Sustainable Growth in the Network with Systems Intelligence

The Innovation Network for Renewing Industry in Jyväskylä brings together regional stakeholders and their expertise. The goals are renewal, growth, and profitability. However, small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) often continue to develop, pilot, and commercialize products, materials, services, and production methods quite independently, surrounded by everyday operational challenges. The innovation network for renewing industry remains an untapped potential for SMEs, despite their growing need to collaborate in a dynamic and complex business environment.

Ensuring the growth and competitiveness of SMEs requires improving their development and innovation capabilities. SMEs need new skills, foresight, and innovation abilities when operating as part of a network. Connecting to networks, active participation in them, and managing network collaboration require new thinking and skills. New business is created together with other companies, customers, and suppliers. Higher education institutions, universities, and research institutes are also significant players in innovation activities and the creation of new business. The success of an SME is determined by its ability to identify market opportunities, recognize the right networks, acquire the necessary expertise, and swiftly integrate as an active player in the chosen network.

The project helps SMEs connect to Jyväskylä's innovation network for renewing industry and strengthens the active participation of SMEs in networks through the operational model, methods, and tools of systems intelligence. Systems intelligence refers to intelligent and constructive action within a system. A systems intelligent person or community can operate sensibly as part of complex networks. Systems intelligence has previously been studied at the level of large enterprises, but the SME perspective has not yet been a focus of research. Previous research results show that more systems intelligent operations at the organizational level increase staff productivity and innovation capability.

Through the project, collaboration among SMEs in Jyväskylä's innovation network for renewing industry will increase and renew, RDI activities will grow, and new innovations and business concepts will emerge. At the same time, a model will be created to help companies in the future strengthen their connections to networks, their active participation in them, and systems intelligent collaboration for developing new innovations and business concepts. The model is based on the idea that the success of future business depends on fulfilling the various dimensions of sustainable development.

The project is divided into three objectives:

Objective 1: Highlight the benefits of Jyväskylä's innovation network for renewing industry in developing RDI activities and sustainable business from the perspective of SMEs.

Objective 2: Increase RDI investments of SMEs in Jyväskylä's renewing industry through active and systemically intelligent network participation.

Objective 3: Inspire SMEs to independently, actively, and systems intelligently connect to Jyväskylä's innovation network for renewing industry. 

The activities are divided into three thematic work packages according to the objectives.

Work Package 1: Insights and Experiences of Networked Companies, 11/2024-4/2025

This work package will comprehensively gather information on the initial state of the innovation network and the perspectives of SMEs and leading companies in Central Finland on network collaboration.

Outcome of Work Package 1: The benefits of network collaboration in Jyväskylä's renewing industry for RDI activities and sustainable business development from the SME perspective will be made visible. The needs of companies for the development of the innovation network and network collaboration will be identified, and SME representatives will have a clear view of why active participation in the network is beneficial for RDI activities and business development.

Work Package 2: Activating the Network through Collaborative Work, 3/2025-2/2026

To activate the network, open collaboration events will be organized for SMEs. In these events, companies will be encouraged to explore the practical possibilities of network collaboration, inter-company cooperation, and new innovations and business concepts based on the results of the current state analysis and interviews. Joint work will focus especially on creating new business concepts considering sustainable development.

Outcome of Work Package 2: Collaboration among SMEs in Jyväskylä's innovation network for renewing industry has increased, RDI activities have grown, and new innovations and business concepts have emerged. The innovation network functions better for the participating companies than at the initial state. 

Work Package 3: Operational Model for Active SME Engagement in Jyväskylä's Innovation Network for Renewing Industry in a Systemically Intelligent Way, 11/2024-4/2026

From the SME perspective, an operational model will be formed on how to act as an active player in the innovation network for renewing industry. The model will ensure the development of network collaboration continues even after the project. The model will consider systems intelligent network participation, including roles, rules, attitude, new learning, active participation, and new networking opportunities.

Outcome of Work Package 3: A concrete and visualized operational model for active SME engagement in the renewing industry network in a systems intelligent way has been created for SMEs to utilize. SMEs in Jyväskylä's renewing industry will be able to use the model to connect to the regional innovation network without separate project activities.

The project is implemented by Jyväskylä University of Applied Sciences and Häme University of Applied Sciences. The implementation combines HAMK's theoretical expertise in systems intelligence and Jamk's application expertise in the SME industrial sector. Thus, collaboration can produce entirely new business-driven operational models based on researched knowledge for SMEs in Central Finland.

For more information:
Mikko Seppälä
Project manager
LIKE T&K
School of Business
+358504672745
firstname.lastname@jamk.fi