Turku Science Park Ltd. Finalises Its Overhaul of Company Services

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Nainen tummansinisessä asussa seisomassa toimiston ovella.
  • The overhaul aimed at clarifying the range of available services and making them easier to find
  • The services provided by Turku Science Park Ltd. and its partners cover stage of a company’s life cycle: From ideas to growth and internationalisation; all the way to eventually giving up entrepreneurial operations
  • Services and approachability were crucial in redesigning the company website

The renewal process for the regional development company can be seen as having its beginnings in 2016, when the business services offered by the region’s municipalities were concentrated into Turku Science Park Ltd.

Nainen tummansinisessä asussa seisomassa toimiston ovella.
The COVID-19 pandemic has affected the regional development company’s services and ways of working. According to Jaana Putta, currently on-call at the Turku Science Park Ltd. offices at ICT City, meetings with clients mostly take place remotely, even if many appreciate face-to-face contact, for example, during advisory sessions on founding a company.

–The organisation and the whole of our services have been restructured to be more customer-oriented. The goal since the very beginning has been to establish a one-stop-shop location that is approachable and supports the growth requirements of the entire subregion, says Niko Kyynäräinen, CEO of Turku Science Park Ltd.

The overhaul has been prepared alongside daily tasks and information gathered through research has played a pivotal role.

–We have developed our internal processes and the way we organise ourselves as well as circulate information. Over the last year, we have focused on fine-tuning our services particularly from the standpoints of customers and external communications, Kyynäräinen continues.

Advisory services for COVID-19 recovery

The day-to-day operations for the overhaul have been helmed by the COO Tom Palenius. He says that the process was a huge help in responding to the pandemic.

–During the spring, we had to face the acute crisis with tools such as the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Employment’s support for sole entrepreneurs and the company subsidies from Business Finland and the Centre for Economic Development, Transport and the Environment. The experience we amassed during that time, combined with our previous improvement goals, gives us a better readiness to respond to the needs of companies.

The EU stimulus package and the COVID-19 crisis that is hopefully nearing its end will inevitably have their impact on next year’s services.

–New technologies, sustainable development and digitalisation challenge companies to develop their operations and maintain their competitive edge. The 750 billion-euro EU stimulus package is centered around these themes. As a regional development company, it’s important that we are able to support our region’s companies in questions surrounding applying for this stimulus money, and ensure that the companies operating in our region’s municipalities also actually receive the money, Palenius says.

Partnering with you every step of the way

The service overhaul can also be seen externally as the Turku Business Region website has been re-imagined from the ground-up.

–We are there for the company every step of the way, from giving advice on how to start your business to supporting you through changes in ownership. If a situation comes up that does not directly relate to of the contact persons on our site, it is worth using the contact form or our service phone number that will be operational soon. We are here for the entrepreneurs and aim to help with anything.

– Even during this time and despite COVID-19, companies are still facing a lack of skilled labour. That is why attracting new talents and offering support for companies who are recruiting internationally is highly visible on the new site as well. You can find the front page of our new site by clicking here, and the contact form can be found here. The contact information for the entire staff has been gathered here.