Aligning Metropolitan Innovation Strategies Helsinki Case Matti Ollinkari Head of Lord Mayor’s Office City of Helsinki BaltMet Inno Final Conference ”Baltic Sea Region – Archipelago of Innovation?” Tallinn, 6 Nov, 2007 Project part-financed by the European Union

Helsinki example on creating and managing a metropolitan innovation strategy Strategy process POLITICAL INITIATIVE MADE Lord Mayor of Helsinki called together Helsinki Club of leading policymakers PROJECT ESTABLISHED Regional development agency Culminatum Ltd Oy launched the project. HIGH PROFILE CHAMPIONS INVOLVED Six special subject teams dealt with the topics: (1) the role of the cities (2) development platforms (3) seed financing (4) creative sectors (5) the technology centre concept (6) Helsinki Region as an international setting for education and research. REGIONAL STAKEHOLDERS INVOLVED More than one hundred influential people were interviewed in the Helsinki Region

Helsinki Innovation Strategy of Helsinki Metropolitan Area was launched in 2005 with the contents: Improving the International Appeal of Research and Expertise (Pillar I) Reinforcing Expertise Clusters and Creating Common Development Platforms (Pillar II) Reform and Innovations in Public Services (Pillar III) Support for Innovative Activity (Pillar IV) The aspect of international co-operation not explicitly emhasized in the strategy

Starting point of the BaltMet Inno co-operation: Very few metropolitan innovation strategies existed Three different cases: Local: The Innovation Strategy – Helsinki Metropolitan Area Regional: The Coherent Innovation Strategy (Berlin Senate) National: The Latvian Innovation System – Strategy and Action Plan

BaltMet inno case in developing and managing metropolitan innovation strategies in the Baltic Sea Region ( ) POLITICAL INITIATIVE MADE BaltMet Mayors support the project (8 cities as partners, 3 as observrs) PROJECT ESTABLISHED Project runs three years The awareness of the necessity of metropolitan innovation strategies and transnational innovation co-operation raises. HIGH PROFILE CHAMPIONS AND REGIONAL STAKEHOLDERS INVOLVED Local advisory boards are established with the representation also from science and business partners. Some groud created for better triple-helix co-operation in the individual metropolises.

Future prospects The foundations for a strong metropolis driven innovation network in the Baltic Sea Region have been created. The City of Helsinki shall contribute to the implementation of the joint innovation policy and is committed to furthering concrete project co-operation. The consolidation of the triple-helix co-operation and the development of new models for exchanging experts from city departments, universities and business to the actor sectors for short term projects, are considered important. Promoting the international appeal of the BSR innovation potential can be also regarded as one of the major goals of the future.

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