Mid-Term Evaluation of the Implementation of Ecosystem Agreements Between the State and University Cities (2021–2027)

MDI and VTT carried out a mid-term evaluation of the ecosystem agreements (2021–2027) of the state and university towns on behalf of The Ministry of Economic Affairs and Employment. The aim of the mid-term evaluation was to form an overall picture of the implementation of the 16 agreements on the development of innovation ecosystems and the national operating model as part of the national research and innovation policy while, at the same time, providing suggestions for the implementation of the agreements for the rest of the period, i.e. the years 2025–2027. The evaluation work was developmental in nature and the focus was not, for example, on company surveys or interviews, but rather on the evaluation of the implementation and the implementation model.

The evaluation first examined the implementation of ecosystem agreements during the period 2021–2024 in 16 urban regions. On a city-by-city basis, the compliance with the objectives of the measures taken in the agreements, especially for 2021–2024, were examined with a developmental approach. The approach focused on the achievements of each city’s measures (direction and pace) in relation to the goals recorded in the agreement. Secondly, the national operating model of the agreements and the relevance of the set goals as part of the national RDI policy were evaluated. This meant evaluating the significance of the national innovation policy goals set for ecosystem agreements in a changed operating environment. In addition, the way in which these goals should be promoted in future through the cooperation of different actors, especially the state and cities, were also assessed.

Based on the evaluation questions, the work was divided into three work packages, which were as follows: 1) Evaluation of the goals and contents of ecosystem agreements, 2) Evaluation of the operating model of ecosystem agreements, 3) Evaluation of the meaning, benefits and added value of ecosystem agreements.