Advisory Board
Dr Kari Ristimäki, Dean, Seinäjoki UAS, Finland,Chair
Dr Vesa Taatila, Principal Lecturer, Laurea UAS, Finland, Vice Chair
Dr Thomas Baaken, Science Marketing, Münster University of Applied Sciences, Germany
Dr Jussi Halttunen, President, Jyväskylä UAS, Chair of the FINPIN Board, Finland
Dr Saskia J.M. Harkema, Director, Entrepreneurship and Innovation, The Hague UAS, Holland
Dr Sarah Ingle, Dublin City University, Ireland
Sakari Kuvaja, Director, FINPIN, Lahti UAS, Finland
Dr Noel Lindsay, BCom (Hons) PhD FCPA, Professor of Entrepreneurship and Commercialisation; Director, Entrepreneurship, Commercialisation and Innovation Centre (ECIC), The University of Adelaide, Australia
Dr Marja-Liisa Neuvonen-Rauhala, Research Manager, FINPIN, Lahti UAS, Finland
Professor Miroslav Rebernik, Maribor University, Slovenia
Dr Vesa Saarikoski, President, North Karelia UAS, Finland
Dr Jaana Seikkula-Leino, Professor, Lappeenranta University of Technology & Adjunct Professor, University of Turku
Dr Ralph Sichler, Wiener Neustadt UAS, Austria
Dr Kari Ristimäki, Dean, Seinäjoki UAS, Finland, Chair
Kari Ristimäki, PhD, (Business Economics), M Sc. (Educ.), Assistant Professor (University of Vaasa), Dean (Seinäjoki University of Applied Sciences, Business School).
Kari Ristimäki is a well known specialist and lecture in areas enterprise education in Finland as in abroad. He has published dozens of scientific articles in this area. In side of research he is very often used lecturer in conferences and seminars concerning the area. Ristimäki is now working as a dean in business school of Seinäjoki UAS. Before latter, he have been working in University of Vaasa as a Development Manager, Professor (acting), Lecturer and Researcher.
Job history
2009- Dean, Business School, Seinäjoki University of Applied Sciences
2007-2009 Senior lecturer, Vaasa University of Applied Sciences
1997-2007 Development manager, Professor (Acting), researcher, lecturer, University of Vaasa
Research in enterprise and entrepreneurship education:
Kari Ristimäkis Research in area enterprise education can be seen represent six different areas.
1. Basics of Enterprise education
2. Entrepreneur as a person and development of entrepreneurial personality
3. Enterprise education in formal school
4. Materials of entrepreneurship education
5. Co-operation between school and business
6. Teachers continuing education in enterprise and entrepreneurship
Ristimäki has also been an evaluator in the European, Leonardo Financed, GEBP (Glogal Education Business Partnership) project. The project was evaluated from the perspective of Enterprise Education.
Teaching experience:
Ristimäki is well known specialist and lecturer in areas named above in a list of research Enterprise education: Teachers continuing education in enterprise education. Several programs, courses, lecture in Finland. International co-operation, lectures about “Enterprise Education in Finland”, in Manchester metropolitan university, Tokai University Sapporo.
During his time in University of Vaasa and Vaasa University of Applied Science he has been teaching different subject concerning entrepreneurship and business knowledge.
Four dimensions of Entrepreneurship
Entrepreneurship as a Job and as Behavior
Make a Business Plan
Management and Organization
Organization Development
Leading a Service and Expert Organization
Power and Ethics in Management
Dr Vesa Taatila, Principal Lecturer, Laurea UAS, Finland, Vice Chair
Vesa Taatila (Ph.D) is a senior lecturer and regional development director at Laurea University of Applied Sciences. His main areas of mentoring include innovation, entrepreneurship, competence and leadership. Dr. Taatila has published both scientific articles and text books on these subjects. He also studies and actively develops pragmatic pedagogical methods in order to deepen the learning process of students.
Before Laurea, Dr. Taatila was employed in Metso-corporation as the Senior Vice President, HRD. He was responsible for development and management of the global HRD-processes of 30000 employees in over 50 countries. Vesa Taatila was also a member of the management board of Metso-corporation. Prior to Metso he worked as a Vice President in Talent Partners, the largest Finnish-owned consulting and training company, and as competence and project director in Sonera, the Finnish telecommunications company. During this time he was also the country manager of Hungary, and worked in executive positions in several mobile business start-up –projects in Europe (Spain, Germany, Norway, Moscow). Mr. Taatila has also worked at Ericsson and as a teacher in several schools.
