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Tekes Magazine 2015
Education
at play
PAGE 28
Digitalisation
changes business models
PAGE 16
What’s behind the
Start-up spirit
in Finland?
PAGE 6
02 index
06
The start-up
spirit
Miki Kuusi has helped develop
Slush from a 300-person, locally
known tech and start-up event into
a global happening.
Editorial .......................................... 03
In the spotlight .............................04
Cabforce finds success by
making travel easier ................... 10
Column: Building blocks
for growth ..................................... 14
Young Innovative
Companies .................................... 15
16
Three new Tekes
digitalisation programmes ......... 19
Digital
disruption
Digital solutions
from Finland ................................. 20
Digitalisation is changing old
business models. Finnish firms are
ready to take advantage.
Column: Digital health hub
of the north ...................................22
Celebrating cellulose ...................23
Future Watch: What makes
us buy and why? ........................ 26
28
Education
at play
Column: Finnish schools
on the move.................................. 30
The Playful Learning Centre is
at the forefront of innovative
education.
Let’s talk about
innovation ......................................35
A youthful approach
to business .....................................32
Tekes funding
and services .................................. 36
Contact info.....................................38
Magazine 2015
2
TEKES VIEWS MAGAZINE 2015
Editor: Eeva Landowski
Editorial assistant: Susanna Lehto
Writers: Tim Bird, David J. Cord, James O’Sullivan
Photographer: Markus Sommers
Editorial Board: Ulla Hiekkanen-Mäkelä, Pekka Kahri,
Printed : Punamusta Oy
Cover photograph: Markus Sommers
ISSN: 1798-9876
Circulation: 10,000
Publisher: Tekes – the Finnish Funding Agency
Kari Komulainen, Virpi Mikkonen, Minh Lam,
Sanna Piiroinen
Layout: Cake Ltd. Kari Lehkonen
Subscriptions: [email protected]
for Innovation. www.tekes.fi
editorial 03
PHOTO: MARKUS SOMMERS
Join us
to let your innovations
boom
W
e at Tekes encourage research and development
teams to think big. With the help of Tekes funding, small and medium-sized companies can involve the best expertise and connect with the best
partners. We share the risk that companies take when investing in
challenging research and development work, or exploring totally
new market areas.
The number of start-up companies has grown rapidly in Finland in recent years. Also, an increasing number of international
investors see promising investment targets in Finnish companies.
In this magazine we look at the unique start-up spirit that has developed especially around Slush – the largest investor and start-up
event organised in Europe.
Besides a booming start-up scene, we are proud to present
how Finnish companies are looking at new digital solutions in
different fields. Tekes takes the opportunities presented by digitalisation seriously. By the end of 2014, we made a huge investment
in digitalisation. We launched three Tekes programmes, worth
altogether 300 million euros. The programmes deal with the Indus-
trial Internet, the development of 5G networks and digital health
solutions.
Besides digitalisation, Tekes strategy focuses on the bioeconomy and cleantech, along with wellbeing and health. However,
we offer funding to any innovative company – also international
– operating in Finland. In 2014, we provided altogether 550
million euros for companies’ and research organisations’ R&D and
innovation projects.
In the Global Competitiveness Survey 2014–2015 carried
out by the World Economic Forum, Finland ranked third of 144
economies around the world in terms of innovation and business
sophistication. Finland is also ranked among the top four innovation leaders in Europe in the Innovation Union Scoreboard 2014.
You are warmly welcome to do business in Finland.
Pekka Soini
Director General, Tekes
TEKES VIEWS MAGAZINE 2015
3
TEKES VIEWS MAGAZINE 2014
3
04
In the spotlight
Healthy
meals
on the go
Who has the time to prepare a
20-ingredient brunch every morning?
Solving this culinary conundrum is
Ambronite. The number of drinkable
meals on the market may be growing,
but this is the healthy and easy choice.
