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million of this key project funding.
“The purpose of the projects is to
strengthen collaboration between
administration, companies, the
business world and the academic
community. Another aim is to remove
obstacles related to legislation or
permit processes that have proved to
be bottlenecks in the past,” Peltonen
says.
Public support to risk-takers
The general aim of public funding is to
accelerate product development and
commercialisation.
“It is important that companies
and industries have faith in the
future and show their willingness to
invest in research and new ideas. The
government supports risk-taking that
promotes economic growth, exports
and the creation of new jobs.”
The Technical Research Centre
of Finland (VTT) and the Finnish
Funding Agency for Innovation
(Tekes) have an important role in
the process. The funding and loans
provided by Tekes are used to carry
out research that not only provides
commercial opportunities but also
yields innovations that benefit society
at large.
Peltonen adds that the reform of the
legislation on public procurement will
also help to promote new innovations.
“Public procurements amount
to around EUR 20 to 30 billion
annually. If one per cent of this sum,
around EUR 200–300million, can
be earmarked for accelerating new
innovations, we will be able to increase
demand for new bio-based solutions.”
Peltonen believes that the key
government-run projects of the future
will develop the Finnish bioeconomy
in a more focused way than before.
“But we must keep inmind that
other countries are also taking major
steps in their biosectors. In order
to maintain our head start, we must
safeguard our competitiveness and
encourage companies to boldly
experiment and develop new ideas.”
Out with fossil materials,
in with renewable alternatives
UPM’s Biofore strategy provides a strong foundation for the company’s R&D
and the development of new products, affirms
Jyrki Ovaska
, Executive Vice
President, Technology at UPM.
“We want to contribute to developing the bioeconomy by researching and
manufacturing new bio-based products, such as biofuels, biochemicals and
biocomposites.”
Developing new technology and launching new products takes time and
requires a certain amount of patience. The journey from laboratory to market
often takes seven to ten years.
“The most significant new innovations are born by breaking the boundaries
of traditional industry. However, entering unknown territory is always a
business risk. This risk can be distributed by collaborating with leading
equipment suppliers and networking with research institutions and other
businesses,” Ovaska says.
This is the next major shift we will be seeing
in industrial production. UPM is promoting new
bioeconomy projects both through its own investments
and through international funding and collaboration.
Jyrki Ovaska
>>