EUKN - European Urban Knowledge Network - Helsinki Region Centre of Expertise Culminatum

Helsinki Region Centre of Expertise Culminatum

Introduction

Culminatum serves Helsinki in developing into a world-class innovative environment and ideopolis.

Description

The main function of the Helsinki Region Centre of Expertise Culminatum is to implement the National Centre of Expertise Programme in the Helsinki region in association with the host organisations for the selected expertise sectors. The second period of the programme was launched in 1999 and will continue until 2006. Culminatum Ltd Oy is responsible for the regional effectiveness of the programme. The expertise sectors for the second programme period are:

Adaptive Materials and Microsystems
Gene Technology and Molecular Biology
Digital Media, Content Production and Learning Services
Logistics
Medical and Welfare Technologies
Software Product Business

On-going joint projects include the Baltic Metropolises Innovation Strategy (BaltMet Inno).

Participants

Culminatum is a development company owned by the Uusimaa Regional Council, the city authorities of Helsinki, Espoo and Vantaa, and the universities, polytechnics, research institutes and business community of the region.

Network lead

Implementation of the Centre of Expertise Programme in the Helsinki region is supervised and directed by the Centre of Expertise Steering Group comprising members of the Board of Directors of Culminatum Ltd.

Objectives

During the deep recession in the Finnish economy in the early 1990s, the City Board of Helsinki adopted a new strategy: the future success of the city would be based on science, education and innovation. Leaders of the neighbouring cites and municipalities made similar decisions. In that situation, a new kind of partnership between higher education institutes, business community and cities was needed. The University of Helsinki and the City of Helsinki were initiators in establishing the Helsinki Region Centre of Expertise Culminatum Ltd in 1995.

Culminatum develops the regionally important knowledge based growth clusters (Centre of Expertise Programme), strengthens the regional knowledge base and develops the regional innovation environment (Urban innovation policy).

Products

Innovation Strategy - Helsinki Metropolitan Area ("Yhdessä huipulle") presents 26 common development projects of the universities, cities and the business community on four key issues:

To increase the international appeal of local research and education.
To develop strong clusters and create test beds and living labs for product service development.
To apply innovations to renew the welfare services provided by the cities and to consolidate the role of the cities in the R&D.
To support university-driven business growth by, for example, developing a second generation science park concept.

Contact info

Culminatum Ltd.
Finland
culminatum@culminatum.fi, tel. +358 20 7619 550

Links

Culminatum Ltd.Innovative Helsinki: Culminatum as a Tool to Govern Helsinki as a Science Region (PDF, Eng, 44 KB)

Document type

network

Themes

Urban Policy > Economy knowledge & employment

Keywords

Research & innovation