Finland - Jyvaskyla Region - Final Self-Evaluation Report.pdf

Box 4.1 Cluster of papermaking technologyThe papermaking technology cluster is the single most important export and employing industry inCentral Finland. In the region, papermaking technology is also closely linked to the fields of energy,environment, ICT and nanotechnologies. The papermaking technology is one of the key areas of theJyväskylä Region Centre of Expertise Programme. Jyväskylä region is the home of a global, major papermachinery supplier, many engineering and high-tech companies developing the latest innovations for thepaper industry, two paper mills, one board mill and one pulp mill as well as numerous chemicals andadditives suppliers.Jyväskylä Science Park together with the HEIs and local VTT Processes is closely involved in thedevelopment of papermaking technology. Jyväskylä’s unit of the national expert and researchorganization VTT has a strong knowledge base in this field. Research and education is also offered bythe University of Jyväskylä (Applied Chemistry, Physics, Agora Center, Faculty of InformationTechnology and NanoScience Center) and Jyväskylä Polytechnic (Logistics Engineering, Paper MachineTechnology). Paper industry is one of the polytechnic’s Centres of Expertise. Key companies of thecluster include, e.g., Metso Paper Oy, UPM-Kymmene Oyj, M-Real Oyj and Tietoenator. Local paperand machinery companies are amongst the first in industry in exploiting the competitiveness of newenabling technologies, especially ICT and nanotechnology. In the course of the technology developmentnumerous high tech firms have been created. Those firms have typically close contacts with theUniversity and their joint projects have often been funded by the Centre of Expertise Programme.There exists a mutual willingness between the actors to strengthen Central Finland’s leading position as anetworked operator and as a supplier, developer and user of new products, technologies and services inthe future. The paper cluster aspires to use more strongly the know-how created in the fields of nano andfibre technology (new applications of production processes). These sectors may even become spearheadsof the technology based development processes in the region. Moreover, the development of companiesis of special importance, and small companies, particularly, will be supported. The development ofinformation technology is one of the core functions of globally competitive papermaking technology, andAgora Center of the University has a major role to play in this field (PaperIT project). As the changes forthe new period of the national Centre of Expertise Programme have not yet been settled, the role of thepapermaking technology in the new programme period is still partly open. However, the developmentwork in this key field will most likely continue based on the Centre of Expertise Programme or otheralternative funding.The Jyväskylä Polytechnic carries out projects which are part of the Centre of Expertise Programme in thefields of paper machine and information technology and participates in the BENET Bioenergy Network,which is a marketing consortium of Central Finland’s enterprises and organizations operating in the field ofbioenergy and managed by the Jyväskylä Science Park. The School of Tourism and Services Management ofthe Polytechnic hosts the regional focal point of the Networked Centre of Expertise for the Food ProcessingIndustry (ELO) and of the Centre of Expertise for Tourism (Moske). The Network Centres act as initiators offield-specific research, education, and cooperation between businesses. Their function is to utilizeinternationally competitive knowledge and skills for the promotion of business activities, the creation of newjobs, and for regional development. The Jyväskylä Polytechnic also has an important role in the developmentof the wellness sector in the region and it coordinates the regional Wellness Dream Lab (WDL) –programme,which has promoted the creation of innovations and development of business activities related to wellbeing.The Jyväskylä Polytechnic has outlined nine multi-disciplinary, workplace-driven centres of expertise, whichwere created to respond to regional needs for competence (Table 4.3). They are based on the needs of certainindustries or firms, or they aim to strengthen the regional strategic choices. They are not separate parts of theinstitution but form cooperative groups supported and marketed by the Polytechnic. Some of the centres ofexpertise are well developed with a strong knowledge base in the region whereas the others are anticipatedstrategic choices which might create new knowledge fields to the region in the future (creative industries andlogistics and transportation).47