There’s even no need to mix in milk as
all necessary vitamins and proteins are
already included – just add water!
www.ambronite.com
Comfort
for babies
Designed by a mother who lamented the lack of
comfortable clothing available for her prematurely
born daughter, Beibamboo’s items are made from a
bamboo and organic cotton mix. Exposed seams are
kept to a minimum and irritating labels are attached
to the outside. Neonatal wards at major Finnish
hospitals have embraced the innovative premature
clothing range, with its fully opening design allowing
for essential tubes and wires.
www.beibamboo.com
4
TEKES VIEWS MAGAZINE 2015
Natural
solutions
for air
purification
Plantlife, nature and technology
come together in a burst of green to create a healthier interior climate. NaturVention’s easily maintained flower and plant
wall offers a natural solution to the
challenge of purifying indoor air. Naturalising harmful compounds and absorbing
humidity, the wall is effective for a room
measuring up to 100m2.
www.naturvention.com
The
smartwatch
with style
With a design carefully crafted by
watchmakers, the Meta Watch looks
and feels like a real watch – the intelligent features simply elevate
it to another level. Alongside
functionality, the use of
premium materials sets it
apart from the pack. Now
you can leave your phone
in your pocket, in style.
www.metawatch.org
Getting creative
with design
A love of necessary things, simple
functionality and kindness is solidified
in Samuji, a creative studio and design
house. Clothing ranges from timeless
to seasonal, and is manufactured in
Europe with materials sourced from
European and Japanese suppliers.
Houseware also gets a look in, with
items such as mouth-blown glass vases
and tea towels created by local craftsmen from different regions.
www.samuji.com
Wanna be a rock star?
Some 85% of beginner guitarists are destined to throw in
the towel. This gamified musical learning software Yousician
is stemming the tide – to the tune of over 10 million players
across multiple platforms. Exercises for both budding and
seasoned axemen and women engage motivation, personalisation and social learning – the three most common
facilitators of advancement.
http://get.yousician.com
TEKES VIEWS MAGAZINE 2015
5
06 insight interview
TEXT: JAMES O’SULLIVAN PHOTOS: MARKUS SOMMERS
6
TEKES VIEWS MAGAZINE 2015
spirit
The start-up
Miki Kuusi has helped develop Slush from a
300-person, locally known tech and start-up event
into a global happening.
A
calm swept over Miki
Kuusi in the early days
of November last year,
akin to the seasonal
darkness slowly blanketing Finland. After
a year of extensive planning and coordinating, the 25-year-old was standing on
the edge of international significance with
Slush 2014.
All he needed was at least 10,000
people to turn up to the annual tech and
start-up event in Helsinki – an event that
only a handful of years ago had attracted
just 300 attendees.
In short: the stakes were very, very
high. And yet, in the midst of these expectations, Slush’s CEO was unfazed. With
the hopes of 1,400 companies resting on
his team’s shoulders, along with those of
hundreds of investors, the Finnish gov-
ernment and the global media, perhaps he
was just a little bit excited? Maybe some
butterflies had found a temporary home
in his stomach? How about just a hint of
being crippled with nerves?
“I’m not such a nervous person,”
Kuusi reveals, a few weeks after the
event managed to attract 14,218 unique
attendees and 715 investors, making it the
biggest investor event in Europe.
“At that stage the cards have been
dealt. You don’t have any visibility as to
how the event will work because it’s such
a huge composition. You can only trust
that everything will work out with the
organisation we’ve built and the things we
thought through. It doesn’t mean you are
nervous – you are interested to see whether it goes this way or the other.”
Such resolve under pressure has
become indicative of Kuusi’s approach
during his rapid rise at the forefront of
entrepreneurial innovation in Finland.
An enterprising attitude
After the Internet bubble burst in the early
stages of this century, the tech and start-up
community in Finland was left dazed and
suitably deflated. Companies resorted
to more conservative business models.
There was little buzz in the media. As the
community licked its wounds, this lack of
enthusiasm reflected a timid wasteland of
innovative ideas.
“If you went to university people
didn’t know what a start-up was, much
less found one or go work for one,” Kuusi
laments.
Gradually the scene began to bubble
to the surface once again, as the decade
drew to a close. Its epicentre could be
TEKES VIEWS MAGAZINE 2015
7
“IT’S NOT ABOUT
A SINGLE EVENT,
BUT ABOUT
A BIGGER
MOVEMENT;
THAT’S THE
JOURNEY SLUSH
IS ON.”
found at Aalto University, the institution formed when the Helsinki School
of Economics, the Helsinki University of
Technology and the University of Art and
Design Helsinki merged together at the
start of 2010. The young economics student
found himself in the midst of this exciting
development, having commenced his
degree a few months earlier.
