovation promoting sustainable development
• To restore an upward trend in public RD funding
• To promote national, European and
  
  other international networking
  
  in RD...

Source http//www.research.fi, photo Acedemy of
Finland
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Finnish Technology Policy (3/3)

• ...To support national technology policy
  priorities and a more effective use of research
  resources through bilateral and multilateral
  cooperation
• To support regional development through
  technology
• To evaluate regularly the performance and impact
  of technology policy
• To enhance research into technological change
  and innovation and their social impact
• To ensure that the technological infrastructure,
  national quality policy and the technological
  safety system meet international standards and
  promote business competitiveness
• To disseminate information to decision-
  
  makers and the general public on the results
  
  and the impact of public RD funding.

Source http//www.research.fi, photo Academy of
Finland
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TEKES

• Tekes, the National Technology Agency
  
  is the main public financing and
  expert
  organisation for research and
  technological
  development in Finland.
• Tekes finances industrial RD projects
  
  as well as projects in universities
  and
  research institutes. Tekes
  especially
  promotes
  innovative, risk-intensive projects.
• The primary objective is to promote the
  competitiveness of Finnish industry and the
  service sector by assisting in the creation of
  world-class technology and technological
  know-how.
• Tekes activities aim to diversify production
  structures, increase production and exports, and
  create a foundation for employment and social
  wellbeing.
• Tekes funds come from the state budget via the
  Ministry of Trade and Industry. Tekes has a
  budget of 400 million euros, a source of funding
  for 2000 projects annually.

Source http//www.tekes.fi
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Public and Private Partnership
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Case Science Parks
Flourishing high-tech enterprise
Expert level personnel from universities
Public and private funding (e.g. TEKES)
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Technology Development
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Internet hosts per 1000 inhabitants 3/2003
http//www.gandalf.it/data/data2.htm
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Broad-band Connections http//www.tilastokeskus
.fi
Connections per 100 inhabitants
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Telecommunications in Finland http//www.tilasto
keskus.fi
Connections per 1 000 inhabitants
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Finnish University System and Finnish Virtual
University
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Finnish University system

• 21 FINNISH UNIVERSITIES (Government)
• 10 multifaculty universities
• 3 technical universities
• 3 business schools
• 4 art universities
• 1 National College for
• Defence

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Higher Education Policy in Finland, guidelines
1999-2004

• Education and research seen as crucial to
  Finlands national economic and political
  strategy for the future. In 1999 the Government
  fixed the guidelines for higher education up to
  the year 2004.
• The Information Strategy For Research And
  Education centered on
• Reforms of University education towards a more
• student-centered teaching methods
• The development of teaching and learning to
  especially capitalize on
• network-based and open and distance learning
• The promotion of the use of ICT in education and
  research
• Virtual university, established to produce
  high-standard educational services which enable
  studies to be pursued in every part of Finland
  through networks
• MinEdu requested all the 21 Finnish Universities
  to prepare ICT strategy for teaching and learning
  at the end of the year 2002
• ref. e.g. http//www.minedu.fi
  /julkaisut/Hep2001/Edusys/3HEPolicy/index.html

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FVU in a nutshell

• a consortium of all 21 Finnish universities
• a co-operative and service organization of the
  universities
• does not award degrees or qualifications
• operation started in 2001 and until 2006 the FVU
  operates as a project organization
• no legal authority yet

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Higher Education and ICT for Teaching and
Learning
Four phases
The Network Phase
The Strategy Phase
The Competence Phase
The Equipment Phase (iron age)
2005-2009
2002 -2004
2000 -2001
1995-1999
Juha Pohjonen, FIND presentation in Bandung
October 2005
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Finnish Virtual University activities
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Management Model of the Finnish Virtual
University
Suomen virtuaaliyliopiston portaalihanke l Totti
Tuhkanen 29.4.2002
l 2
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Initial Goals of the Finnish Virtual University

• Develop virtual courses, and their support
  services
• - Thematic networks and local e-learning support
  centers
• Harmonize universities information systems
• - especially learning support systems
• - e.g., electronic transfer of credits and
  related information between universities
• Enhance the flexible studies
• - Flexible Study Rights agreement (JOO
  agreement)
• - All universities participating
• Provide shared services for university students,
  teachers, researchers and administrators -
  agreements on standards for, e.g., course
  information and educational material format
• - national database on online courses
• - counselling service for the national Flexible
  Study Rights scheme (JOOPAS)
• - online student counselling
• - design support for online courses tools for
  planning, implementation and evaluation
  databases for developing educational material
• - advice on IPR issues

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Initial Goals of the FVU

• increase co-operation among universities and
  encourage the development of joint study
  programmes
• thematic national networks
• establish the operating models and services
  developed during the project as permanent parts
  of the universities activities

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Finances

• Ministry of Education 2001 - 20059 million EUR
  per annum
• half for the universities projects
• half for the university networks
• European Social Fund 2001 - 20041.5 million EUR
  for the FVU portal

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Success stories...

