Regional and innovation policies in Finland - towards convergence and/or mismatch?

Abstract

This paper studies the evolution of regional and innovation policies in Finland. Traditionally, regional policy in Finland supported populating the whole country providing equal access to welfare regardless location and resources. Policies toward a knowledge-intensive society and a national innovation system started in the early 1990s. These focus on globalisation, competitiveness and high technology. Currently innovation and regional policies are converging making regions more important in innovation matters, as indicates the Centres of Expertise and Regional Centre Development Programmes and the Multipolis project. However, without clear focusing such convergence can lead locally into a mismatch between policy goals and outcomes.