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New Tandem Industry Academia (TIA) funding recipients met at a reception hosted by the Finnish Research Impact Foundation on 19 September 2022. The event included an interesting panel discussion about what lessons have been learned from industry-academia cooperation so far. 

There is no question that the world has become an increasingly complex place. One critical concern for businesses as well as for academic researchers is to overcome the challenges and implications of climate change, and answers are needed sooner rather than later. We can no longer afford to work in silos because there just isn’t enough time – a position shared by Postdoctoral Research Fellow Mattia Rossi, Professor Mikko Möttönen and Juha Nousiainen, head of the Climate Solutions programme at Valio.

“Valio has always been a technology-driven company. We’ve created solutions within the company, in an inside-out process. But the challenges of the modern world mean we are having to turn this around: we are now working more outside-in, with academic research closely involved in our development processes,” Nousiainen explains. Valio’s climate solutions team are currently working with the University of Helsinki to find ways to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from dairy production. Nousiainen insists that cooperation and outside-in thinking are essential, not just a chic addition to the company’s research efforts.

Mattia Rossi says that cooperation is also a motivating factor for the academic researcher because the value of research is measured by its practical applicability and impact. “When research is optimized according to the needs of industry, that at once serves to maximize its potential and benefits.” Upon completing his doctoral research Mattia Rossi specifically wanted to sign up with a project that involved a business partner. He’s now working at Tampere University to improve the efficiency of electricity consumption in a joint project with Danfoss Drives. 

Mikko Möttönen, Professor of Quantum Technology at Aalto University, shares Mattia Rossi’s view that industry cooperation is pivotal to increasing the impact of research. But he is not sure whether we are moving fast enough. “Climate change is not going to wait for us. We have to act quickly if we want to leave a sustainable environment for our grandchildren.” Professor Möttönen is principal investigator in a joint project between Aalto University and Bluefors. 

So what are the means that make for efficient cooperation? Professor Möttönen says it’s important to maintain a suitable level of realism – to accept that the very first research idea will not necessarily deliver, that it might be necessary to move the goalposts and adjust expectations along the way. He’s also keen to stress the role of project management and an active orientation. “Academic researchers and business professionals are busy people. Nothing will happen unless they find the time to get together and decide what they want to do.” 

Rossi and Nousiainen both subscribe to the views of Professor Möttönen and stress the importance of internal team communication. It’s crucial that both partners engage with each other’s thinking. “There’s no reason not to make an effort to explain things in an easy-to-understand manner,” Rossi says. Nousiainen also highlights the role of internal communication within the company and the need to explain and justify the importance of collaboration upwards to the higher echelons. It’s not enough that research teams within the company are convinced of the necessity of academic cooperation, but the top management must also be persuaded that outside-in research and development is imperative.

Outi Vanharanta, Doctor of Science in Economics and Business Administration, has been appointed into the newly created role of Research Impact Officer at the Finnish Research Impact Foundation, starting 1 September 2022. Key aspects of this role include the development of funding programme evaluations and new funding instruments. We are delighted to introduce our new team member!

What motivated you to join us at FRIF?

–   The Finnish Research Impact Foundation plays a significant role in our society in promoting research-driven cooperation with industry. My own role at FRIF will allow me to explore and develop new ways of improving this cooperation even further. I’m convinced there is still untapped potential in this field – and really excited to have this opportunity to get involved in strengthening this cooperation and ultimately the impact of research excellence in Finland.

First impressions of the foundation?

–   My first impressions of FRIF are extremely good! Despite its young age the foundation has already done a great deal to promote research impact. It’s a small team but one that’s highly dedicated and motivated to find the best ways of increasing interaction between academic research and the rest of society. And importantly, there’s a strong commitment to constantly improve the foundation’s performance.

What’s your background?´Before joining FRIF I spent ten years as project manager and researcher at Aalto University’s Department of Industrial Engineering and Management, working on various research projects concerned with innovation, organizational change and changes in the labour market. That was a great opportunity to get to work with different national and international stakeholder groups as well as with SMEs. It was truly motivating to get to do research that was academically interesting and at once relevant from a business perspective.

