Finland pledges to launch autonomous technology research cluster in 2020

Finland plans to launch next year a research cluster which the government hopes will put the country at the forefront of developments in autonomous technology. The RAAS (Research Alliance for Autonomous Systems) ‘innovation ecosystem’ is designed to bring together research organisations and other stakeholders to develop “new, cross-sector solutions”, with an emphasis on those containing a high level of automation. The Ministry of Economic Affairs and Employment has put up grant money, with research or
February 4, 2019 Read time: 2 mins
Finland plans to launch next year a research cluster which the government hopes will put the country at the forefront of developments in autonomous technology.


The RAAS (Research Alliance for Autonomous Systems) ‘innovation ecosystem’ is designed to bring together research organisations and other stakeholders to develop “new, cross-sector solutions”, with an emphasis on those containing a high level of automation.

The Ministry of Economic Affairs and Employment has put up grant money, with research organisations also funding “a portion of the operation’s costs”.

The RAAS launch partners are 814 VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland along with half a dozen academic institutions, including the University of Helsinki and Turku University of Applied Sciences. Five other universities are expected to join after launch. VTT says the cluster element is significant because “up to 96% of innovations are created in ecosystems”.

“There are technical, operational issues and business challenges to overcome in the development of autonomous systems, but we also need to resolve a number of questions related to legislation, regulations and social acceptance,” says RAAS coordinator Hannu Karvonen. “An innovation ecosystem like RAAS will let us tackle broad, systemic challenges.”

VTT co-creation manager Ismo Vessonen says: “The initiative for RAAS came from the industry. The availability of a one-stop-shop innovation ecosystem will help companies find solutions to concrete challenges more efficiently. It also gives companies a great opportunity to influence the direction of research in the field.”

Networking & Communication Systems

For more information on companies in this article

VTT

Related Content

  • Avoiding a tangle
    September 4, 2018
    The ITS industry will get into a ‘terrific mess’ if it doesn’t sort out the question of interoperability, says Georg Kapsch. He talks to Alan Dron about data, connectivity – and why governments should stay out of technology issues Governments should set a regulatory framework to help shape the direction of road technologies - but then stand aside and allow industry to create the necessary technologies, according to a European pioneer in the field. Georg Kapsch, CEO of Kapsch Group and Kapsch TrafficCom,
    Read More
  • European Mobility-as-a-Service Alliance launched
    October 6, 2015
    Twenty European organisations have joined forces to establish the first Mobility as a Service (MaaS) Alliance. This new initiative will work towards a truly European and common approach to MaaS through public and private stakeholder cooperation, providing the basis for the economy of scale needed for a successful implementation in Europe. The Alliance will be officially launched in the Finnish Pavilion (C37) at the ITS World Congress in Bordeaux on 6 October at 1300. The key concept behind MaaS is to
    Read More
  • Demonstration zone launched to develop connected and automated vehicles, Canada
    November 10, 2017
    A new autonomous vehicle (AV) demonstration zone has launched to allow researchers to hone the technology and test AVs in a range of everyday, real-life traffic scenarios in Ontario, Canada. Called the Autonomous Vehicle Innovation Network (AVIN), the Canadian government has invested $80 million (£61 million) over a five-year period in support of the project.
    Read More
  • Demonstration zone launched to develop connected and automated vehicles, Canada
    November 10, 2017
    A new autonomous vehicle (AV) demonstration zone has launched to allow researchers to hone the technology and test AVs in a range of everyday, real-life traffic scenarios in Ontario, Canada. Called the Autonomous Vehicle Innovation Network (AVIN), the Canadian government has invested $80 million (£61 million) over a five-year period in support of the project.
    Read More

Highlighted Content