Minister Vehviläinen: Turning ideas into solutions using pilot studies
The Government’s decision to use its key projects to promote an environment of experimenting has encouraged many actors to propose pilot studies and express their interest in taking part in such endeavours.
Minister Anu Vehviläinen, responsible for the key project for an experimental approach, says that to be able to create an atmosphere conducive to trying out new things, we need individual citizens and communities to come forward with bold new ideas that can challenge established ways of thinking. Pilot studies enable each and every one of us to be an agent of change in society. Minister Vehviläinen is looking forward to seeing a popular movement interested in pilot studies evolve in Finland.
The Minister sees the Government’s role as that of a facilitator and of one that can help remove obstacles.
"The Government wants to help civil society break the barriers that there are on the path from everyday solutions to new ways of doing things. Pilot studies are a good way of assimilating local practices to create new jobs, for instance. Local solutions that prove to be viable can then be applied on a wider scale", says Vehviläinen.
Pilot studies serve to generate innovative solutions that can improve services, accelerate deregulation, remove red tape, revamp decision-making procedures and foster job creation and entrepreneurship. By adopting an experimental approach, we can boldly bring changes to Finnish society and find new solutions to existing problems in society.
On 9 October 2015, the Prime Ministers Office launched a new website (kokeilevasuomi.fi) for pilot studies and experimenting. In its initial stages, the website lists pilot studies in progress and offers advice and assistance for pilot studies and experimenting. For example, it is possible to report on obstacles to an idea for a pilot study or trial on the webpages. Once pilot studies and experimenting start to proliferate, the content and functions of the website can be expanded. The website is currently in Finnish but will shortly be available in Swedish and English.
Govenment key projects and reform packages
Twitter #kokeilevasuomi
Inquiries: Tuomas Vanhanen, Special Adviser to Minister Vehviläinen, tel. +358 295 530 216 (incl. requests for interviews for Minister Vehviläinen), Ministry of Finance, and Kaisa Lähteenmäki–Smith, Science Research Specialist, tel. +358 295 160 166 and Taina Kulmala, Ministerial Adviser, tel. +358 295 160 184, Prime Minister’s Office