The Strategic Centres for Science, Technology and Innovation established in Finland are new public-private partnerships for speeding up innovation processes. Their main goal is to thoroughly renew industry clusters and to create radical innovations.

Long-term cooperation between industry and the academia

Centres develop and apply new methods for cooperation, co-creation and interaction. International cooperation also plays a key role in the operation of the Strategic Centres. Testing and piloting environments and ecosystems constitute an essential part of the Strategic Centres' operations.

In Strategic Centres, companies and research units work in close cooperation, carrying out research that has been jointly defined in the strategic research agenda of each Centre. The research aims to meet the needs of Finnish industry and society within a five-to-ten-year period.

Six centres are in operation

• Forest cluster: Forest Ltd

• Information and communication industry and services: TIVIT Ltd 

• Metal products and mechanical engineering: FIMECC Ltd 

• Energy and the environment: CLEEN Ltd

• Built environment innovations

• Health and well-being (launched in April 2009)

More information:
www.tekes.fi/en/strategic_centres