By education Vesa Taatila is Ph.D. in Cognitive Science from the University of Jyväskylä. His dissertation subject was the concept of organizatiozal competence. Dr. Taatila has also M.Ph. degree in theoretical physics and he has teacher’s qualifications.
Vesa Taatila lives with his wife and son in Hyvinkää. Most of his “free” time is spent in dance practises, since he competes frequently in standard ballroom dancing with his wife.
Dr Thomas Baaken, Science Marketing, Münster University of Applied Sciences, Germany
Thomas Baaken (PhD, Diploma in Business Management) holds a position as a Tenure Professor in Technology Marketing (www.fh-muenster.de/fb9/personen/lehrende/baaken) at the Münster University of Applied Sciences in Germany. His research lies in the areas of Science-to-Business (S-to-B) Marketing, Business-to-Business (B-to-B) Marketing and Software Marketing.
1998-2003 he held the position of the Vice President Research and Development including Technology Transfer at his University.
In 2002 Thomas Baaken established the cooperative Science-to-Business Marketing Research Centre (www.science-marketing.com), funded by the German Government and the European Commission. Actual research is focussed on creating new models in how to market research and sciences, establishing innovative instruments and processes.
In 2003/04 he visited as Guest Professor in “Technology Transfer & Management and Science Marketing” the Education Centre for Innovation and Commercialisation (ECIC) (www.ecic.adelaide.edu.au) at The University of Adelaide in Australia. Dr Baaken is actively involved in ProTon Europe (www.protoneurope.org) as a member of the steering group and heading the WP “Interaction with Industry” section.
Thomas Baaken was invited to 18 different countries around the world to present this approach within over 100 presentations and conference contributions. His record of print publications also covers more than 100 positions. His PhD was awarded by the Freie Universität Berlin.
Dr Jussi Halttunen, President, Jyväskylä UAS, Chair of the FINPIN Board, Finland
Presentation coming soon.
Dr Saskia J.M. Harkema, Director, Entrepreneurship and Innovation, The Hague UAS, Holland
Presentation coming soon.
Dr Sarah Ingle, Dublin City University, Ireland
Dr Sarah Ingle is a lecturer in Entrepreneurship and Enterprise Development in the Business School, Dublin City University (DCU), Ireland. Previously she held the post of associate lecturer in University College Dublin (UCD), and the Institute of Technology (Tallaght) in Dublin. Dr Ingle's Primary and Masters degrees are in Industrial Engineering, from Trinity College Dublin (TCD) and UCD respectively, and she has worked in Irish industry as a Chartered Engineer for three multinational firms.
Dr Ingle obtained a PhD from DCU in Strategic Management in 2000, and in 2001 took up a permanent lecturing post in DCU’s Business School. In 2006 she was awarded a Fulbright Scholarship to Arizona State University, Phoenix, USA for the Spring Semester 2007. During her time in Arizona, her research work focused on business incubation methods and management. Sarah’s main research interests at present are in several areas of business incubation as well as entrepreneurship education.
Dr Ingle is an Edward de Bono Six Thinking Hats Trainer, a Certified Entrepreneurship Teacher for the National Foundation for Teaching Entrepreneurship (NFTE), and an active member of several university level committees. In 2006, 2008 and 2009 she was nominated by her final year students for the DCU President's Award for Excellence in Teaching. Along with her ongoing teaching, research and university activities, she is currently working in the area of Quality Improvement Projects within DCU Business School.
Dr Ingle has had a strong association with FINPIN over the last number of years, and was a co-editor of the published proceedings for the 2008 conference. She welcomes the invitation to be a Fellow of the Advisory Board for FINPIN2010, and wishes the conference in Joensuu every success.
Sakari Kuvaja, Director, FINPIN, Lahti UAS, Finland
Mr Sakari Kuvaja is the director of FINPIN.
Noel Lindsay, BCom (Hons) PhD FCPA, Professor of Entrepreneurship and Commercialisation; Director, Entrepreneurship, Commercialisation and Innovation Centre (ECIC), The University of Adelaide, Australia 
At 16, Noel Lindsay dropped out of school to start his first business which initially succeeded but then failed. Learning from this failure prompted him to complete his high school education of a night while working during the day and then enter University. After completing his PhD in Commerce at The University of Queensland, Noel co-founded and developed successful businesses in Australia, South Africa, and Malaysia. He also worked in the areas of corporate insolvency and then private equity as a Director of a successful Australian venture capital firm that invested $1m-$3m in growth-oriented entrepreneurial ventures.
