Abstract

The CONNECT service transfer analysis reported here is part of BECSI (Business ecosystems and platforms for innovations) project. The aim of the project is to enhance Finnish innovation systems and innovation policy by analysing world-class innovation environments and ecosystem cases from different levels: Smart cities as innovation platforms, Health and Life Science ecosystems and emerging small business ecosystems. BECSI project is granted by TEKES — the Finnish Funding Agency for Innovation through 2013 innovation research thematic call “Ecosystems, spillovers and new policy approaches”.

This report is part of BECSI project’s Work Package 4 (WP4) Health & Life Sciences Ecosystem Cases task 4.1: San Diego health and life sciences ecosystem study. The purpose of the WP4 is to study theme-specific “local-global” ecosystems that engage both public and private actors in a wide Public-Private Partnership (PPP)-network and to analyse their growth drivers’ transferability into Finnish context. The research activities included screening case studies, transferability analyses, road-mapping and research exchange.

CONNECT was founded in 1985 in San Diego, USA. The organisation has been very successful in catalysing new innovations in the region. However, there is insufficient knowledge about the transferability of the CONNECT to other business contexts at the international level. To fill this gap, this study first describes the service portfolio of CONNECT in San Diego and global CONNECT activities. Then, the study analyses the results of the CONNECT transfer activities at the Nordic level from Swedish and Norwegian perspectives. By doing so, it is possible to compare the current service portfolio of CONNECT with the service portfolios of the currently active Nordic CONNECT organisations. This is also a good way to see to which services developed by CONNECT have been implemented in the Nordic context and to what extent. As Sweden and Norway are both culturally and geographically close to Finland, it is, to certain extent, possible to reflect the transferability potential of CONNECT to Finland through the experiences in these countries.

The results of this study show that Springboard is the only service that has been licensed from San Diego to Sweden and Norway. Other services have mainly been developed by local CONNECT organisations. Despite collaboration between different entities, CONNECT can be considered a relatively loose international network. Tighter collaboration would require dedicated leadership and sufficient funding. Finally, geographical distances and cultural differences can also be considered barriers for international collaboration.