The Embassy of Finland along with Finland Chamber of Commerce in India organized Finland Day
The Embassy of Finland along with Finland Chamber of Commerce in India today organized Finland Day, an event dedicated to commemorate the signing of the Karnataka Finland Innovation Corridor MoU to promote innovation cooperation between Finland and Karnataka. Dr. Ashwath Narayan, Hon. Deputy Chief Minister and Hon. Minister for IT, BT and S&T, Government of Karnataka, Dr. E V Ramana Reddy, Additional Chief Secretary, Department of IT, BT and S&T, Government of Karnataka, Mr. Gaurav Gupta, Principal Secretary, Department of Commerce and Industry, Government of Karnataka, Mr. Erik af Hallstrom, Charge d’Affaires of the Embassy of Finland in India, Dr. Eero Silvennoinen, Head of International Co-operation, Business Finland, Dr. Jukka Holappa, Head of Business Finland in India. The event also witnessed two high powered panel discussions on ‘Inclusive Innovation’ and ‘Industry & Energy’.
In his opening remarks, Mr. Erik af Hallstrom, Charge d’Affaires of the Embassy of Finland in India said, “The objective of Finland Day is to create a platform for interaction between Finnish and Indian companies on possible collaborations in the field of research and development, innovation and industrial operations, particularly in the energy and infrastructure sectors. Our aim is to promote transfer of technology and exchange of information.”
“Innovation is the central driver of economic growth and development and Karnataka has been a pioneer in innovation. In fact, the recently announced Niti Aayog has assessed Karnataka as the top innovator of the country. This is primarily due to the prevalence of numerous higher educational institutions, research labs and clusters of businesses that help drive innovation forward. Karnataka and Finland have a strong relationship through the Innovation Corridor. The Corridor seeks to connect entities in both Karnataka and Finland with mutual interest of developing joint projects and supports exchange of expertise and information. The relationship has strengthened over the years because of multiple joint initiatives.” Said Dr. E V Ramana Reddy, Additional Chief Secretary, Department of IT, BT and S&T, Government of Karnataka.
“The evolution of the State of Karnataka as a regional hub for innovation in India has made it a natural partner for collaboration with Finland. We are aware that knowledge and innovation are key drivers of the economy we have the New Age Incubation Scheme (NAIN) in Engineering and Non-Engineering Colleges including Degree College, Medical, Dental and Pharmacy Colleges in the State. It is a matter of pride for us that for the third successive year, the Hon. Minister of Employment, Government of Finland will be leading a large delegation to our flagship event, Bengaluru Tech Summit 2019, which is scheduled to be held at Palace Grounds between 18 and 20 November 2019.” Dr. Ashwath Narayan, Hon. Deputy Chief Minister and Hon. Minister for IT, BT and ST, Government of Karnataka.
The first panel discussion titled ‘Inclusive Innovation’ which was moderated by Counsellor of Education and Science, Mr. Mika Tirronen had panelists including Mr. Vinayaka BA, Head of Nokia, Bengaluru, Mr. K R Sanjiv, CTO, Wipro Technologies, Dr. Darma Prasad, Bherunda Foundation and Dr. Ramesh Sundararaman, CEO, Innovation Centre, IIIT, Bangalore. The panelists were of the opinion that companies must be agile and innovate and that the culture of cohesive inclusiveness in an organization must be nurtured in order for it to fit in with the inclusiveness of the ecosystem. They were of the opinion that inclusive innovation is of two kinds. The first would be keeping the society in mind and the second includes the people in the process of innovation. The panelists were also of the opinion that value for the environment has to come from within an organization or entity in order to address global issues like climate warming. They were also of the opinion that it is important to localize, focus on organic and address sustainability in order to be able to have a larger impact.
The second panel discussion with the title ‘Industry and Energy’ was moderated by Counsellor Mikko Potsonen with panelists including Mr. Amit Gossain, Managing Director, KONE India, Mr. M C Sureshkumar, Managing Director, Cargotec India, Mr, Awadhesh Jha, Vice President, Charge and Drive & Sustainability, Fortum and Mr. Sandeep Sarin, Market Development Manager, Wartsila, India. The panelists were of the opinion that aesthetics plays a big role in innovation and that collaboration and exchange of ideas were key to innovation. They also voiced the opinion that localization of talent skill development will not only help in creating a talent pool but also help in innovation.
The event was anchored by Dr. Jukka Holappa, Head of Business Finland in India.
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