–   Before joining FRIF I spent ten years as project manager and researcher at Aalto University’s Department of Industrial Engineering and Management, working on various research projects concerned with innovation, organizational change and changes in the labour market. That was a great opportunity to get to work with different national and international stakeholder groups as well as with SMEs. It was truly motivating to get to do research that was academically interesting and at once relevant from a business perspective.

What’s the most important goal you are pursuing right now? 

–   At the moment I’m working on a research plan for assessing the performance of FRIF’s funding programmes. The aim will be to identify ways of developing existing instruments and to create a framework for assessing the impact of industry collaborations. During the autumn I will also be looking to get to know our key stakeholder groups and to gain an overall impression of the RDI system from the funding agency’s perspective.

What are your top tips for achieving impact in industry–academia cooperation?

–   Impact is a complex and multidimensional phenomenon involving a wide range of underlying factors. In the context of industry–academia cooperation, achieving impact requires at least the solid commitment of both partners and a shared view of the goals of cooperation. Furthermore, it requires mutual trust, open interaction and a preparedness to question one’s own ways of thinking and working. With these elements in place, you stand a good chance of producing research with high social impact.

What do you like to do outside of work?

–   My main interests are low-threshold outdoor sports such as running, cycling and swimming in the wild all year round, as well as forest hikes with the family. But I also enjoy lots of reading and studying foreign languages.

Welcome to the TIA Professor call Info on Monday 12 September at 14:00–15:00 to learn more about the Finnish Research Impact Foundation’s new funding scheme and to ask questions about the application process.

The TIA Professor call for applications opens on 12 September. Please, read the call for applications and the application guidelines.

The event will be held as a virtual Zoom-event. Register via the form below and you will receive a link to the event as a reply message!

REGISTER FOR THE INFO WEBINAR

A new report commissioned by the Finnish Research Impact Foundation on research utilization in Finnish SMEs was published in June. A video summary of the report launch is now available to view. The main findings of the report are presented by Minna Saunila, researcher at LUT University. Others who took part in the discussion were Katriina Juntunen, CEO of Kasvuryhmä; Joonas Mikkilä, Head of Digital and Educational Affairs at Suomen Yrittäjät (Federation of Finnish Enterprises); Tiina Lindh-Knuutila, solutions architect at Lingsoft Oy; and Tero Rantala, one of the authors of the report from LUT University.

Discussions at the report launch dealt with best practices and barriers to research utilization, the needs of SMEs, and research organizations’ communication and interaction with companies in the SME sector.

Minna Saunila from LUT University, one of the report’s lead researchers, explained that the aim of the research was to find out whether and to what extent SMEs were interested in assuming a trailblazing role in research utilization and what kind of support they needed in order to do that. She said it was clear from the findings that as far as SMEs were concerned, the most critical factors for research utilization were having access to the necessary resources and the opportunity to commercialize results. The most important means of research utilization were developing staff skills and competencies, for instance through training and networking. The principal benefits, then, were the achievement and adoption of new knowledge and the improvement of skills. Minna Saunila pointed out that typically, these types of benefits only accumulate in the longer term.

The major barriers perceived to research utilization were the sense that research does not address issues of practical relevance, or that research is not thought to have direct benefit to the company’s business. Minna Saunila said she was quite surprised by this result because Finland is known to produce a diverse range of high-quality research:

“It’s possible that SMEs just don’t have the skills and know-how to find and extract the research results they need, or that research organizations are not reaching SMEs with their communication. The latter is supported by the finding that lack of communication about research results featured among the major barriers to research utilization.”

Research knowledge is crucial to bolstering new growth

Katriina Juntunen, CEO of Kasvuryhmä, pointed out that high-level research is especially in demand when companies are faced with new situations that require investment and renewal.