• FVU consortium agreement
• First ever collective agreement among the
  Finnish Universities
• Agreement of Flexible Studies in different
  universities
• All universities participating, started
  September 2004
• extensive support service launched in 2004
• Strategic level approach for the development of
  virtual university activities
• All areas developed simultaneously and
  systematically

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... Success stories

• Truly networked research and development
  established
• 30 active networks of universities operating
  regional, service focused and thematic networks
• Local successes
• eLearning support units formed in each Finnish
  university
• the amount of e-Learning rising steadily
• eLearning methods thoroughly accepted
• permanent organizations formed
• new technology and services developed

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Challenges...

• Management model
• complicated
• responsibilities of different organizations
  shall be defined in more detail
• Financing model
• Today sole dependency of MinEDU funding
• 50 directly to universities, 50 to
  university networks
• 21 different opinions and strategies of
• parent universities
• Challenge to manage but also a strength
  different views and plenty of ideas collected in
  each project

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... Challenges

• Consolidation of the legal and economic position
  
• of the FVU
• Legal entity will be formed in 2006
• Technical infrastructure
• Today totally different IT systems
• Common infrastructure will be built on key areas
  
• Joint quality procedures and criteria
• Joint quality criteria will be defined by 2005
• Extensive quality program for e-learning in
  2004-2006

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Challenges in 2005-2006

• Finnish Virtual University has just now critical
  moments in operations
• a 5 year project shall be transferred as
  every-day operations with permanent organizations

Measuring the effectiviness of the operations,
meters
Items to be covered in 2005-2006
Implementation of strategy, new projects
Organization models, permanent operations
Financing models and levels from year 2007
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Case Strategic Development and ICT Strategy
Service

• The development of Finnish Virtual
• University started as strategic level
• initiative
• In order to support the universities
• to define an ICT strategy, a strategy
• support service was created by the FVU
• Strategy service has tools how to built
• up a balance score card based strategy
• Strategy service has a data base of
• different ICT strategies of Finnish universities
• Strategy service is supported by strategy
• consulting offered by the senior experts
• of FVU

Experiences - all universities have made ICT
strategies - the quality of university strategy
work has increased - the openness of
universities goals has increased
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Case Learning Center Aleksandria at
Helsinki University

• The Finnish Virtual University activities of
  Helsinki University are organized as Learning
  Centre "Aleksandria
• In addition of the virtual university activities
  the unit has components of university library,
  university language centre and IT support units.
• The Language Centre is responsible for the
  Self-Access Centre for language study
• the Library offers a major part of Aleksandrias
  library services
• Information Technology Department takes care of
  IT support, user account administration, and
  software distribution and sales.
• At the Learning Centre there are 350 computers
  available for the students' use free of charge 24
  hours per day.
• The local virtual university unit offers the
  teaching staff of the University of Helsinki
  support services in the use of ICT in teaching.

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Case ICT training program TieVie

• Finnish Virtual University ICT training program
  TieVie is networked expert organization
  comprised of experts from 13 universities
• TieVie has trained almost 600 university
  teachers to have the basic level educational ICT
  skills and over 300 teachers and specialists have
  been trained to expert level.
• Altogether the number of trained people
  represents about 11 of total number of Finnish
  university teachers.

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Case Service Unit

• The Service Unit of the Finnish Virtual
  University offers and maintains the national
  virtual university services like portal services
  and flexible study right services.
• The unit negotiates national level agreements
  between the consortium members and with partners.
  
• The personnel participate in national
  development projects and the results of the
  projects are distributed via service unit
  channels.
• The service Unit is also one contact point for
  all domestic and international contacts.
• The service unit has a staff of 7 persons.

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Strategic objectives
1. Enhancement of flexible studies and
development of support systems for flexible
studies
Students have broad selection of courses
and administration is easy
Enhancement of quality, cost-efficiency
2. Enhancement of co-operation among e-learning
courses and course material
3. Wide-spread usage of FVU ICT training and
support services
Developed tools and services are in large-scale
use, cost-efficiency
Mutual exchange of university teaching,
broad-scale co-operation with selected partners
4. Integration of FVU to the European Higher
Education Area, other international co-operation
5. Organization, working methods, financing and
management model support the needs of networked
operation
A firm foundation for all operations
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Mission for FVU
The Finnish Virtual University (FVU) is a network
organization for co-operation among Finnish
universities The FVU promotes the development,
productisation and distribution of network-based
educational and research services for shared use
and provision by universities in national and
international contexts The FVU bases its
development work on state-of-the-art research
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Key Experiences
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Competitiveness
Source World Economic Forum (WEF), The
International Institute for Management
Development (IMD)
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Relationship between GDP per capita and public
funding for research and development
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Internet hosts vs. access costs
Internet Access Cost and Internet Host Density
OECD Nations 1998-99 OECD, Science, Technology
and Industry Scoreboard, 1999, Benchmarking
Knowledge-based economies (OECD Paris) p.19
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Summary key success factors in Finland

• Long-term development with comprehensive
  programs
• Balanced programs private and public sector
  developed equally
• Financing, legislation, technology and user
  support/training shall be developed
• Private competition essential in developing new
  services and keeping price level adequate
• Public sector can support the development with
  (risk) financing, infrastructure investments and
  training programs

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Contact Information
Hannu Peltola Director Service Unit of the
Finnish Virtual University Tel. [phone]
8333 e-mail hannu.peltola_at_virtualuniversity.fi www
www.virtualuniversity.fi