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Tekes

Tekes 'would have put Himanen research out to tender'

The former head of Tekes, the Finnish Funding Agency for Technology and Innovation, says that the prime minister’s office decided who would produce a controversial report on strategies for sustainable growth. He found the case exceptional.

Pekka Himanen luovutti Suomen henkisen ja aineellisen hyvinvoinnin tekijöitä analysoivan Kukoistuksen käsikirjoituksen hallitukselle Helsingissä 10. maaliskuuta 2010. Raporttia oli ottamassa vastaan muun muassa silloinen valtiovarainministeri Jyrki Katainen.
Pekka Himanen luovutti Suomen henkisen ja aineellisen hyvinvoinnin tekijöitä analysoivan Kukoistuksen käsikirjoituksen hallitukselle Helsingissä 10. maaliskuuta 2010. Raporttia oli ottamassa vastaan muun muassa silloinen valtiovarainministeri Jyrki Katainen. Image: Antti Aimo-Koivisto / Lehtikuva

A story by Long Play last week cast doubt on the decision-making process behind the report, including the involvement of Prime Minister Jyrki Katainen’s office. On Monday Katainen denied any impropriety, saying that the leaders of Sitra, Tekes and the Academy of Finland had all shown enthusiasm about the project.

A senior figure at Tekes, since retired, then said that his organisation would have preferred to put the job out to tender, rather than award funding straight to Pekka Himanen. The agency’s former Managing Director Veli-Pekka Saarnivaara said that their view was put forward in the negotiations.

Despite his concerns, the contract went to Himanen without competition.

"One reason was the tight schedule, which came about because the government office had apparently already conducted lengthy negotiations with Himanen and wanted to order the report from him," said Saarnivaara.

Saarnivaara, who retired last autumn, said that Tekes only had to decide whether to join the project or not: the decision to award it to Himanen had already been made. Tekes viewed the international partners as of such high calibre that the project would be worth funding.

Nothing illegal about procurement

The chair of the board of the Academy of Finland, Arto Mustajoki, said that there was nothing illegal in the process, but that it was still not conducted in the best possible way.

"The issue was difficult for the board of the academy, because the proposal came via an unusual route," said Mustajoki. "Only the Academy president Markku Mattila knew of it beforehand."

Yle could not reach Mattila for comment on Monday.

The Academy eventually decided to fund the research, but only provide half the requested sum. That decision still involved granting Himanen 150,000 euros.

"Sure, this kind of future-focused projects are needed, but this is not the best possible way to operate," said Mustajoki.

He went on to suggest that in future the Prime Minister’s office might create a dedicated fund for this kind of research rather than collecting it from different sources. A proposal to reform government research funding is currently on a consultation round, and the government will decide its stance on the matter in one month.