Universities and scientific research in the context of the national innovation system of Finland

Abstract

This article examines how the conditions for conducting scientific research and the environment of science policy have changed in Finland and other OECD countries during the past few years. Recently, the Finnish R&D expend­iture has grown faster than ever before. Despite the growth, the past decade brought various difficulties to scientific research and universities. The changes taking place in universities have been perceived as a serious threat to the di­versity of domestic basic research and its capacity for regeneration. Discussed examples include changes in the universities' steering philosophies, in the cri­teria for allocating research funding, and the slow growth of budgetary funding.

The results of this article suggest that the total volume of funding for univer­sity research in Finland in the 1990s has increased at the same rate as in the OECD countries on average. This, however, is solely attributable to the growth of extramural funding. On the other hand, the output of scientific research has been of an extremely high standard in Finland, as measured by bibliometric in­dicators. The evidence also shows that universities and research institutes work more closely with business and industry in Finland than they do in other coun­tries. In regard to the high standards of scientific work, its good performance, and strong impacts in society, the claim that the core funding of universities should be increased can be considered well justified. It is also important to en­hance efforts to develop a strong, independent national science policy that aims to create the most productive environment possible for universities and scien­tific research.