Inventions as growth drivers. The largest innovation centre in Finland joins a top university in a road show
Next stop St. Petersburg – 15 September, 2011: Inventions as growth drivers. The largest innovation centre in Finland joins a top university in a road show
VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland and Aalto University are currently staging a road show in Finland, Estonia and Russia to inform companies of ways of enabling faster growth, market entry and product development by utilizing patented inventions. Specialists from Aalto and VTT will present the practices of licensing and utilizing patents as well as inventions that are ready for commercialization by partners.
VTT’s Business Development Manager Inka Orko describes the objectives of the road show as follows: “VTT aims to increase cooperation with SMEs and develop new methods for this. We are embarking on the road show with the hope of meeting new companies, establishing new connections and launching new joint projects.”
The road show events in Lappeenranta, Tampere, Jyväskylä, Kuopio, Oulu and Turku in Finland, and Tallinn in Estonia have attracted close to 300 participants. The events have presented dozens of inventions in fields such as electronics, process and manufacturing industry, biotechnology and software. Having spoken at each event, Teemu Seppälä, Marketing Manager from the Aalto Centre for Entrepreneurship (ACE), makes the following comment: “It is already safe to say that the road show has been a success: many companies have identified interesting opportunities in our invention portfolio, and further discussions are off to a good start.” In addition to innovations, Aalto University is presenting its growth-oriented start-up companies, and offering many opportunities for companies interested in growth entrepreneurship through programmes such as Start-up Sauna which is part of the Aalto Venture Garage (AVG).
Technopolis has been a partner in the road show in order to support the development of innovations: “It is extremely satisfying that the road show has been well received, and that companies interested in new opportunities have participated in the events in each city. We aim to promote growth entrepreneurship both on a national and international scale, and to attract new academic units and product development operators to our campuses. Their services will also support new growth enterprises,” says Karita Huotari, Head of Strategic Matchmaking Services at Technopolis.
Research conducted by Aalto University and VTT creates hundreds of business opportunities each year
In 2010, VTT topped the patent application statistics with a total of 95 applications (according to statistics provided by the National Board of Patents and Registration of Finland at http://www.prh.fi/fi/patentit/tilastoja/suurhakijat.html). VTT’s IP Business function is responsible for the commercialization and utilization of VTT’s innovations and IPR rights, thus providing a competitive advantage for its client companies.
The research activities of Aalto University result in over 100 inventions annually, some half of which are patented. Aalto’s IP portfolio contains in excess of 50 active patent families that can be licensed by industries. Aalto Center for Entrepreneurship (ACE) provides innovation, commercialization and start-up services for Aalto University researchers, students and other stakeholders, and aims to facilitate growth entrepreneurship that builds on research results.
Technopolis Plc provides business environments and services for knowledge-intensive companies and organizations. The service portfolio ranges from comprehensive business and development services to modern premises. Currently, close to 1,300 companies with 20,000 employees operate in the Technopolis centres located in Espoo, Helsinki, Jyväskylä, Kuopio, Lappeenranta, Oulu and Tampere in Finland, in Saint Petersburg in Russia and in Tallinn in Estonia. Technopolis Plc is listed on the NASDAQ OMX Helsinki.
For more information and interviews, please contact:
VTT: Inka Orko, Business Development Manager, tel. +358 400 966 884, inka.orko@vtt.fi, http://ipbusiness.vtt.fi
Aalto University: Teemu Seppälä, Marketing Manager , tel. +358 50 301 1192, teemu.seppala@aalto.fi, http://ace.aalto.fi
Technopolis: Karita Huotari, Head of Strategic Matchmaking Services, tel. +358 40 579 8757, karita.huotari@technopolis.fi, www.technopolis.fi
Further information on VTT:
Olli Ernvall, Senior Vice President, Communications
Tel. +358 20 722 6747
olli.ernvall@vtt.fi
www.vtt.fi
VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland is a leading multitechnological applied research organization in Northern Europe. VTT creates new technology and science-based innovations in co-operation with domestic and foreign partners. VTT’s turnover is EUR 280 million and its personnel totals 2,900.