As Professor of Entrepreneurship and Commercialisation and Director of the Entrepreneurship, Commercialisation and Innovation Centre at The University of Adelaide, he leads a team that undertakes research and teaches in the areas of entrepreneurship, innovation, technology commercialisation, and project management. Noel is a Fellow of, and holds a Practicing Certificate with, CPA Australia and is an Affiliate of the Institute of Chartered Accountants in Australia.
Dr Marja-Liisa Neuvonen-Rauhala, Research Manager, FINPIN, Lahti UAS, Finland
Marja-Liisa Neuvonen-Rauhala works as a research manager at the Innovation Centre of Lahti University of Applied Sciences. Her tasks include preparing research and development activities such as conferences, projects, and R&D cooperation. Neuvonen-Rauhala´s own research interests focus on higher education system, especially the role and tasks of UASes in higher education system, and possibilities/effects of promoting HE- and innovation-based entrepreneurship.
Professor Miroslav Rebernik, Maribor University, Slovenia
Dr. Miroslav Rebernik is professor of Business Economics and Entrepreneurship. He is the Head of the Department for Entrepreneurship and Business Economics, Head of Entrepreneurship Studies at the Faculty of Economics and Business, and director of the Institute for Entrepreneurship and Small Business Management. He is experienced researcher and project leader. Currently he is leading the Global Entrepreneurship Monitor research for Slovenia and since 1999 running the Slovenian Entrepreneurship Observatory.
Professor Rebernik has a vaste experience in Entrepreneurship and Small Business Management research and has published extensively in international and national journals. His bibliography contains over 500 bibliographic units, participated at more than 60 national and international conferences, has published 7 books and contribute 9 chapters in 6 books published in Slovenia, Austria, England and USA, edited 3 national and 7 international conference proceedings, and chaired two national and 7 international conferences.
Dr Vesa Saarikoski, President, North Karelia UAS, Finland
Dr Vesa Saarikoski (b. 1964) has served North Karelia University of Applied Sciences (NKUAS) as President since 1 July 2006. The President directs the activities and processes of UAS and solves issues concerning its general management. The President represents the UAS and is the Chairman of the Board. Dr Saarikoski is a member of the Board of the Rectors' Conference of Finnish Universities of Applied Sciences. In addition, he serves/has served on boards of various regional organizations, scientific societies and foundations.
Dr Saarikoski received his Master of Social Sciences in 1989, Licentiate of Social Sciences in 1993, and the degree of Doctor of Social Sciences in 1997 from the University of Turku. He has served in several positions (university teacher, research fellow, professor) and in administrative posts at the University of Turku. He has also worked as a researcher in projects hosted by Academy of Finland, University Foundation, Foreign Ministry, and Tampere Peace Research Institute under the Ministry of Education.
In his research Dr Saarikoski has dealt with contemporary history, social sciences, international relations and human spatiality. He has focused on spatial understanding of human activity and historical processes and interpretations, ideas and concepts of Europe, contemporary history and politics of the 20th century Finland, and interaction between armed forces and society.
Dr Saarikoski has been in charge of three research projects of the Academy of Finland. He has published four books and ca. 100 articles and popular writings. Besides academic research, Dr Saarikoski is interested in HE policy, administrative developing, pedagogy and societal debate.
Dr Jaana Seikkula-Leino, Professor, Lappeenranta University of Technology & Adjunct Professor, University of Turku
Jaana Seikkula-Leino works as a professor at the Lappeenranta University of Technology, Centre for Training and Development and as an adjunct professsor at the Turku University, Faculty of Education. Moreover, she works as a teacher at the Turku University, Teacher Training School. She holds a Ph.D. in Education and her research interests are entrepreneurship education, curriculum reform, learning entrepreneurial and enterprising readniness and content and language integrated learning.
She also gives lectures, works as a consultant and an expert in these fields. This as well concerns tasks in The Ministry of Education, Ministry of Employment and Economy (the former Ministry of Trade and Industry) and the National Board of Education.
Dr Ralph Sichler, Wiener Neustadt UAS, Austria
Presentation coming soon.