Tekes research into the new business (TUTL) and Innovation Scout instrument evaluation

Since 2012, Tekes (now Business Finland) has benefited from TUTL funding which was intended for the preparation of the commercialisation of research ideas. In addition, starting in 2015, Tekes’ Innovation Scout funding improved the innovation and commercialisation skills of research organisations and researchers, especially in terms of the development of methods of knowledge transfer for the benefit of society and the business world. The evaluation focused on the strategic relevance of Tekes’s (now Business Finland) “Research to Business” (TUTL) programme and Innovation Scout funding, the success of the operating methods and the achieved results and effects. The evaluation also produced information on the broader significance and added value of TUTL and Innovation Scout funding for those research organisations that received funding. As a result of the work, recommendations were provided regarding the operating concept of TUTL and Innovation Scout, the operation of Tekes, the operation of public research organisations and the national research and innovation policy.