Tekijät

• Research Institute of the Finnish Economy (ETLA)

Asiasanat

educational administrators, higher education institutions, innovation activities, innovation policy, networks, organizations, research, vocational education institutions

Sisällön kuvaus

The survey is part of the larger INNOEVAL survey evaluating the Finnish National Innovation System from several angles. In this study, the rectors of universities and polytechnics gave their opinions on the Finnish National Innovation System.

First, the respondents were not only asked to rate the current Finnish National Innovation System (NIS), but also the NIS as it was five years ago, and the NIS as it is expected to be after five years. Their views were probed on what kind of entity public sector actors in the Finnish NIS form. In addition, they indicated the importance of various actors (e.g. Tekes (the Finnish Funding Agency for Technology and Innovation), Sitra (the Finnish Innovation Fund), the Academy of Finland) for their organisation. The respondents were also asked to evaluate the orientation of the current Finnish innovation policy on a scale from "strong technology push" to "strong demand pull". Next, they indicated whether universities, polytechnics and public research organisations have successfully taken care of various tasks, such as international top-class research, research for the national needs, and the production of experts for the international business activities as well as for the needs of local business activities.

Views were charted on the innovation system's ability to support growth entrepreneurship. In addition, the respondents were asked whether they experienced that the NIS also promotes regional policy agendas, and whether the national innovation policy is equally effective in all regions of Finland. The respondents were asked about the importance of national and international networks on the activities of their own organisations, and they were presented with a set of attitudinal statements on the impact of the new Universities Act, the centres of strategic excellence (SHOKs), and the potential reform of publicly funded research organisations on the NIS.

The respondents were asked how large share of their universities' or polytechnics' labour input was allocated to education, research, exerting societal impact, and administration. Next, they gave their views on how significant role various actors, such as domestic and foreign universities, polytechnics, and research organisations, had in co-operative projects of their universities or polytechnics in the last three years. In addition, they were presented with a list of research objectives and asked whether the joint projects with companies had addressed them. Finally, the respondents indicated to what extent their universities or polytechnics answered to the various needs of corporate innovation activities.