Artificial intelligence and digitalisation to accelerate the sustainable growth of SMEs

The aim of the AI ​​4.0 development package of the Ministry of Employment and the Economy is to strengthen Finland’s economic, ecological and social sustainability approach through the application of intelligent technologies and the data business. MDI facilitates the pre-programme strategy process for the sustainable digitisation of manufacturing industry in Finland.

The Ministry of Employment and the Economy published the first interim report on its programme, in which MDI’s handprint appears in the form of user stories, among other things. They emerged from business interviews with manufacturing SMEs and in relation to the various other materials used in and generated by the strategy work. The stories describe archetypal companies, operating environments and personalities through which to best describe the challenges of sustainable digitalisation and in particular the introduction of artificial intelligence into SMEs.The stories include both the current situation, which describes the identified challenges and a number of positive future scenarios which describe how companies are leveraging digitalisation to grow their businesses.

– The user stories raise concrete challenges in terms of the introduction of new technology. In order to make better use of artificial intelligence and digitalisation, SMEs need new types of value networks, competence development and strong R&D cooperation in which universities and large companies are also involved, says leading expert Veera Mustonen.

Materials

Artificial Intelligence 4.0 Program: The first interim report from the start-up phase to the implementation phase

A sustainable green transition is achieved by investing in the diversity of RDI activities – the AGDA project continues to work on this theme

AGDA is a Nordic development project funded by the Nordic Gender Equality Fund (NIKK). The project focuses on the opportunities that a greater focus on diversity and inclusion could create in the RDI-field, particularly in respect of green transition.

Read more A sustainable green transition is achieved by investing in the diversity of RDI activities – the AGDA project continues to work on this theme

MDI leads the co-creative process of developing, piloting and sharing practices for wellbeing in Sustainable Cities

The challenge bundle work is the cross-cutting co-development of the “Sustainable City” programme, co-ordinated by the Ministry of the Environment, with the aim of producing and sharing information, knowledge and solutions to the challenges linking cities’ management and practice in the area of leading work towards sustainability. The work produces concrete development measures, new ways of doing things and peer learning.

Read more MDI leads the co-creative process of developing, piloting and sharing practices for wellbeing in Sustainable Cities