Kuusi’s enthusiasm for innovation and
seeing it come to fruition swiftly found an
outlet at a pitching event organised by the
university. Surrounded by like-minded individuals he would put forth an idea he had
for a virtual secretary service. The creative
excitement in the room was palpable. While
nothing eventually came of his idea, the
spark was lit: there was something big happening here, and he wanted to be a part of it.
His ambitions swiftly gained traction
as he threw himself into helping to further
develop the Aalto Entrepreneur Society
(Aaltoes) and establishing the Startup
Sauna accelerator programme - today
recognised as a leading young university
accelerator in the world by UBI Index in
Silicon Valley.
Next up it was time to introduce more
of a global mix of players into the scene.
Starting with Slush
By 2010 Slush had attracted considerable
buzz in Finland over the three consecutive
8
TEKES VIEWS MAGAZINE 2015
years it had been staged. A moderately
successful 300-person event, it had nonetheless struggled to make significant waves
on the international scene. Enter Kuusi
and his bold plans for a multi-sensorial
experience: he would attract the big hitters
among global investors and media to the
biggest and coolest start-up conference in
Europe.
“Back then the event had seemingly reached the extent of its potential,”
Kuusi reflects. “According to the original
organisers, Slush 2011 would probably
never have been organised unless we took
it over.”
Along with his coorganiser Atte
Hujanen, Kuusi seized the opportunity to
build upon the event’s foundations and not
have to start from scratch.
It’s fair to say that not everyone shared
their enthusiasm. In fact, many laughed in
his face when Kuusi outlined their plans.
But he and his growing team were young
and driven.
Their first year out of the gate brought
humble returns, with the Slush team attracting a total of four foreign investors to
2011’s event. However, the next year drew
47 venture funds, followed by 118 venture
funds in 2013. By 2014 the number had
ballooned to 715 investors.
The variety of guest speakers also
widened accordingly, with the likes of the
founder, Chairman and CEO of Rakuten,
Hiroshi Mikitani, Skype founding CEO
Niklas Zennström and Softbank advisor
Taizo Son taking the stage over the years.
“IT DOESN’T
MAKE SENSE TO
GIVE OURSELVES
EXCUSES
NOT TO GET
BETTER.”
Politicians also took note, with Estonian
President Toomas Hendrik Ilves, Finnish
Prime Minister Alexander Stubb, Russian
Deputy Prime Minister Arkady Dvorkovich, Chinese Vice Premier Wang Yang and
EU Commissioner Jyrki Katainen each
making appearances.
Amidst the ballooning spectacle of
big names, smoke, lights and lasers, Kuusi
stresses that the core idea of the event has
remained the same as it was when he and
his team first took over the reigns.
“The reality we see is that in 2014
altogether over 4,000 meetings were held
at Slush between investors and companies.
These are the things that build the value of
the event.”
The spirit of change
Basking in the afterglow of 2014’s success, Kuusi takes a moment to survey the
current tech and start-up scene locally.
Unsurprisingly, he is extremely pleased
with what he sees.
“There has never been such a good
time to found a tech start-up in the Nordics or Finland than today.”
Nonetheless, whilst open to the widening array of new ideas, his enthusiasm
for local innovation does have some limits.
“I don’t believe that anything is
possible, but I believe that a lot of things
are more possible than you would think,”
Kuusi outlines. “We tried a lot of things
over the years before Slush that didn’t
work. When we started to work on Slush
there was this kind of pull that was taking
us somewhere. We felt this strong purpose,
so we took it forward.”
Kuusi believes such drive should
also prevail amongst Finns, traditionally
confined to stereotypes of being somewhat
“THERE HAS
NEVER BEEN
SUCH A GOOD
TIME TO FOUND
A TECH START-UP
IN THE NORDICS
OR FINLAND THAN
TODAY.”
introverted and reserved in their approach.
“I think it’s time for us Finns to stop
telling ourselves what we are like: the quiet
Finn who doesn’t speak to anyone and
looks at his own shoes, or the extraverted
Finn who looks at other people’s shoes.
These are funny stories, but this is not
reality.”
