Making the Knowledge Triangle
a Reality
Markku Markkula
Aalto University & EU Committee of the Regions
Brussels, DG EAC, 8 March 2012
Towards Systemic and Continuous
Interaction
ERAC Opinion June 2011:
on the “Common Strategic Framework” for research,
technological development and innovation stated that “where
appropriate, European research and innovation
policy should reach out to education and
training, thus invigorating the knowledge
triangle through concrete policy measures and
synergies between education policy and the
CSF for research and innovation”.
Practical actions are needed – time to
speed up..
Critical Success Factors for the
Transformation Process
We at universities need to take action:
 Network‐centric working culture focusing especially on
desired attitude and mindset change
 Targeted orchestration of major transformation operations
 Creating new collaborative value creation methods,
processes and models
 Planning and implementing the activities with strong mental,
physical and virtual architectural dimensions to create
innovation ecosystems
 Making strategic choices to start potential breakthrough
mega‐level initiatives focusing on joint‐research topics to
create new solutions.
Recommendations for Modernising
Universities
The role of universities is crucial operating within their
regional innovation ecosystems while being
connected to global networks at the same time, and
making the complex inter-linkages more
understandable and visible.
b. The quality and joy of research, learning and
working will enhance remarkably, when the university
activities are increasingly based on the real life & real
case -approach building bridges to innovation and
societal impact.
c. The effectiveness and efficiency of the university
community will grow, when its operations are based on
the implementation of the Knowledge Triangle
principles and practices.
a.
What Does the Conceptualising the
Triangle Mean in Practice
To increase synergy, each of the three basic missions
(research, education and innovation) has different key
content areas and methodological development needs
to focus on. For example, the role of research in the
KT context is especially to produce more foresight
knowledge to be used in education and in innovation.
To increase synergy, there is a need to define and
establish three different concepts for platforms and
processes to help the implementation of the KT
concepts.
Conceptualise Platforms and Processes
Special need to focus on:
A. Value creation based on better use of intangible assets
B. New processes and methods for university-industry collaboration
C. Systemic change and societal innovations
Benefits are evident:
For students
For teaching staff
For researchers
For working life professionals
Innovation
Orchestration
Research
Education
Platform for Blended Learning
CSI Lessons Learnt: Special Focus on
A. Value creation based on better use of intangible
assets
 more communication and more dialogue over
different borders
 modernisation of the Triple Helix model
 new learning environment by learning and working
together
 towards learning organizations, bringing together
theory and practice
CSI Lessons Learnt: Special Focus on
B. New processes and methods for
university‐industry collaboration
 supportive structures and funding for innovations
 bring together students and companies and create
an interdisciplinary culture
 new ideas are generated in the boundaries of
different sectors and domains
 entrepreneurial mindset
 high ambition, motivation, positivity and risk‐taking
CSI Lessons Learnt: Special Focus on
C. Systemic change: focus especially on societal
innovations
 universities form a natural network for solving grand
societal challenges
 in societal innovations there is always a structural or
systemic dimension
 advanced leadership and managerial competences
are needed in orchestrating interdisciplinary, intersectoral and intercultural communities
 bottom‐up and user‐centred thinking boosts
innovations and enables the dissemination and
implementation of innovations
Dynamic Interaction between University
and Industry to Produce Added Value
Inventing
the Future
Lifelong
Learning
Joint Arenas for Collaboration,
and Co-creation; Access to Global
Resources and Talent
Aalto Factory Park
Mega-Endeavours
Other Impacts
Competence
Development
Aalto Living Labs
Collaborative
Knowledge
Creation
Learning
by RDI
Aalto
Research
and
Innovation
Areas
Aalto Working Culture
Development Processes
Produces
Educates
Industry
and
other
Organizations
Scientific
Knowledge
Competent
People
Knowledge
Faculty and other Staff
Students
Markkula, M., Pirttivaara, M. & Miikki, L., 2009.
Developed by using ideas of Lester & Sotarauta, Tekes report 2007
”Innovation, Universities, and the Competitiveness of Regions”
Other Impacts
Society:
Innovations
and
Well-being
(Products,
Processes,
Services…)
New Pioneering Developments towards
Knowledge Triangle: Case Aalto University
Joint Arenas for
Collaboration, and Cocreation; Access to Global
Resources and Talent
Aalto Factory Park
Mega-Endeavours
Aalto Living Labs
Experiences:
Aalto University
Have a look at:
www.aaltodesignfactory.fi
Mindset is the Key
EU Calls for Transformation:
Europe needs pioneering regions, as
pathfinders and rapid prototypes.
Helsinki Region has forerunner
instruments in use:
Aalto Design Factory
Aalto Venture Garage
Aalto Camp for Societal Innovation
 and many more …
Markku Markkula
CoR & Aalto University
Open-ended
research initiatives
Also “physical”
design tools
Symbiosis of the state-of-the-art
conceptual thinking and crossdisciplinary hands-on doing
For students, teachers, researchers
and industry partners to interact
Workshops, coaching, courses, under the same roof
projects and research collaboration
Venture Garage
• The actual place where
Android Aalto, Startup
Sauna etc are happening
• On Otaniemi hitech hub
campus
• Coaches include
founders of Angry Birds
and MySQL
• Very exciting place and
concept
• In the middle of a
campus of 32,000
hitech professionals
and scholars from 110
countries
Creating New Concepts in the
Knowledge Triangle Interfaces inside the
University: Example EIT ICT Labs
Source: Marko Turpeinen EIT & Aalto University
Synergy & Collaboration
with student led entrepreneurial activities at Aalto Campus
 Independent, privately funded
student and post-graduate led
community initiative
 Support for interdisciplinary and
international co-operation in
design and development
 Activities to encourage high-tech,
high-growth and scalable
entrepreneurship
 Location for several courses,
research projects and start-up
companies
 700 m2 co-working space and
seed accelerator for hackers and
start-ups.
