Insights

Woikoski is building a hydrogen refueling station in Finland

A critical factor for hydrogen fuel cell vehicles is the existence of a hydrogen distribution infrastructure. The Finnish company Woikoski Oy is building the first hydrogen refueling station in Finland at the Arctic Driving Center in Rovaniemi, Finland. A similar station will be used in the Demo2013 project in Vuosaari Harbour, demonstrating simultaneous operation of different fuel cell applications and long term field tests of noiseless and emission-free energy applications.

Spinverse has been selected by the European Commission to contribute to the REACH study on the development of new technologies

Together with Gaia Consulting and Attorneys at law Borenius, Spinverse in conducting a study on REACH contribution to development of emerging technologies. The project started in June 2011 and final results will be published in February 2012.

The right tools to boost R&D for technology-driven companies

European sources can provide very substantial support for company’s investment in R&D. For example, compared to TEKES, the percentages of allocated funding can be larger: 50% for demonstrations, 75% for research activities and 100% for the coordination of projects. On the other hand, the competition in all EU-funding is tougher, and the amount of bureaucracy higher.

Pekka Koponen, Spinverse’s Managing Director, writes about the revival of the Finnish mining industry. This column was originally published in Kauppalehti on 22nd August 2011.

Heat which would otherwise be lost can be saved by converting heat into electricity via Seebeck effect. Thermoelectricity has enjoyed a renewed interest. Novel research includes e.g. new materials and the structuring of matter at nanoscale. The most promising applications of thermoelectricity are found in energy saving and transport applications.

Finnish-Russian Innovation Alliance on Nanotechnology announce new members

Five leading universities and research institutes already have joined Finnish-Russian Innovation Alliance on Nanotechnology, adding cutting edge competence to the Alliance on both sides of the Finnish-Russian border.

1200 members of the nanotechnology community from over 50 countries gathered in Budapest, Hungary, for three days of presentations, networking and inspiration during EuroNanoForum 2011. The event was supported by the European Commission and Hungarian National Innovation Fund, and was organised by the National Innovation Office in partnership with Spinverse under the auspices of the Hungarian Presidency.

Co-operation between enterprises and universities requires substantial improvement

A study for Estonian Materials Technology Programme, ordered by the Estonian Ministry of Economic Affairs and Communication, has been completed. The result is, due to the weak cooperation between universities and companies in Estonia, a big gap between university research & development and real business needs.

Estonian University of Life Sciences is looking for a timber product interface