Investing in creativity
When Finland was in crisis during the nineties, investment in innovation funding provided a way out. And again today, in Finland and across the whole of the EU, we need to increase investment in Research, Development and Innovation - not cut it.
The EU’s 2020 strategy includes the target to increase funding to three percent of GDP. Finland will probably keep to its four percent share of GDP. However, achieving common digital internal markets within the EU could promote even greater levels of innovation. In this way, for example, a market of 500 million customers would immediately be opened up for new software developed by small and medium sized businesses.
The same applies to opening up other EU internal markets. A common patent system for Europe is finally getting moving and it is expected that it will make protection of intellectual property rights far more economical than at present.
The Union needs a common research area where researchers can move freely. Finland should develop research co-operation with other countries, such as with Russia.
I made a statement for the parliamentary employment committee on innovation policy. In it I noted that innovation policy needs wide understanding. It’s not just a question of technical innovations but also, to a greater extent than was earlier the case, of social and service related innovations. It’s about the creativity that helps provide solutions to societal challenges such as ageing and health care or environmental protection, climate change and the challenges of energy efficiency.
The Finns are an inventive people and lots of people have good ideas. It’s just that we don’t always manage to productify or commercialize our inventions. For this reason we need to find business contacts and seed funding so that our inventions don’t languish unused.
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