The new project “Development and strengthening of RDI collaboration in the Uusimaa region”, started in March, promotes RDI knowledge increasing European funding in the region. Multilateral cooperation – especially towards companies – is developed to create grounds for formation of RDI partnerships emphasizing the international viewpoint. In this way, the sufficiency of innovation funding is secured for actors in the Uusimaa region so that the readiness for success in the highly competed EU funding increases. At the same time, the massive deteriorating economic effects of the Covid-19 pandemic are taken into account in Uusimaa – a region strongly international and export-driven.
More money and impact as results
As the results of the project: 1. acquiring European RDI funding of organisations in Uusimaa is promoted 2. national and international networking as well as knowledge of European funding is increased. As a concrete outcome, 10-20 Horizon Europe proposals are submitted. With these, awareness of innovation and RDI activities of Uusimaa increase internationally, which sets the scene for establishment after the project: systematic activities producing business, export and jobs.
The impact of the project manifests as successful yield of highly competed European RDI funding reflecting in the economic recovery of Uusimaa region in the long run. Horizon Europe, the leading R&I funding program, is long-lasting, produces widely innovations, networking and internationality, and its multiplicative effects reach into increase of competitiveness and opportunities. Also, the distribution of funding has been unevenly distributed, and Universities of Applied Sciences (UAS) have a clear need to increase their share.
Executors having a wide-range experience and strong RKI knowhow
The project is executed by 3AMK – a strategic alliance of the three biggest UAS’s in the capital reagion: Haaga-Helia, Laurea and Metropolia. As many as 90 EU projects have been conducted by 3AMK in 2017-2020 indicating funding expertise on a wide spectrum together with multidimensional knowhow. The project is built on previous collaboration and it exploits the existing RDI process, cooperation model and predefined ecosystem of 3AMK. The ecosystem is based on pervasive and comprehensive networks and is enlarged to cover the economic recovery of Uusimaa.
The project comprises three inter-connected work packages: 1. Development of coverage and EU influence of RDI activities and actors of Uusimaa 2. Development of EU funding know-how of actors of Uusimaa 2. Mapping project interests and ideas, connecting them with Horizon Europe funding calls and conducting proposal preparation based on these.
The project is running 1.3.2021-30.9.2023 and it is funded by Helsinki-Uusimaa Regional Council. More information on the project is available from Clarissa Bingham, clarissa.bingham@laurea.fi
