Helka Kalliomäki

Co-chair, Public Policy and Governance Research Group: https://www.uwasa.fi/en/research/groups/public-policy-and-governance

Research

I am an urban and regional studies scholar with broad expertise in science and innovation policy studies. My current research is related to societal impact of research, changing science-society relations as well as inclusive and mission-oriented innovation policy and its spatial dimensions. Altogether, I am very interested about the recent changes in science-society relations and the possibilities and challenges related to collaborative knowledge production for societally impactful research.

In addition to doing discipline-based research in the field of regional studies, my position is linked to InnoLab research platform through which I am engaged in several cross-disciplinary research projects in the broad field of science and innovation policy. In those projects we are working closely with various societal stakeholders. I am also InnoLab's representative in a European network of leading innovation studies research centres, the Eu-SPRI Forum. Before coming to Vaasa, I spent several years developing models and practices for, and managing collaborative research both at the Turku Urban Research Programme and the Centre for Collaborative Research at the University of Turku. Hence I have broad expertise in societal impact activities and broad consortium projects from diverse research and practice related positions. During my academic career I have also been a visiting scholar at George Washington University, University of Maryland, and University College London.

Education

Doctor of Philosophy: University of Turku, Department of geography and geology, 2012

Master of Science: University of Oulu, Department of geography, 2007

Leadership education:

Academic and service leadership Unilead, University of Vaasa, 2020-2021

JOKO42 Leadership Education, University of Turku, 2014?2015

Teaching

HTK2107 Johdatus kestävään kaupunkikehittämiseen (Introduction to sustainable urban development)

Master's thesis seminar

User and Open Innovation Module:

Fundamentals of User and Open Innovation

Collaborative Innovation for Societal Transformation

Recent research funding

Business Finland, 2022-2024, MISS - Practicing mission-oriented innovation policy (CO-I, UVA & international consortium joint project)

Nordic Council of Ministers/Nordic Information on Gender, 2022-2023, AGDA - Addressing the gender and diversity paradoxes in innovation - towards a more inclusive policy design (CO-I, responsible person of UVA, networking project between several Nordic organisations)

Business Finland, 2020-2022, Evolving innovation space, RDI policies and impact evaluation (CO-I, UVA & international consortium joint project)

ERDF/Interreg Botnia-Atlantica, 2020-2022, FAIR - Finding innovations to Accelerate Implementation of electric Regional aviation (CO-I, responsible person of UVA, UVA & Umeå University & cross-border consortium joint project)

Recent publications

Kalliomäki H, Kuusisto J & Kunttu L 2025. Evaluating inclusion as a multidimensional science and innovation policy objective. In Kuusisto J, Meyer M, Flowers S, Kunttu L & Kalliomäki H (eds.). The evolving innovation space: policy and impact evaluation in a changing world. De Gruyter Studies in Innovation and Entrepreneurship.

Kunttu L, Kalliomäki H, Kuusisto J 2025. Evolving innovation space: variety of innovations, actors, activities and diffusion mechanisms. In Kuusisto J, Meyer M, Flowers S, Kunttu L & Kalliomäki H (eds.). The evolving innovation space: policy and impact evaluation in a changing world. De Gruyter Studies in Innovation and Entrepreneurship.

Dan S, Kalliomäki H, Kunttu L & Kuusisto J 2025. What do we know about innovation policy? In Kuusisto J, Meyer M, Flowers S, Kunttu L & Kalliomäki H (eds.). The evolving innovation space: policy and impact evaluation in a changing world.

Kuusisto J, Meyer M, Flowers S, Kunttu L & Kalliomäki H 2025 (eds.). The evolving innovation space: policy and impact evaluation in a changing world. De Gruyter Studies in Innovation and Entrepreneurship.

Okonkwo E, Mäenpää A, Kalliomäki H & Tukiainen T 2024. Analysis of place-based factors in transitions through the lens of a transition space: Insights from Finland's emerging battery industry. Norwegian Journal of Geography, https://doi.org/10.1080/00291951.2024.2362756

Kalliomäki H, Kalliokoski J, Woodson T, Kunttu L & Kuusisto J 2024. Inclusion as a Science, Technology and Innovation Policy Objective in High-Income Countries: The Decoupling Dilemma. Science and Public Policy, https://doi.org/10.1093/scipol/scae019

Kalliomäki H, Oinas P & Salo T 2024. Innovation districts as strategic urban projects: The emergence of strategic spatial planning for urban innovation. European Planning Studies, https://doi.org/10.1080/09654313.2023.2216727.

Kalliomäki H, Airaksinen J & Ruoppila S 2023. Vuorovaikutteinen tiedontuottaminen ja tutkimuksen yhteiskunnallinen vaikuttavuus (In English: Collaborative knowledge production and societal impact of research). In Mäntylä N, Viljanen J & Perttola L (eds.). Tieto, valta ja vaikuttaminen oikeusvaltiossa, 116-137. Gaudeamus.

Tuurnas S, Jäntti A, Kalliomäki H, Kurkela K & Lehtonen P 2022. Asukastiedon hyödyntämisen kipupisteet yhteiskehittämisessä (In English: Challenges in utilising citizens' knowledge in co-creation). In Jäntti A, Kork A-A, Kurkela K, Leponiemi U, Paananen H, Sinervo L-M & Tuurnas, S (eds.) 2022. Hallinnon tutkimuksen tulevaisuus. Vastapaino, Tampere.

Jokinen L, Mäkelä M, Heikkilä K, Apostol O, Kalliomäki H & Saarni J 2022. Creating futures images for sustainable cruise ships: Insights on collaborative foresight for sustainability enhancement. Futures 135, 102873.

Kettunen-Matilainen E, Oinas P & Kalliomäki H 2022. Circuits of architecture and urban planning: Internationalization of Finnish architectural offices. Global Networks 22, 150-165.

Kalliomäki H, Ruoppila S & Airaksinen J 2021. It Takes Two to Tango: Examining Productive Interactions in Urban Research Collaboration. Research Evaluation, 30(4), 529-539.

Kunttu L, Kalliomäki H, Dan S & Kuusisto J 2021. Developing societal impact evaluation methods for research - commercialization and sustainability viewpoints. Tim Review, May 2021.

Hirvensalo A, Teerikangas S, Reynolds, N-S, Kalliomäki H, Mäntysalo R, Mattila H & Granqvist K 2021. Agency in Circular City Ecosystems - A Rationalities Perspective. Sustainability 5, 1-15.

Granqvist K, Mäntysalo R, Mattila H, Hirvensalo A, Teerikangas S & Kalliomäki H 2021. Multiple Dimensions of Strategic Spatial Planning: Local Authorities Navigating between Rationalities in Competitive and Collaborative Settings. Planning Theory & Practice, Online 30 March, 1-19.

Apostol O, Mäkelä M, Heikkilä K, Höyssä M, Kalliomäki H, Jokinen L & Saarni J 2021. Why to communicate? A sensemaking perspective to sustainability communication. Accounting, Auditing and Accountability Journal, 34: 3, 849-876.

ResearchGate: Helka Kalliomäki on ResearchGate

Publications and expert tasks