Organizing a networking and impact event – RDI collaboration between 3AMK at its best

The project “Development and strengthening of RDI collaboration in the Uusimaa region”, organized an event on networking and impact at the end of September. The event was two-fold with two separate but still inter-connected sessions. The morning session was on impact i.e. how to have an influence on RDI at the EU level. The afternoon session was on networking for RDI actors in the Uusimaa region. 

The preparation of the event started in good time with planning in May-June. This combined with an appealing programme an effective marketing resulted in over 100 persons attending the event. They represented a large-scale of the intended target group, RDI actors of Uusimaa. For the most part participants where from the organizing organizations with also people from e.g. municipalities, companies and other operators.  

The morning started with talks by e.g. Eero Venäläinen from Helsinki EU Office Eero Venäläinen on lobbying; Pirita Lindholm from ERRIN on RDI cooperation in the EU; and Minna Wilkki from DG Research & Innovation within the European Commission on strategic influencing of Horizon Europe working programmes. The afternoon included a talk from Kaisa Ainala from Business Finland and Helena Vänskä from the Academy of Finland introducing Horizon Europe funding possibilities to the participants. The majority of the session was parallel, facilitated networking workshops on predefined important themes. As a result of the successful event were a lot of fruitful discussions, new connections and progress towards increased RDI funding to Uusimaa. 

The event as an action of an important RDI project 

In the project “Development and strengthening of RDI collaboration in the Uusimaa 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.  

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 increasedWith 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.  

Executors having wide-range experience and strong RDI 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 is running 1.3.2021-30.9.2023 and it is funded by Helsinki-Uusimaa Regional Council.