 EIT ICT Labs Helsinki supports networking of similar activities in other Nodes in EU
 The best business ideas from the EIT ICT Labs Summer Schools and Camps invited
to join the start-up activities at the Venture Garage
 Collaborative Premises for each other to support joint events and networking
Implementing the Knowledge Triangle Needs to Be
Based on a Systemic Change Process
Present state analysis
Re-engineering
Execution
Impacts
Phase 1
Phase 2
Phase 3
Phase 4
Phase 5
Phase 6
Phase 7
Strategic expectations
and commitment of
the University
management
Present
state
analysis
Defining the
target state
Defining the
processes,
roles,
resources etc.
Operational
validation of
the new
processes
Executing
the new
processes
Evaluating
the success
of the
change
Teaching and learning evaluation
Needs of
change
• …
Existing KT
practices and
enablers
• …
Defining the
benefits, costs,
expected
improvements, ...
Implementation
actions
• …
Holistic
Execution
• …
• …
Measurement of
results
• …
• …
The systemic renewal in Aalto
is based on the Teaching and
Education Evaluation
(Aalto University 2011)
Implementing the Knowledge Triangle Principles
Means, as well:
• motivating university students to effective and target oriented
studies by developing teaching methods and support systems,
such as student’s personal study plan, multidisciplinary study
teams and virtual learning environments;
• targeting more development activities on curriculum and
learning environment initiatives, especially for the first-year
studies which are essential to learning-to-learn;
• Increasing ICT-assisted teaching and learning by developing
new forms and methods of pedagogical education for all
university teachers to equip them with skills and competencies as
facilitators of learning;
• taking advantage of situations in which studies are focused in
solving real life cases and many study teams include also
Teaching and Education
professionals to apply lessons from the classroom to their work
Evaluation, Aalto
environment. They also include projects that require students to
University 2011
work across traditional boundaries;
Aalto University & City of Espoo: January 2012, Contract
on Applying the Knowledge Triangle on City Development
Present state analysis
Re-engineering
Execution
Impacts
Phase 1
Phase 2
Phase 3
Phase 4
Phase 5
Phase 6
Phase 7
Strategic expectations
and commitment of
the University
management
Present
state
analysis
Defining the
target state
Defining the
processes,
roles,
resources etc.
Operational
validation of
the new
processes
Executing
the new
processes
Evaluating
the success
of the
change
Enablers for change
Knowledge cocreation culture
Digitalized
service
processes
Smart Space:
Ba & Flow
Innovation
ecosystem
platforms
Knowledge
management
practices
Real life cases: learning by doing & from research to business practice
Commitment to systemic change: Orchestration of all operations
Integrating working in virtual reality and real life
Making the Knowledge Triangle a reality
A few examples from the EUGENE network, line D
MARKKU MARKKULA, AALTO UNIVERSITY
ELLEN SJOER, DELFT UNIVERSITY OF TECHNOLOGY
EUGENE & ACSI  Conceptualizing KT
www.unifi.it/eugene & www.acsi.aalto.fi
What is the Knowledge Triangle ( KT )
Innovation / Engagement
Platform & processes
for foresight and
knowledge
co-creation
solutions
Research /
Discovery
Orchestration :
finding the
appropriate
balance
Platform & processes for
new solutions within
the work and work
community
Platform & processes for learning by RDI
Education /
Learning
KT -> in practice
• How does the KT work in practice and what are
drivers and barriers in the cooperation between
universities and enterprises?
• Regular students
• University researchers / teachers
• Managers and engineers of SMEs (CEE students)
Regular students
Ongoing Research (a.o.):
• Knowledge Market (with MIT) -> „orchestration tools‟
• Techno-entrepreneurs of the future / KARIM project
Many issues:
•
•
•
•
To what extent students think they are capable to contribute to
innovation?
What do we expect from our students?
What factors influence the intention to become self employed
among students?
How do start-up teams evolve during growth stages and what is
the role of the entrepreneurial scientist?
University researchers
• Case Netherlands (Learn RDM project)
• Case Denmark (Via Nord project)
• The university structure, culture and processes don't
support the KT implementation
from „seeing new opportunities‟ to „doing consultancy
without payment‟
• What would be the place of fundamental research
after the application of the KT concept?
University teachers
„act as an initiator and facilitator of innovation‟
• For CEE - pedagogical shift:
From „show how valuable and useful content X can be‟ to
-> what is needed in learning processes in authentic
assignments using new media
Managers and engineers in SMEs
- potential for regional economic growth and job creation
Issues in CEE:
• Alignment of business goals with learning objectives
-> negotiating learning objectives is „a must have‟
• Learning is seen as an individual activity, instead of a
cooperative undertaking with some external partners
• Communication with the academic world is perceived
as “not simple”
Conclusion
• Implementing KT is no longer optional
• Easier said than done: actors in the innovation
ecosystem must continuously adapt to rapid changes
• KT is incorporated in new initiatives ->
new institution plan TU Delft (roadmap 2020)
• new way of working -> new role of a technical
university
• Nice to be part of it! -> Fruitful discussions
• Please use our research results and best practices
Dream team: student projects
(Roadmap 2020 TU Delft)
Science Port Holland - Technopolis
Markku Markkula ([email protected])
Ellen Sjoer ([email protected])
THANK YOU!