For Kuusi such cultural clichés are a
hindrance to potential opportunities.
“It doesn’t make sense to give ourselves excuses not to get better. If we start
telling ourselves that it’s not me and not
something I can do, or that’s not how Finns
are, we are never going to know what it is
possible.”
Given the rapidly growing number of
start-up possibilities created by Finns, the
necessity for such cultural stereotypes is
certainly questionable. In fact, when casting a glance over the current diversity of
the local scene, Kuusi draws an impressive
comparison: Silicon Valley.
“Over there you meet so many different kinds of people with such different
kinds of backgrounds and stories. The
whole community supports itself, whatever
people are doing. There is a strong culture
of paying it forward here in Finland as
well, helping each other, talking very
openly about different issues and failures
and successes. I see that as a very positive
development; a cultural change, definitely.”
This change is also reflected in the
number of investors plugging in to the
flourishing environment.
“If you start a company now, it’s easier
to find employees, really smart people who
want to work with your company, as well as
co-founders. There are more entrepreneurs
than before, more funding, more capital.
More of everything.”
Kuusi is quick to acknowledge that
this ecosystem is propped up by considerable governmental support. He recently
found himself discussing the Finnish tech
scene and Tekes with American David
Gardner, the first investor in Supercell and
Unity.
“David said that he loves investing in
Finnish gaming companies,” Kuusi recalls.
“He can have the same company in the
UK and the same company in Finland. He
invests the same amount of money into
both of them. The UK company could have
a runway of two years with the investment,
but, because of Tekes, the Finnish company
might have a runway of even three, four
or five years. That’s why he loves investing
here, as the probability of success is higher
because of the government’s involvement.”
Investing in the future
Having set the Slush train in motion, it is
now time for Kuusi to step down from his
post as CEO, content with the impact the
event has made on the scene.
“It is much more developed than it
used to be. I am much more confident now
that we will see more interesting things
coming out of here in the next 10-20 years
or so because of this ecosystem.”
Looking ahead Kuusi also sees Helsinki and the event growing synonymous
with one another, much in the same way
that Cannes is linked to its movie festival,
Austin and SXSW go hand-in-hand and
“I THINK OF
MYSELF AS A
PERSON WHO
LIKES TO SEE
SOMETHING
COME OUT OF
NOTHING.”
the mention of Milan immediately evokes
images of its design week.
“Our dream is that in 20 years from
now we can say Helsinki has Slush; it is one
of these kinds of cities, but in the tech and
start-up scene. However, it’s not about a
single event, but about a bigger movement;
that’s the journey Slush is on.”
And what part will Kuusi play in all
of this?
“We’ll see. Slush was one journey that
I’ve been a part of for four years. I will still
be a part of it in future, but in a different
role. I like starting new things; I’m really
excited to get my hands in the dirt again. I
think of myself as a person who likes to see
something come out of nothing.” n
TEKES VIEWS MAGAZINE 2015
9
10 young and innovative
TEXT: DAVID J. CORD PHOTOS: MARKUS SOMMERS
“OUR SUPPLY
NETWORK NOW
SERVES CLOSE TO
250 AIRPORTS IN 37
COUNTRIES ON 6
CONTINENTS. THIS
IS A VERY GOOD
START.”
“Tekes has helped us to better clarify and
formulate our strategy and business,” says
Cabforce CEO Andreas Hansson.
10
TEKES VIEWS MAGAZINE 2015
I
f there is one universal challenge for business
travellers, this is it. You get to a new city and
discover that the queue for a taxi is as long
as the Nile. You go back in the terminal to
hire an executive car, but the driver charges
twice what you expected. All of this can now
be avoided thanks to the innovative start-up
Cabforce.
Cabforce allows travellers to find and book taxis,
executive cars and minibuses online. Customers pay
a flat rate, so there are no surprise charges in the bill.
Since everything is pre-booked there are no last minute hassles when someone arrives at their destination.
Evolution
The founders of Cabforce were frequent business
travellers and were all too familiar with its trials and
tribulations. The ultimate vision of reducing the
stress and trouble of travel has been there since the
beginning, but at first they had a different idea how
to do it.
