Marikka
Heikkilä
Areas of expertise
Business Models;
Networked Business
Maritime;
Qualitative Research;
Biography
Marikka Heikkilä, research director, specialized on Industrial Innovation studies at School of Economics, University of Turku, is leading a research group focused on Business renewal. The research theme includes topics such as digital transformation, innovation and business models, and collaboration in business networks.
She has 25 years of experience on joint research with companies and authorities. She has led over 30 major projects funded by Business Finland, the Academy of Finland and the European Commission. Recent research projects such as SpacEconomy, GreenConnect, COMMA, Sea4Value, and EnvisionAlliances connect companies and researchers to develop data-driven, sustainable, and resilient business ecosystems. These projects address the strategic challenges of maritime digitalization, autonomous systems, smart ports, green logistics and space economy.
The publications in leading journals such as Business Horizons, Industrial Marketing Management, Systems, Scandinavian Journal of Management, and Journal of Marine Science and Engineering reflect a commitment to applied research that supports competitiveness and renewal across sectors.
Academic background:
- D.Sc. (Econ.), Faculty of Information Technology, University of Jyväskylä 2010
- M.Lic (Econ.), Helsinki School of Economics 1996
- M.Sc. (Econ.), Helsinki School of Economics 1990
Research
Industrial Innovation studies including topics such as
- Innovation of business models and operations, enabled by digitalisation, robotization, data, smart specialisation etc.
- Management and collaboration
- Ecosystems, platform economy
- Change from product to service orientation
- maritime