www.tekes.fi/eng

Tekes, the Finnish Agency for Technology and Innovation is the main public funding organisation for research and development (R&D) and innovation in Finland. Tekes funds industrial projects as well as projects in research organisations, and especially promotes cooperative, innovative, risk-intensive projects. Half of the Tekes funding is channelled through the Tekes programmes.

Tekes provides funding and expert services, including internationalisation services for companies and research institutes. Tekes participates actively in the planning and implementation of the technology and innovation policy in Finland. More than half of corporate R&D and innovation funding granted by Tekes goes to small and medium-sized enterprises.

Budget:
Euro €465 million in year 2006, of which €271 million to corporate projects

Activities:

• Tekes programmes are forums for the exchange of information and networking between companies and research groups. They provide opportunities to carry out ambitious R&D projects and develop business expertise and international cooperation. The programmes are a gateway to best research groups and innovative R&D companies in Finland.
• Tekes coordinates and finances Finnish participation in international technological R&D cooperation, like COST, EUREKA, EU research programmes and the European Space Agency (ESA). The role of Tekes is to assist the early stages of cooperation and, in some cases, to finance the R&D. The actual work is carried out at universities and research institutes and in industry. The Tekes office in Brussels fosters collaboration between the European R&D programmes, the Finnish innovation system and Tekes programmes. The office creates and maintains the important contacts to the EU institutions and European R&D players.
• Tekes has six overseas offices. The offices in San Jose, California, Beijing, Shanghai, Tokyo and Washington D.C. promote cooperation and technological development between highly regarded institutions in the area and with their Finnish counterparts.
• The Technology Development Departments at 14 regional Employment and Economic Development Centres (known as the T&E Centres) also offer Tekes services throughout Finland.  These units offer assistance to small to medium size companies in planning development projects which involve new technology, innovations and international competition. The Tekes technology advisers also play an important role in the diffusion of new technology.

Staff:
270 in total, 14 abroad

Contact:
Marita Paasi
Tekes,
Kyllikinportti 2, P.O.Box 69, FIN-00101 Helsinki Finland

Director General: Dr Veli-Pekka Saarnivaara.

phone +358 10 605 5724
mobile +358 50 5577 724
fax +358 10 605 5904

www.tekes.fi/eng