tel OVERVIEW 1/2 An input into an innovation is regarded to create welfare throughout European Union EU, member countries and regions have a growing input into the R & D of innovation A better company level information about the innovation management would help to get a better output of the innovation It is not for sure that innovation project will lead to a useful and profitable result – the process on a company level is still rather unexplored

tel OVERVIEW 2/2 New EU policy sees a strong market orientation, customer focus and networking essential for the successful innovation The effectiveness of innovation– the output related to the input – comes by seeking customer needs and matching them with an appropriate product or service -> The importance of the commercialisation has finally been noticed

tel INTRODUCTION 1/1 The presented approach has been created as a result of PPP (public-private partnership) since 1997 Bluehut ( a family consultation company, intermediates the stakeholders of the regional and company level innovation management and works as an adviser of EU funded projects for Lahti Citywww.bluehut.fi Lahti University of Applied Sciences Innovation Centre manages innovation development projects and offers an overview to the regional development

tel BACKGROUND 1/2 Lahti region locates 100 km to the north from Helsinki The region still suffers from economic collapse of early 1990s – relatively high unemployment and poor innovation infra- structure in traditional sense (R & D, techno- logy, lack of big traditional university etc.) There are going on several efforts to improve the situation: Objective 2 programme, national development programmes (Centre of Expertise, University Coordination Unit etc.)

tel BACKGROUND 2/2 A new innovation development strategy, which is based on the utilisation of networks and commercialisation of innovation The strategy has been created taking into consideration of the facts that the infrastructure may stay poorer compared to the other regions of Finland In the end, only the effectiveness (the social and commercial success) of innovation efforts will matter, which means that the region is now competing with strategically wiser tools There are going on several efforts to improve the situation: Objective 2 programme, national development programmes (Centre of Expertise, University Coordination Unit etc.)

tel MAJOR ISSUES 1/2 All businesses and companies have potential to develop own innovation management if the approach is not too narrow minded Innovation is a heart of the every company – all companies have been born from a development, which is innovative, at least in comparison to its existing competitors The more intensive attention on the commercialisation would be beneficiary especially for the SMEs, which have been out of the development efforts because of the low- tech or small size (R & D resources are small and/or not much experience)

tel MAJOR ISSUES 2/2 In the company level…. 1)The strong linkage and knowledge between customer and other companies is a necessity 2)General utilisation of networks saves own resources and brings new information – plug external information as much as possible especially if R & D infra is not developed enough 3)Innovation should be integrated to the companys strategy – a clear vision motivates

tel CONCLUSIONS 1/2 Companies should be helped to manage innovations in the broader scope, not only from the technological point of view The intangible nature of the not product related innovations should be taken into the consideration and explored This means new methodological challenges for R & D in general throughout EU

tel CONCLUSIONS 2/2 THANK YOU FOR YOUR ATTENTION! General findings of the competitive advantage of innovation are not enough to survive in the global markets – only the results of company level will matter The topic has been quite sensitive, now the common understanding and efforts of all levels have been noticed - stronger co-operation is needed to gain concrete results