As a part of the Foundation Workshop on 19th May 2021: "Academia and Economic Resilience: What Role Do Academics Play" was Oulu Innovation Alliance (OIA) was presented as a good practice that has been taking in action since year 2009, and the third agreement period has just started in January 2021. It was introduced by Research Director, Associate Professor of University of Oulu Pekka Tervonen. He who has been involved in operation of OIA since the beginning, so Dr. Tervonen was also presenting concrete results and effectiveness from two earlier agreement period how the fostering the open innovation ecosystem has increased the maturity of innovation culture. 
Oulu has a long tradition in co-operation between education and research institutes, companies and public sector and Oulu’s high-tech image was built on this co-operation in 1980´s. As a collaborative continuation, the city of Oulu established a taskforce to work on suggestions for the renewal of Oulu’s innovation environment in 2007. As a result of the Oulu Triple Helix report, a strategic innovation alliance agreement was undersigned in February 2009 and the first contract period was 2009-2015, second 2016-2020 and third is now ongoing 2021-2027.
The Oulu Innovation Alliance was formed between the City of Oulu, University of Oulu, Oulu University of Applied Sciences, VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland and Technopolis limited company. The ultimate strategic focus and target of the Oulu Innovation Alliance
agreement was to keep Oulu as an internationally acknowledged center for innovation.
Oulu Innovation Alliance strategic target areas:
Main goals:
‒ High quality research and ideas in addition to potential new products and services must
be commercialized, meaning that they are marketed, sold and capitalized in a way that
they will reach Finnish and global customers.
‒ Innovation should lead to the birth and growth of new businesses and services, whether
they are start-ups, new endeavours of existing SME’s or opportunities created by big,
leading companies
‒ Customers and residents should be substantially more active as proponents in the OIA-
network as testers, product and service developers and makers.
This good practice was indicated as a highly valuable since it has concrete results how incubation, priorisation, and facilitation collaboration has led to strong research and business ecosystem of more than 100 university sites and well over 50 companies. Research, development, and innovation funding has been increased and commitment of all actors (Academia, Industry Leaders, Government and mid-caps and SMEs) has been strengthened each contract period. The Oulu region as an attractive living and company environment has increased.
The Oulu Innovation Alliance is transferable as:
• Supporting collaboration between different Quadruple Helix actors is beneficial to all taking part on it
• It is beneficial to resource management when roles and responsibilities has clearly agreed on
• RDI project portfolio is based on common strategic innovation agenda
• It suits for all regions since the model is based on region’s own expertise supporting
For further information on Oulu Innovation Alliance contact, Research Director [email protected] or website www.ouluinnovationalliance.fi