“Originally we thought to improve the dispatch system and location awareness of the local
taxi companies,” says Tommi Holmgren, Cabforce’s
chief product officer. “However, quite early the focus
switched to solving the problem of finding reliable
and safe service everywhere in the world.”
Cabforce finds
success by making
travel easier
The Finnish company Cabforce is improving the way people
travel. With their pre-booked taxi service they have removed
one of the biggest headaches of travelling.
TEKES VIEWS MAGAZINE 2015
11
“QUITE EARLY
THE FOCUS
SWITCHED
TO SOLVING
THE PROBLEM
OF FINDING
RELIABLE AND
SAFE SERVICE
EVERYWHERE
IN THE WORLD.”
“Our business model is based on
distribution partnerships within travel,”
explains Holmgren. “It means our rides
need to be available in every place where
other trip components such as flights and
hotels are booked. We are now successfully
integrated into both the Travelport and
Amadeus travel agency tools, as well as
Amadeus e-Travel Management, which
is a corporate travel booking tool. These
platforms are driving our growth at the
moment and are really fundamental enablers for us.”
Impressive growth
They also wanted the user experience
to be the same regardless of the location.
This was difficult because of different
customs around the world, but the company has succeeded. One example is that
Cabforce is like McDonald’s in that you
always know what you will get no matter
where you are.
“I’m not a huge fan of fast food, so I
don’t know if I really like the comparison,”
laughs Holmgren. “But it definitely tells
me something about what we set out to
accomplish.”
Key partnerships
Independent travellers can go to the Cabforce website or download the mobile app.
You simply enter where you will be, when
you are arriving and where you need to go
while the service shows you the options
and prices available.
“The app is one way for people to
book taxis and they can also do it online
at our website,” says Holmgren. “Increasingly, they can do it at their travel agent for
corporate travel or directly from an airline
website when they book flights or hotels at
the same time.”
Yet Cabforce has primarily focussed
their attention on key partnerships with
others in the industry, and this has driven
their growth.
12
TEKES VIEWS MAGAZINE 2015
Cabforce first launched in January 2012
with services in only eight European cities.
Now they are available everywhere from
Lima, Peru to Yekaterinburg, Russia.
“I’m quite impressed and proud of the
whole Cabforce team,” says CEO Andreas
Hansson. “Our supply network now serves
close to 250 airports in 37 countries on 6
continents. This is a very good start.”
Holmgren points out that their company has the advantage of being in the first
wave of new transfer aggregators. They also
have strong in-house technology with no
legacy solutions which slow down innovations in the travel industry.
“We’ve been said to be ‘a breath of
fresh air’ in the industry,” he says. “So that’s
definitely an advantage over the old players
in the airport transfer business. We are
in favour of open APIs and transparent
pricing, which is something new in a fairly
traditional industry.”
Working with Tekes
Cabforce has worked with Tekes for several
years, including receiving seed funding and
being part of the Tekes Young Innovative
Company programme.
“In our case it has been a pleasure
from the start working with Tekes representatives who understand our vision and
have been supportive all the way,” says
Hansson. “Tekes has helped us to better
clarify and formulate our strategy and
business. Tekes has been quite important,
especially during the first three years of
operations. Tekes’ grants and loans, in
combination with private investments,
have made this initiative possible.”
Besides the support offered by Tekes,
Hansson also praises another benefit of
working in Finland: the workforce.
“We currently have 16 full-time
employees in the core team, of which about
half are working on the product,” he says.
“Here in Finland we have excellent quality
of staff and a built-in mind-set of having to
go international from the start.”
Future of travel
Cabforce has expanded globally in just
three years, but they see many more
opportunities available for them in the
trillion-dollar travel industry.
“We earn every time someone books
a ride, so we are a transactional machine.
That will remain as the core business
model but there are some additional ideas
that could add some extra revenue streams
in the future,” says Holmgren. “But they are
still on the drawing board!”
Hansson explains that they already
have a plan in place for their future expansion.
“We will build on our position as
aggregator and ground transportation
booking platform in the travel industry,”
he says. “This means further building both
distribution and supply partnerships, and
at the same time further integrating our
booking platform to the travel technologies
used by the major intermediaries in travel.”
