Ilkka Kakko & Kari Mikkelä: ”Platform Thinking within the Third Generation Science Park Concept”

ABSTRACT:
This paper will describe shortly a new STP concept called 3GSP (Third Generation Science Park), which is gaining momentum in Finland. It explains the fundamental changes in the global innovation environment and explains why the platform thinking is becoming an essential element in ecosystem development. The theoretical background and classifications of platforms are described and the benefits from the STP perspective highlighted. The paper emphasizes especially the role of so called ‘competence platforms’ and explains the main characteristics of a fully working competence platform. The role of competence platforms in understanding serendipity and as a fundamental factor in the team building is highlighted.

The paper analyses from STP perspective several practical elements, where platform thinking supports the emergence of new innovation environments, including Urban Mill (Finland) and Meetberlage (Netherlands). The requirements for comprehensive competence platform services are presented and their potential to support community building and therefore ecosystem development is illustrated.

This analysis will give the STP practitioners new models of applying the quadruple helix-principles and help in the co-creation, open innovation and serendipity management practises. The case studies, which are presented in the paper, will help the STP management teams to evaluate the benefits of platform thinking in different contexts.

Full paper here: Platform Thinking.., Kakko&Mikkelä, UNESCO-WTA 22.9.2015

Ilkka kakko’s presentation at UNESCO Global Training Workshop, Daejeon 22.9.2015:

Authors:

Ilkka Kakko,
Founder and Partner,
Karostech Ltd, Finland
www.karostech.fi
www.respectserendipity.com

Kari Mikkelä
Executive Producer, Co-founder
Urban Mill Innovation Platform
www.urbanmill.org