Tiina Lindh-Knuutila, solutions architect at Lingsoft Oy, said that SMEs definitely had the drive and desire to put research to good use, but noted that in the search for new knowledge they would initially and primarily turn to their own networks. “If you can get to have an impact via more informal routes, that’s much more convenient,” she said. 

Joonas Mikkilä observed that a large part of SMEs are under development pressure and that knowledge and know-how is the most important competition factor. In their collaboration with universities, he continued, SMEs placed great emphasis on training and education, a key factor in putting research knowledge to practical use: “I’d say there’s too great a separation between these two discourses, the RDI discourse and the training and education discourse.”

Tero Rantala from LUT University made the point that SMEs usually take an interest in cutting-edge research when they’re looking to generate new growth, which requires new sets of skills and competencies. It is at this point that they will start asking questions about how they can join in and get to benefit from research excellence and what this will require of them in terms of communications and dialogue.

Dialogue and networks between researchers and SMEs attracted much discussion 

Tiina Lindh-Knuutila said that the key to searching out new and relevant knowledge is that the company has recognized its need for that knowledge: that is going to steer its knowledge mining. “Research utilization requires the exact same kind of sales and communications work as anything else. The world is full of knowledge,” Katriina Juntunen added.

 Joonas Mikkilä said there are only few SMEs that have the competence to follow the communications of research organizations. For the majority of companies, the needs for information and knowledge come about on an ad hoc basis. “Instead of communication we should be talking more about guidance and advice,” Mikkilä said. He also stressed the role of universities, business associations and local operators in promoting networking.

Promoting research cooperation

Joonas Mikkilä expressed the view that the relationship between different public RDI funding instruments should be revisited in order to drive up the number of companies actively engaged in research. This, he said, would also entail discussions on the need for new funding instruments. 

Tiina Lindh-Knuutila said a lightweight service model was a good idea in that it would help companies review cases of research utilization and run short-term pilot projects.

Katriina Juntunen stressed the role of good examples in encouraging business companies to make better use of research. “We need to gain exposure for cases that show how cutting-edge research has helped companies grow or reinvent themselves. That will get SMEs interested and make them see the benefits,” she said.

The Finnish Research Impact Foundation is piloting a new funding scheme that will give professors the chance to spend one year doing joint research in a business and industry environment. The purpose of the scheme is to support research collaborations between industry and research organizations and to give the academic world first-hand knowledge about relevant areas of research interest for business companies.

FRIF will announce the new Tandem Industry Academia Professor (TIA Professor) call in autumn 2022. TIA professors will receive funding for a one-year joint research project with an industry partner. During the funding term they will spend a period equivalent to one full year working in facilities provided by the business company. The funding may be spread out over a maximum of three years. 

The purpose of TIA Professor funding is to support collaborations between industry and research organizations and to give professors first-hand knowledge about relevant areas of research interest for business companies. Projects may involve precompetitive research and other supportive activities.

“We already have professors of practice who move from businesses to work in academia, but as yet there is no system to support mobility in the opposite direction. Based on our discussions with stakeholder groups and a questionnaire we conducted, there is strong demand for this kind of funding that gives professors from the academic world the opportunity to work more closely with business and industry,” says Leena Otsomaa, FRIF Board member who contributed to the working group that prepared the new funding scheme.

“This funding instrument is aimed at the very highest levels of academia. We’re keen to offer a competitive salary and to provide the opportunity for professors to do independent research with an industry partner and to gain first-hand insights into the business world,” Leena Otsomaa continues. 

TIA Professor funding is intended for professor-level academics at universities and research institutes. The grant ensures a competitive salary and covers other possible costs, such as travel, equipment and publishing expenses. The business partner contributes by providing in-kind resources, including the physical working facilities and environment for the TIA professor. Applications are submitted by the professor together with the business partner and the academic organization. The funding is paid out to the academic organization, with which the professor remains in an employment relationship.

