On February 3, 2017 Beijing time, the Quality Innovation Award ceremony was held in Prague. Professor Jarmo SUOMINEN,a high-end foreign expert of D&I won the awards for his concept of School as a Service(SaaS). This year more than 350 innovations from 11 countries participated in the competition. The SaaS model will also be part of a similar project to be started in 2017 by Tongji University in Shanghai. 

In fact, before winning the "Quality Innovation Award", Jarmo SUOMINEN just won three Finland innovation awards - "Quality Innovation Award of 2016, Finland", "2016 Mayors Innovation Award", and" Espoo Award and  Medal for City of Espoo Quality Innovation Award". Quality Innovation Award is the Finland national innovation award, and its winners are the most creative solutions-provider of Finland in the field of science and education.

Professor Jarmo SUOMINEN has outstanding achievements in the field of service architectural design. Before He won the Quality Innovation Award, he has won over 20 awards in national and international architectural design competitions, and got nominated from biennale of Venice for his design. However he said, “ This is for innovation, including design and all other aspects, so this award might be one of the most important for me, especially when there was over 300 entries for this.”

Jarmo SUOMINEN

Ph.D. in Architecture; Professor

A high-end foreign expert of D&I

Deputy Director of Tongji University Sino-Finnish Center

1982-1990 Tampere University of Technology  Bachelor & Master of Architecture.2005-2015,Ph.D. in Service Dominant Logic in Architecture.He has been focusing on service architecture design; customer value creation; mass customization strategies; user innovation concepts; customer experience management processes and tools.

“I am most engaged to innovation, focusing my creative work to establish something new and impactful. I believe in Einsteins' quote: you can not solve the problems with the same logic they were created in the first place.” Jarmo said, “I have been involved in establishing new ways of doing things for over 20 years, soon after I established my own practice. Step by step I identified a concept of Service Architecture for design and architecture and been implemented that to many projects. I also was a founding member of Living Labs in Europe, bringing that idea from MIT where I have been working since 1999.”

As a a high-end foreign expert of D&I, Jarmo said that, “I admire the open culture at D&I, it is essential when aiming for innovation. Value isn't created alone but trough interaction of different ideas and competences. I want to focus on interdisciplinary innovations in an environments which supports openness and which is committed to utilize the potential of each of its members.”

He emphasizes that D&I has great potential in Design Thinking at large in Tongji and Shanghai. Outreach is important, for the community and to the city. D&I should establish its identity by being most open to various ideas and most impactful in utilization.This requires open approach and innovation ecosystem to be integrated tounicersity.

Jarmo said that, “I have extended my staying here in China every year now, and would love to do that in the future. Once I get more familiar with Tongji university and Shanghai, I get more engaged with them.”

About the concept of SaaS, Jarmo Suominen said：

Traditionally a school is defined as a building. In the SaaS concept, new service architecture defines school as a set of resources to supporting learning. The idea is to create different kinds of learning environments, develop new pedagogy and renew the operation culture in schools.

The role of the learner is central. The concept offers an ideal platform for a wide range of learning methods and makes learning more meaningful and fun.

The concept is sustainable by optimizing and recycling the use of spaces and equipment, by increasing social diversity and sharing resources with the surrounding society. Also other resources such as academic knowledge can be shared.

The SaaS experiment started in the fall of 2015 when Haukilahti Upper Secondary School was chosen to be relocated on decentralized premises on the Aalto University campus in Otaniemi, Espoo. Students and personnel have been strongly involved in designing and implementing the experiment.  The experiment has already been successful in terms of user experience, engagement and funding. 

According to the first survey, the students appreciate the new learning environment and experience that it supports their own ways of learning and increases their wellbeing and joy of learning. The students have actively grasped the opportunity to participate in about 50 university courses available for their participation. The teachers can co-operate with their university colleagues and can make use of the university´s versatile spaces, e.g. laboratories.

Initial calculations show that the costs of the service innovation concept are up to 25 per cent lower than that in the investment-based model. 

All Espoo schools will benefit from the innovation.  The new metro line will make it easier for the students to move from one school to another and participate in common courses.

The SaaS model will also be part of a similar project to be started in 2017 by Tongji University in Shanghai, China. These two projects will be developed in the spirit of mutual learning. In the project it is also possible to study the scalability and export potential of the concept.

In addition, companies are invited to participate in developing innovative solutions to promote better learning and to increase their business opportunities.

With the SaaS innovative service architecture Espoo and Aalto University have developed tools for further development, methods to measure the impact and concept for future implementations. The City of Espoo and Aalto University are now executing next phases, with the second and third SaaS projects, and potentially utilizing City as a Service concept to other public services.

About the European Quality Innovation Award 

The European Quality Innovation Competition has been established in Finland since 2007. Its purpose is to increase the amount and level of innovations. Today the Quality Innovation of the Year Competition is truly an international event with many more countries looking to participate in the near future. The competition is arranged by Laatukeskus Excellence Finland, a national non-profit organisation dedicated to performance improvement. Certificates for the winners have been signed by the The President of the Republic of Finland since the beginning of the competition.  This year more than 350 innovations from 11 countries participated in the competition. 

Jarmo’s words to everyone:

Be passionate about what you do, 

and show that to others.