Resource-dependent RDI?
Regional resource environments influencing the Finnish Universities of Applied Sciences’ Research, Development and Innovation Activities in 2011–2012
Abstract
This study explores the impact of the regionally available resources to Finnish Universities of Applied Sciences (UAS) in their research, development and innovation activities (RDI). The empirical data used comprise of the self-evaluation reports from an external evaluation conducted in 2011-2012 and statistics on RDI funding to consider the whole UAS populati-on in Finland using Resource Dependence as the theoretical framework to answer the ques-tion: How did the regional resource availability influence the nature of the Finnish UAS RDI activities in different institutions in 2011-2012 especially in relation to RDI-education integration? The analysis shows that the regional resource availability affected the form which different UAS RDI activities took by offering two main paths to RDI success; Either mobili-se the teachers to RDI activities or attract significant external funding to hire dedicated RDI staff for the task. This situation posed some serious policy implications since it was difficult to consider the diversified resource contexts of regional higher education institutions in a unified performance funding scheme.
