University researchers developing technology to commercial markets

a brief review to the 20th century Finland

Kirjoittajat

• Sampsa Kaataja

Abstrakti

University researchers developing technology to commercial markets: A brief review to the 20th century Finland

The article, based on Kaataja's doctoral dissertation Technology alongside science. Finnish academic scientists as developers of commercial technology during the 20th century, analyses the role of university researchers as developers of technology aimed at commercial markets, and the use of different industries in Finland during the last 100 years. It is asked e.g. how much commercial technology has been developed inside the academic world, to which technological fields researchers have contributed and what was the level of technology transfer from universities to commercial markets? The study focuses on the University of Helsinki and the Helsinki University of Technology, which were leading institutions of teaching and research in the 20th-century Finland. The study concentrates on 2150 scientists working in the two universities in 1900–75. They obtained 1021 Finnish patents during the years 1891–2004, and those inventions form the main source material of the work and basis for statistical analysis. In addition to this, a detailed examination of seven individual UH and HUT scientists is included in the study.