Bridging Innovation Systems between Northern Finland and Sweden

This paper presents the existing cross-border co-operation between innovation systems in Northern Finland and Sweden with some practical cases. As part of the development of Bothnian Arc co-operation universities in the region did make a plan called Knowledge Arc. In the year 2002 published paper several cross-sectional shared interest areas where defined and further actions planned. In this paper co-operation between research, SME companies and industries is presented with cases including product development between companies and assisted by universities and other organisations as well as company initiated applied research between universities, companies and technology park companies. On innovation system level case of expanding Swedish ProcessIT Innovation system to Finland is described and discussed. The system takes advantage of research-industry-SME collaboration in applied research and product development based on strong, modern process industry cluster covering the whole Bothnian Arc region with total turnover of 30 000 million euros. The industries make a good local sophisticated customer for development phase. Co-operation in innovation systems has started also in innovation research. Two researchers are working on technology park questions with doctoral dissertations as goal and simultaneously searching for good practices and functions to be development especially in smallish parks outside of major university towns. Second task in the project is joint research school operation; esp. seminars have and will be arranged. Third goal is to develop joint European cooperation.