The systematic creation and strengthening of measures for research, development and innovation: Supporting the competitiveness of ecosystems
(TKIEKO)

Main funder

Regional Council of Central Finland

Funder's project number: A80001

Funds granted by main funder (€)

430 070,00

Funding program

ERDF European Regional Development Fund (2021-2027) (European structural and invest...)

Project timetable

Project start date: 01/02/2023

Project end date: 30/06/2025

Summary

IT professionals (ITp) with a broad understanding of technology and its possibilities as well as having the ability to predict and discover new, functional and competitive solutions are needed. There is a global shortage of ITp, and to solve the challenges in recruiting ITp requires a strong collaboration between industry and technical training that provides the region with the necessary professionals for its revival. In fall 2021, the University of Jyväskylä (JYU) launched a bachelor/master’s programme in the field of information and software engineering that was planned in collaboration with one area of industry. The programme integrates multidisciplinary studies from the field of humanities into information technology education, and, in fall 2023, it will extend to technology management. This project proposal is related to the achievement of educational effectiveness goals, and thus its central goal is to promote and create new, high-tech (HT) capabilities in research, development and innovation (RDI) measures in the region of Central Finland for leading international business. The project will distribute HT knowledge and skills as well as create collaborative work in RDI between the activities of companies and JYU in the field of technology.The immediate goals of this project are: 1) to create and activate a HT collaborative model for developing the competitiveness of RDI measures of industry needed for increasing the number of ITp, as well as to promote close collaboration between students in the field of technology and companies for improving the workforce availability for companies, 2) to deepen the HT human capital in the region of Central Finland by recognising factors that slow down learning and create practices to deepen student’s conceptual thinking of professional skills, and 3) to promote and accelerate the development of business activity in the Jyväskylä sub-region as a meaningful technological centre. The target group of the project is industry in the region of Central Finland, especially those practicing export as well as export-oriented companies utilizing the possibilities of HT.The project intends to be effective by having students in the field of technology from companies and universities and researchers meet as well as establishing an environment promoting RDI measures. The project includes four work packages (WPs): 1) Ecosystem creation, 2) Ecosystem operative action, 3) Human capital promotion, and 4) Equipment and environment. WP1 will gather broadly business operators from the region of Central Finland for collaboration on a project led by the university. The project will chart the interests and goals of companies and reconcile them with the opportunities created in the education and research of the university and with student needs. In WP1, there will be practical collaboration between the RDI projects of companies and education. WP3 will collect data and aim to identify what kind of competence and conceptual thinking of professional skills are critical for companies developing competition in RDI measures. WP3 will also research factors that slow down learning and generate solutions for circumventing obstacles. WP4 will bring a hardware environment to the university and enable participating companies in the network to access modern technology in their RDI measures. A particularly pertinent environment is the 5G/6G pilot network that is to be built on the university campus.The proposed project will create a collaborative model for the region of Central Finland, producing the needed workforce for companies and, respectively, offer students supporting opportunities for building careers. Such collaboration will increase the competitiveness of companies and the human capital in the substance of technology as well as allow students to familiarize with RDI measures in a professional business environment already during their studies.