Kerttu Saalasti seminar: a look at cooperation to strengthen business and industry - MYRY's President was honoured
The theme of the seminar was "Let's work together - How networks and partnerships develop entrepreneurship". The event discussed, among other things, how universities and business are working together to strengthen the possibilities for growth and entrepreneurship.
According to Sari Multala, the €1 billion increase in research and development funding during this government term will encourage existing companies to invest in research and to implement entirely new research-based business ideas. Multala also called for growth supporting services and business advisory services to be targeted at micro-, sole- and start-up entrepreneurs. Some example could be taken, for example, from the Estonian Entrepreneurial Account.
One of the highlights of the seminar was the awarding of the Kerttu Saalasti Prize, worth €5,000. The prize is awarded annually for outstanding achievements in promoting micro-entrepreneurship, entrepreneurial culture or social impact. This year, the prize was awarded to Liisa Hanén, founder and President of the Micro- and Sole Entrepreneurs MYRY Association. MYRY is a non-partisan association of micro- and sole entrepreneurs, which Hanén has highlighted as an important influence on Finnish decision-making.
Professor Matti Muhos, trustee of the Kerttu Saalasti Foundation and Director of the University of Oulu Kerttu Saalasti Institute, thanked Hanén for his exemplary work in raising the social issues of micro-entrepreneurship. "With the association founded by Hanén, the voice of micro-entrepreneurs is better heard in Finnish social decision-making. The establishment of MYRY is an exceptional act at national level, which has a special novelty value", said Mr Muhos.
"The transformation of working life and entrepreneurship is full of phenomena that we can no longer turn a blind eye to. We should already be in a hurry to change the position and competitiveness of micro-entrepreneurs for the better in many ways, the many different forms of self-employment, the combination of entrepreneurship and paid employment, the platform economy, the role of small subcontractors, immigrant entrepreneurship and internationalisation, to name a few examples. Most importantly, I believe that improving and modernising social security and pension provision for entrepreneurs is a priority", said Liisa Hanén.
The seminar also featured a presentation by Robert van der Have, the new Associate Professor of Microentrepreneurship at the University of Oulu School of Economics and the Kerttu Saalasti Institute, who started his endowed position in summer 2024. Van der Have's research interests include the development of entrepreneurship and innovation from a public policy perspective.
Martti Saarela, Research Director of the Microentrepreneurship Centre MicroENTRE, highlighted the importance of partnerships in research and social impact. According to Saarela, the new professorship at MicroENTRE has clearly strengthened the importance of research, while the research team is working with companies, business service providers and other stakeholders to make an impact on society.