The idea for professor exchange came about in stakeholder discussions hosted by FRIF in spring 2022, which were followed up and evaluated in an extensive stakeholder questionnaire. The crowdsourcing outcomes lent support to developing the idea into a new funding pilot. FRIF has earmarked around one million euros for the pilot. Further information on the call as well as application dates and guidelines will be published in autumn 2022.

In line with its strategy adopted in 2021, the Finnish Research Impact Foundation is committed to piloting funding instruments that support and promote collaboration between cutting-edge research and industry. The new TIA Professor pilot is the second novel funding experiment launched by FRIF. Under the Tandem Industry Academia programme for postdoc researchers, first announced in 2020 and opening its third call in spring 2022, the foundation has to date provided funding for 22 joint projects between research organizations and business companies.

Finnish SMEs are keen to make good use of science and research but do not see sufficiently robust benefits or relevant research subjects. This is the main message a new report commissioned by the Finnish Research Impact Foundation on the use of research knowledge among Finnish SMEs. At the same time, though, half of the companies represented in the survey said they would want to take a driving role in research utilization.

The research for the report addressed the motives, benefits and barriers to research utilization. It was conducted by a team of three Doctors of Science in Technology from LUT University (Lappeenranta-Lahti University of Technology): Tero Rantala, Minna Saunila and Juhani Ukko.

The survey data was collected among Finnish SMEs in March 2022. A questionnaire was sent out to management representatives of a random sample of SMEs. Responses were received from 108 different companies.

Research utilized in multiple ways – main focus on developing human skills

The report observes that Finnish SMEs place great value on the varied knowledge produced by universities and research institutes and on the utilization of that knowledge.

Analysis of the data showed that the main benefits gained from research were explained by successful R&D projects, research institute spinoffs, contract research projects, and patents and licences.

According to the respondents, however, the most significant forms of research utilization were training and education (identified as significant by 77%) and informal relations (59%).

Absence of relevant research considered major barrier to utilization

The single biggest barrier to making good use of research excellence was thought to lie in the absence of relevant research for SMEs’ own needs and purposes: 76% of SMEs said that research was not addressing practically relevant issues – or at least the respondents said they were not aware of such research. Other major barriers to research utilization were the absence of perceived benefits from research to the business, time pressures and lack of funds.

“We were all quite taken aback by the finding that many SMEs also thought communication about research results was a major barrier to research utilization. It’s clear that researchers and research organizations need to take a hard look in the mirror and consider the ways in which we interact and communicate with SMEs and maintain meaningful and relevant contact with them,” says Tero Rantala, one of the lead researchers on team.

Many SMEs keen to take a driving role in research utilization

Half of the respondents said the companies they represented would be keen to take a driving role in research utilization. The survey responses indicated that for these future trailblazers, lack of funds, lack of communication about research results and the absence of established procedures were more significant barriers to research utilization than for other respondents. These are predominantly service companies whose main market is not clearly limited to Finland and whose industry branch is characterized by rapid technological development and the prominence of sustainable development.

“These future trailblazers are companies that are not necessarily in the position to independently produce the research knowledge they need. Instead they have to actively look for ways to access new knowledge and skills. These types of research-hungry companies that have difficulty gaining access to research knowledge are going to have the greatest need for support in the future,” Tero Rantala continues.

Companies interested in maximizing the use of research excellence showed a more positive attitude than others to working closely with universities and other research organizations, but at the same time they were least satisfied with their current collaboration with universities and research institutes.

“SMEs don’t always find what they are looking for in the academic world. It’s possible that the needs identified by the company are so novel that research on the subject hasn’t even started yet. Or then the required dialogue is not in place and SMEs are not getting all the information about what’s going on at universities and research institutes,” Rantala says.

Lauri Oksanen, Chairman of the FRIF Board, explains the foundation’s rationale for commissioning the new report: “We wanted to gain a clearer picture of how SMEs use knowledge and how we could contribute to improving the interaction and cooperation of SMEs and research organizations. SMEs are an integral part of Finnish business and industry, but they remain an inadequately understood asset from the point of view of research utilization.”