“I’d like to encourage all the readers to
give us a try,” concludes Holmgren. “And
if you cared to read all the way to the end,
here’s the reward: use promo code TEKESVIEWS to get 10 per cent off the ride when
you make the booking at www.cabforce.
com before the end of April 2015!” n
“IN FINLAND WE
HAVE EXCELLENT
QUALITY OF STAFF
AND A BUILT-IN
MIND-SET OF
HAVING TO GO
INTERNATIONAL
FROM THE START.”
“We’ve been said to be ‘a breath of
fresh air’ in the industry,” says Tommi
Holmgren.
TEKES VIEWS MAGAZINE 2015
13
14 column
Marjo Ilmari
CHAMPIONS
2014
The author is a director at Tekes
in the Start-up companies unit
Building blocks
for growth
14
TEKES VIEWS MAGAZINE 2015
PHOTO: EEVA ANUNDI
T
he Tekes Young Innovative Company programme has been an active funding mechanism for the past six-and-half years. During this
time the Finnish start-up community has developed from a small,
energetic circle into a vibrant community that engages an increasing number of talented people with creative business ideas.
We have seen extraordinary success stories like that of Supercell, as
well as the development of northern Europe’s largest investor and startup event, Slush. One can now honestly state that Finland has become the
start-up hub of the north.
Tekes plays a significant role in helping promising start-ups take their
first steps into global markets. With our funding start-ups can research
potential markets, and leading companies ready for rapid growth can be
chosen for the Young Innovative Company (YIC) funding programme.
So far 255 companies have been part of the YIC programme. The
funding is granted in stages and in order to move to the next phase, each
company has to meet the goals set in the beginning of the project. The YIC
Champions have gone through all stages of funding and they have been
granted 1 million euros in total for their international business development.
Last year, we funded a total of 660 start-up companies and 55 new
promising start-ups were chosen to the YIC programme. Most companies
come from the software sector, however new brilliant businesses also are
emerging in other areas including cleantech, life sciences and health technologies.
Furthermore, an increasing number of international investors discover
promising investment targets when researching our country. According to
statistics from the Finnish Venture Capital Association, 2014 was the busiest year in the history of the sector. n
start-up champions 15
Young Innovative
Companies
Tekes offers funding for Finnish start-up companies for comprehensive
development of their business activities. The Young Innovative Company
funding is intended to substantially accelerate the global growth of the
most promising small companies.
Companies which complete the funding programme will get a YIC Champion title. In
2014, there were 17 new YIC Champions. Read more: www.tekes.fi/yic
Newicon | Newicon is a provider of automated
medical solutions. They create medical robots
and automated storage systems for medicines.
Safera | Vantaa-based Safera has created
an innovative safety hood for stoves. In the
case of a fire, their product can cut the power,
extinguish the fire and sound an alarm.
Bitbar Technologies | Bitbar provides highperformance mobile software development
and testing solutions based on open standards.
Testdroid for Android is their main product.
LeadDesk | LeadDesk creates software for call
centre, inside sales and telemarketing operations.
They handle over 1.5 million calls and 75,000
orders weekly.
Thinglink | Thinglink creates interactive
images and videos. They allow clients to imbed
video, text, images, music or even shopping
channels inside traditional media.
Cabforce | Finding a taxi in a strange city can
be difficult, but Cabforce provides pre-booking
for taxis, minibuses and executive cars. Cabforce
services are available on six continents.
Optogear | Optogear offers innovative
solutions for the Photonics industry.
They provide equipment for optical fibre
manufacturing and research for telecom and
specialty applications.
Transfluent | Companies want to engage with
their customers around the globe, and thanks to
Transfluent they can quickly get everything from
tweets to mobile apps translated into over 100
languages.
Dream Broker | Dream Broker specialises in
online video software. They help companies
create, edit and share online videos so their
employees can communicate, collaborate and
learn.
Paytrail | Shopping online is made easier by
Paytrail, a leading payment provider in northern
Europe. They cover traditional methods such
as credit cards as well as a new online process.
Sold to NETS.
Uplause | When someone goes to the big
game they can now directly interact with
stadium screens. Uplause allows spectators
to play games together using noise, silence or
motion.
XMLdation | XMLdation is the leading provider
for XML testing and simulation services for the
financial industry. They help clients identify
and solve challenges with XML-based financial
transactions.
