TULI-programme: A vehicle to generate academic innovations.

TULI programme is the biggest Finnish pre-seed initiative and it supports academic start-up companies and licensing. It is funded by government, whereas its management, coordination and implementation are done by Finnish Science Park Association and by regional science parks. Each year circa 600 academic business ideas are evaluated and some 200 of them are funded. TULI has supported foundation of more than 110 start-up companies and circa 80 TULI-backed inventions have led to licensing. TULI is an example of public-private collaboration where science parks are used as a delivery channel and development platform for a public innovation policy initiative. This has required specific tools and strategy for network coordination and management. Moreover, specific information systems, decision support systems and follow-up procedures have been needed. Experiences from the TULI programme support strongly the postulate of modern innovation theory the chain-linked model of innovation. Universities and research institutes clearly do not only function as deal flow generators but they took actively part in different phases of innovation development also during and even after the TULI-activities.