Insights

The industry-driven PPP, public-private partnership programme, FIMECC DEMAPP has created a unique competence platform and a variety of concrete energy, materials and cost-effective solutions boosting the competitiveness of the metals, engineering and cleantech industries. Focusing on need-based, application-driven R&D of advanced materials for extreme service conditions the programme has provided great results, both in terms of scientific novelty and high industrial impact, which were presented in the final seminar in September 30, 2014 at Kino Tapiola, Espoo, Finland.

Professor Richard Parker of Rolls-Royce plc and Dr. Gert-Jan Gruter of Avantium were awarded as CTO of the Year Europe 2014 representing large companies and SMEs, respectively. The European CTO of the year 2014 award ceremony by Spinverse and EIRMA took place in the evening of October 9th in Eindhoven, the Netherlands.

Column in Kauppalehti by Pekka Koponen 6.10.2014, B18

According to the recently published statistics of Finland’s participation in the EU’s 7th framework program, Spinverse is in third place as to the number of projects out of all Finnish SMEs, totaling to seven funded projects. The success rate for Spinverse for the application to funding ratio is 100%.

The European Commission has announced the first results of its new SME Instrument, launched under Horizon 2020 to help innovative small- or medium-sized companies get their ideas to the market. Aurelia Turbines Oy is one of the Finnish SME’s to receive funding from a highly competitive field of innovative European companies from which funding was granted for fewer than 6% of the applicants. Spinverse Oy assisted Aurelia Turbines in selecting the most suitable funding instrument and helped to prepare the application.

"All the other decision-makers or members of the executive teams of companies are getting awards --- but nobody awarded the CTO", says Pekka Koponen, CEO of Spinverse on a video interview, recorded at the Annual Conference of EIRMA.

Over 60 experts from industry met the European Commission and research representatives to share experiences about nano-enabled innovations, future markets, framework and investment needs.

The CTO Forum Finland event is again organised to enable Finnish technology leaders to meet each other and to hear the latest news within the Finnish technology scene in October 2014.

Many large corporations in Europe are going through a time of transformation. Economic circumstances drive corporations to reduce non-core activities and to seek more dynamic R&D networks to meet the future market needs. This is an opportunity for entrepreneurs.