Innovation activity in the ESF projects of Central Finland, Päijät-Häme, and Satakunta : Third intermediate report of the ALUEOSAAJA project

The European Social Fund (ESF) contributes to the implementation of the Lisbon strategy (2000) on the EU level. In accordance with the strategy, the objective of the member states is to be at the top of the development of the knowledge-based society by the end of the decade. The promotion of innovation activity, in particular, is seen as a cornerstone in the attainment of the objectives. In the Finnish ESF frame of reference and the programming documents applying it, great expectations have been placed on the activities as regards both the innovative methods developed in the projects and the promotion of the innovation system. However, the reviews of ESF activities have not been able to provide a good account of to what extent project activities have fulfilled these expectations. The current, third intermediate report of the project for the development of regional know-how and structural fund projects (ALUEOSAAJA) adheres to the essence of the Lisbon strategy. The intermediate report aims to answer the following questions: (1) What kind of innovations arise in ESF projects, where do they come from, and how are their diffusion and continuity secured? (2) How are ESF projects connected to the development of the regional innovation system, and what role do the implemented interventions have in them? (3) How can the production of innovation in ESF projects and the role of ESF projects in the innovation system be further strengthened? The results of the evaluation can be grouped under two separate themes. First, from the perspective of the innovations produced in the projects, the activity is strongly focused on the development of the production of services in the public sector. The producers of innovations are mostly public sector organisations in the fields of education and employment, and the projects have been aimed at strengthening operations according to the ESF Decree, primarily through incremental (developing) innovations. Innovation activity has been led by targets for development observed both inside and outside the organisations. Innovation has been developed mainly within the implementing organisations. The innovations produced in the projects have mainly been based on learning within and between organisations and development work. In the majority of the projects examined, the aim is still to develop and distribute the innovations produced. On the other hand, the distribution channels to be used have rarely been discussed sufficiently in the projects. Second, ESF projects are strongly bonded with the development of regional innovation systems. Project activity has its own strong role in the development of innovation systems, also through other than actual R&D projects. As a whole the development of the innovation system in the ESF projects is strongly focused on the support of the innovation potential and innovativeness of the regions. On the other hand, wider support of the utilisation and realisation of regional innovativeness is emphasised to a much smaller extent. Securing the continuity of innovation processes is an essential factor in the success of the innovation potential and the realisation of innovativeness, but the majority of the projects have focused on supporting only the processes in a certain sector. The development of innovation systems has expectedly been oriented towards the central areas, and as a principal rule the activity has not been aimed at the promotion of cooperation between the central and marginal areas