FINLAND’S TEKES TO SET UP INNOVATION CENTRE

Shaleen Agarwal, Helsinki
DNAFinland’s state-run technology research and innovation funding agency Tekes is planning to open an innovation centre in India to tap the vast human resource pool here. It will link up with other organisations involved in similar activities.

The innovation centre, called FinNode, would aim to promote Finnish innovation in India, Tekes’ director for software and digital media, Risto Setala, said.

The innovation centre, likely to be established in India by the end of this year, would be a continuation to Finland’s existing network of such centres in the US, China, Russia and Japan, Setala said.

FinNode will seek to tap the huge research and innovation potential in India in sectors including mobile communication, IT, biotech, pharmaceuticals and automobiles through the country’s estimated more than 12 million science and engineering graduates.

Rapidly growing markets in emerging countries like India and China have been drawing multinational corporations’ attention for opportunities to sell their products.

The huge and cheap manpower available in India and China has also attracted many such companies to establish their manufacturing bases, outsourcing centres and even research and development hubs in these countries.

India’s stock of scientists and engineers involved in research and development work is among the largest in the world, Tekes said.

Even as the focus areas, location and the exact services of the FinNode India are still to be defined, Tekes and its associates including Finpro India have already had interactions with Finnish companies in this regard.

Tekes is increasingly looking to tap the research and innovation potential in countries other than in Europe by engaging in such projects through its existing and planned international cooperation offices in countries including the US, China, Japan, Russia and India.