The New Incubators

Looking up. The water tower in Otaniemi, Finland.

Innovation is often perceived as a solitary affair—a single engineer or scientist laboring late into the night in desperate search for the next new idea. But increasingly, in this world where innovation carries big gambles and even bigger rewards, invention has become a group effort, requiring an incubation machine that brings together a diverse group of individuals with often vast resources. There's California's Silicon Valley and its New York counterpart Silicon Alley. But, in exploring innovation, World Policy Journal set out to identify the next loci of scientific and technological creativity—the new incubators. We've settled on three locations—Finland, especially its Otaniemi forest, Singapore, and Israel's Silicon Wadi. We asked writers in each of these nations to profile the pioneers, probe its DNA, and help us understand the origins of the peculiar flair that each spot brings to the creative process.

• Finland:A Forest of Innovation
• Pekka Himanen (bio)

Otaniemi, Finland—Arriving at this Finnish innovation center, you find yourself in the middle of a forest. Dense stands of birch, pine, and spruce trees grow down to the shores of the Gulf of Finland. The name Otaniemi comes from the Finnish words oka (spike) and niemi (point or peninsula), and as the name suggests, the area is located at the point of a peninsula. But it is also aptly named for another reason: On any chart mapping innovation, Otaniemi is a spike of creativity.

Contrary to common misconception, this summer day is very warm indeed—90 degrees Fahrenheit. Some people have chosen to go and bask in the sun on beaches and piers. Some dip in the sea for a swim, while students heat up the seaside sauna, ready for Friday night partying. Although Otaniemi is part of metropolitan Helsinki, nature reigns. This is part of the larger vision of being not only a center of learning, but also at the center of a new, more sustainable way of life.

Yet this is also a hub of innovation—the engine that drives growth in the Finnish economy. The premier technology university in Finland is here as well as its leading companies, from mobile giant Nokia to IT start-ups and leaders in the fields of energy and biotechnology. Otaniemi is the modern sampo of Finland—the mythical source of growth described in Kalevala, Finland's national epic. So today, Kalevala Road turns into Technology Road, which continues as Knowledge Road.

Tech Central

The compact innovation center is just a few miles in diameter. The technology shore, a mile-long stretch, is located on the south side of the area and serves as home to many of the most influential Finnish companies in three key sectors.

In information technology, the area houses both Nokia and start-ups such as Rovio, creator of the hit Angry Birds iPhone game. Yes, Finns are to blame for the iconic songs of the information age. Nokia has sold a third of the world's four billion cell phones, and each plays the "Nokia tune," based on a clip from Francisco Tárrega's "Gran Vals." Finland is also responsible for a catchy Ari Pulkkinen jingle that resembles the bolero in Georges Bizet's Carmen. While few people may know the Finnish composer, with over 300 million downloads, many would recognize the unforgettable theme song from Angry Birds.

Keeping Finland on the cutting edge of energy technology, utility firm Fortum and Nokia are working together on an electric car that would integrate Fortum's charging systems with a Nokia technology that allows smartphones to exchange information with the vehicle, letting the car's "infotainment" system access mobile phone apps.

Research and development in biotechnology at Otaniemi is also helping Finland's traditional forestry sector—quite literally—grow in new ways. Researchers are creating new, more efficient ways of turning foresty products into energy. These bio materials are being developed under such slogans as "wood is the new oil," or "wood is the new...