RDI Without Impact Is Irrelevant: How do we start to deliver Real Value in a World of Complex Challenges: Dr. Miika Kajanus on Delivering Real Value in a Complex World
- trabelsi07
- 2 days ago
- 1 min read
A retirement webinar reflecting on four decades of innovation, decision analysis, and international coop
On 14 April 2026, Dr. Miika Kajanus hosted a retirement webinar asking a direct question: if RDI doesn't produce real impact, what is it for?
Drawing on forty years as an RDI specialist, Dr. Kajanus argued that national and international RDI investments are shifting decisively toward measurable, system-level outcomes. From water infrastructure to climate transitions, the expectation is no longer just research output — it is demonstrable value delivered across entire ecosystems. For RDI specialists, this means learning to work with complexity rather than around it, using structured approaches that connect research activity to societal outcomes.
The webinar explored what this shift looks like in practice, drawing lessons from both Finnish and Ukrainian contexts — particularly in forests, innovation, climate action, and decision analysis. A distinguished panel joined the discussion: Rector Mervi Vidgrén of Savonia University of Applied Sciences, Rector Ruslan Biloskurskyi of Yuriy Fedkovych Chernivtsi National University in Ukraine, Mikko Kurttila from the Natural Resources Institute Finland, and Anton Tkachenko from the National Scientific Center "Institute of Agriculture of NAAS" in Ukraine.
Together they examined the options open to the RDI community when traditional science-based progress approaches are being challenged, and how frameworks like value-focused thinking, scenario analysis, and adaptive impact pathways can support better decision-making under uncertainty.
The message was clear: impact is not optional, and the tools to deliver it already exist.
Watch the full webinar: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ful9zB9TX1M
Comments