Finnish research cooks up ingredients for success

VTT has teamed up with Finnish food group Fazer and information technology company IBM in order to develop an open innovation ecosystem for producing new food-related solutions.

The collaboration is centred around Fazer Food Services’ research restaurant to be opened in October at IBM Finland’s premises in the Munkkiniemi neighbourhood of Helsinki.

The ecosystem welcomes various operators, including start-ups, to partake in the development of future food industry solutions in a genuine consumption environment.

VTT is also engaged in collaboration with Helsinki-based Carbodeon, with the duo having developed a plastic material containing nanodiamond particles, which increases 3D printing speed and improves the durability and properties of the printouts.

The so-called uDiamond filament is now out on the market and is suitable for consumer and industrial use.

VTT’s endeavours for the EU’s Horizon 2020 (H2020) programme have also been acknowledged in the European Research Ranking, which looks at how well organisations have succeeded in the world’s largest research funding programme.

The Finnish research centre was ranked fourth in the latest statistics, up from 21st place from the previous comparison. VTT has won 123 million euros in funding from the Horizon 2020 programme, or around 17 per cent of all the H2020 funding brought into Finland.

“I am proud of how well we have done in an extremely tough field of competitors,” says Antti Vasara, president and CEO of VTT. “The ranking shows that our expertise and research are having an impact on society and our customers.”