Boundary activities and readiness for ... - Projekti-Instituutti

Acknowledgements
I am indebted to many people for their support during the various stages of
the thesis project and I want to take this opportunity to thank them.
First I would like to thank my supervisor Professor Karlos Artto for
providing me with the opportunity to take up this challenge, for devoting
his time to give advice and to challenge my thinking, and for believing in
my ability to complete the thesis. His endless enthusiasm and passion
towards projects as a research field is an inspiration to the rest of us.
No words are adequate to express my gratitude to my instructor,
Professor Miia Martinsuo. Her continuous guidance and support have been
invaluable during every step of this project, from discussing the first ideas
to reviewing different versions of the manuscript. Her insightful ideas,
positive spirit and her ability to provide constructive, intellectual and
encouraging feedback (always promptly in time) never cease to amaze me.
Cooperation with Miia along these years has been a genuine privilege and I
regard her as a valued mentor and a role model.
I am grateful to the official pre-examiners, Professor Tomas Blomquist
from Umeå School of Business, Umeå University, and Professor Satu
Lähteenmäki from Turku School of Economics, University of Turku, for
their insightful comments that helped me to further develop the
manuscript. I would also like thank Professor Mats Engwall from KTH
Royal Institute of Technology for agreeing to act as the opponent.
This dissertation has been a part of a larger research project, STRAP–PPO
(Strategic linking of programs for public and private organizations) at
Project Business research group, at BIT Research Centre of Aalto
University. I would like to thank all the participating organizations and the
Finnish Funding Agency for Technology and Innovation (TEKES) for
funding the project. I also wish to cordially thank the representatives of the
three case organizations for their kind cooperation that has made this
dissertation possible.
During my years at Aalto University I have had the pleasure to work with
many extraordinary individuals from whom I have learned a lot and who
have made this an inspiring journey. I am particularly grateful to Professor
Jaakko Kujala for intellectual discussions and creative ideas that have
provided valuable guidance and encouragement. I want to thank all of my
colleagues for sharing this journey, for their support and friendship. My
warmest thanks go to Mikko Lehtonen, Dr. Kirsi Aaltonen, Dr. Tuomas
Ahola, Dr. Perttu Dietrich, Dr. Inkeri Ruuska, Dr. Pertti Aaltonen and Dr.
Virpi Turkulainen, and all the master’s thesis workers and research
assistants of the Project Business research group. Special thanks go to a
fellow PhD student and a great friend Tiina Tuominen for providing muchneeded
peer support and for sharing many adventures during the past
years, both within and outside the boundaries of the academic world.