Success in the modern world calls not only for keeping up with the latest developments, but in many cases staying ahead of them. This is true not only in terms of competitiveness – whether you are a business, a nation, or an entire region – but also when it comes to technology and sustainability as well.
Technology and sustainability are closely inter-related, as we need better and more advanced technology to help introduce a greater degree of sustainability into all aspects of life worldwide. Making a success of the growing wave of efforts directed at combating climate change, for example, will be critically dependent on how we can leverage new technologies and new innovations to achieve the increasingly ambitious goals that we are setting ourselves.
It is also one of the reasons that ‘cleantech‘ is emerging as a key driver, bringing together a very broad palette of products, services, processes, and technologies that reduce our impact on the environment. The Cleantech Finland programme has been launched as an umbrella initiative to promote the wide range of expertise that Finland has in this area.
We may be a small country, but we can offer some of the most cutting-edge know-how anywhere in many fields, such as bioenergy, process technology, and making better use of resources like metals, water, and energy.
Many of the companies in the programme are profiled in this issue of HighTech Finland and will be showcased at Expo 2010 in Shanghai, where the event’s theme of Better Cities, Better Life will be a central feature of the Finnish pavilion.
Successful technology, in whatever field, depends on innovation for its lifeblood. Innovation is something that we have been focusing on in Finland for many years, through our national innovation strategy, technology programmes, regional science and technology parks, and our education system. We should also not underestimate the importance of design as one aspect of innovation, and we are very proud of the fact that Helsinki has been chosen World Design Capital for 2012.
We believe that Finland has a lot to offer, and we hope that our enthusiasm for new technology will be something that will inspire you as you read HighTech Finland 2010.
Matti Vanhanen
Prime Minister of the Republic of Finland
Innovation in Finland
More than just high-tech