During InnoBridge project Tampere Region became famous for the Open Innovation Platform (OIP) policy that is a part of an ecosystem-like innovation policy for more comprehensive development. The idea of it is to fund and support actions which create different value creating processes, encouraging especially the co-creation of different organization and actors. 'Sustainable growth and jobs 2014 - 2020 - Finland's structural funds programme' has also a nationally added output indicator ID17 ‘New innovation platforms’ which the funding applicants have to fill in related to their project proposals and monitor during the projects. This indicator has noticed to be particularly difficult for applicants to fill in, due to the many interpretations of innovation platforms.
With the support of InnoBridge Action Plan a novel OIP self-evaluation tool was implemented for this problem. The tool explains to project actors what elements make an open innovation platform, what elements need to be thought when building one in a project, and how the OIP indicator should be filled in. This tool also helps the funding team at the Council handling the ERDF proposals and projects to explain the indicator for the applicants. The tool is published in the Council's web site in Finnish www.pirkanmaa.fi/wp-content/uploads/Ty%C3%B6kalu_Innovaatioalustojen_itsearviointiin.pdf
'Sustainable growth and jobs 2014 - 2020 - Finland's structural funds programme' that have been used to support the creation of platforms, has not been targeted for any specific field of business, sector or theme. The calls have been launched thematically open. This has created good results but has had no clear focus on specific regional strengths or potential growth sectors. During the InnoBridge Peer Review the regional OIP policy was criticised for being too general and abstract and lacking clear focus and responsibilities.
As the second action of the InnoBridge Action Plan, Tampere Region created a sector specific ERDF funding call. During the exchange of experience and Peer Reviews with InnoBridge partners, Council of Tampere Region got inspired by the clear and systematic focus on supporting RIS3 priorities and regionally strong sectors in many partner regions. Particularly interesting was the ‘Working Groups for Malopolska Smart Specialisations’, a Good Practice nominated from Malopolska Region, with a clear competence building approach.
The improved call was launched in autumn 2018 with the aim to boost the creation of innovation environments and R&D activities in social and health sector. The final aim was to create a stronger sectoral ecosystem for social and health sector, where now funded platforms work as spaces for innovation services. The call was successful and one large ecosystem-like project was funded for the social and health sector.
