Enhancing product and service development: A training program for small ICT companies

In order to support local information and communication technology (ICT) companies in western Finland, a three-year program - "ICT WEST" - was established by the Pori unit of the Tampere University of Technology in 2004. The aim was to provide new methods for developing the business environment, competencies and mutual co-operation of local ICT companies. The main focus of the ICT West program was the development of methods that support the achievement of sustainable and long-term benefits across the local ICT sector. One of the goals of the program was to develop an adaptive training program for developing the abilities of the local software companies to commercialize and productize their product and service ideas. This paper describes the properties of the target group i.e. software companies, the main information sources, the research and development methodology, the research project phases and the initial composition and framework of the training program.