The Evaluation of the Finnish National Innovation System - Full Report

The Finnish National Innovation System has been evaluated by international experts. Its starting point was the Government´s Communication on Finland´s National Innovation Strategy to the Parliament, which included the policy guidelines with respect to the development and renewal of Finnish innovation policy. The aim of the evaluation was to provide insights into how the National Innovation System, its structure and organizations can respond to the changes in the global environment and to the challenges these changes pose. The international evaluation experts have identified modes of operation, processes and tools, that the Finnish innovation policy can be designed and implemented with. The grass-root level evaluation provides means of generating better innovations and facilitating their adoption and diffusion. A specific challenge in the promotion of innovative activities is the inclusion of the creativity and expertise of individuals and communities. The new demand- and user-driven innovation policy emphasizes the needs of customers in developing products and services, the systematic use of economic incentives and the participation of end-users in the innovation process. The future challenges – such as the globalizing economy and its first global recession, the structural change of Finnish industries, aging of population, and climate change – can be addressed by facilitating interaction between different ministries and other actors, and by introducing a broad-based and efficient public innovation policy.