Powerkiss | Charging mobile devices can
be a chore, but Powermat helps to wirelessly
recharge your device. It uses a ring plugged into
a device and placed on a charging mat. Sold to
Powermat.
Valoya | Valoya creates LED-based energy
efficient greenhouse lights. With lower energy
requirements and maintenance needs, their
systems are in high demand from horticulturists.
Grand Cru | Founded by six Finnish game industry
veterans, Grand Cru’s first game is Supernauts.
It is a social building game which hit a million
downloads in just six days.
RapidBlue Solutions | The leading European
shopper analytics provider RapidBlue uses sensors
to collect anonymous information about shopper
behaviour inside retail stores.
VividWorks | If you want to know how that new
couch will look in your home, VividWorks can help.
They provide an online 3D platform to visualise
interiors and design plans.
TEKES VIEWS MAGAZINE 2015
15
16 industrial internet
TEXT: DAVID J. CORD PHOTOS: MARKUS SOMMERS
“YESTERDAY’S
WAY WAS
PREVENTIVE
MAINTENANCE.
NOW SENSORS
CAN SEE HOW
PARTS ARE
WEARING OUT
AND WE CAN
SCHEDULE
MAINTENANCE
TO MINIMISE
DOWNTIME.”
Juha Pankakoski of Konecranes says
that anyone can provide quality
equipment, but digitalisation
requires reliable information as well.
16
TEKES VIEWS MAGAZINE 2015
DIGITAL
DISRUPTION
Digitalisation is changing old business models.
Finnish firms are ready to take advantage.
I
t is a gigantic yellow machine. At
over 100 metres tall and 200 metres
wide it could straddle many football
stadiums. It hums as it lifts steel
container boxes at a bustling port. Yet
this is not some big, dumb, lumbering
machine. This crane is a smart device
in an enormous smart network. Born out of
the green high-tech heartland of Finland, this
crane is an example of Finnish innovation in
the Industrial Internet.
“We are an industrial equipment manufacturer who creates physical products surrounded
by a digital cloud,” says Juha Pankakoski, Chief
Digital Officer of Konecranes. “These machines
interact with and sense their environment.”
Konecranes is in the heavy lifting business. From ports to factories they help to move
the massive objects so necessary for global
trade and industry. Decades ago they may have
simply sold a crane and then followed up with
scheduled maintenance, but that isn’t how
industry works today.
“Back then the equipment was a black
box, and we were not connected to how it was
operated,” Pankakoski continues. “Now the
equipment has sensors and is embedded into
the internet. The crane can recognise the user
and his authority. It knows its own condition
and if it is safe to operate. It can advise the
user and give information on how it should be
managed.”
Great potential
The Internet of Things technologies provide
the interconnection of unique devices within
the internet. Each device can be fitted with a
variety of instruments which monitor its operation, condition and location.
TEKES VIEWS MAGAZINE 2015
17
“The objectives of the programme
are the renewal and growth of international business by means of the Industrial
Internet,” explains Penttinen. “We want
the growing amounts of Big Data to be
utilised by business. By itself Big Data
is nothing. Meaningful information is
what is important. We will also open new,
multidisciplinary networks and encourage
creative cooperation between ICT and
other industry clusters.”
“DIGITALISATION IS
DISRUPTING THE
OLD BUSINESS
MODELS. ANYONE
CAN PROVIDE
RELIABLE AND
QUALITY EQUIPMENT,
BUT RELIABLE
INFORMATION SETS
US APART.”
The benefits of such connectedness
depend upon the context, but can include
higher productivity, lower maintenance
costs, improved safety and a longer lifespan
of the equipment. Resulting benefits can be
huge, with higher profits for companies and
lower costs for customers. Results are measurable now and will improve over time.
Finland is uniquely placed to drive
the global development of the Industrial
Internet, thanks to its global high-tech
industrial expertise and the active promotion of public organisations and private
companies.
“This is how the world is developing,”
continues Pankakoski. “Digitalisation
is disrupting the old business models.
Anyone can provide reliable and quality
equipment, but reliable information sets us
apart. Customers who use this will have a
clear advantage.”
The future is now
This disruption is not the prediction of
starry-eyed futurists; it is happening now.
Pankakoski gives a concrete example how
the Industrial Internet is changing and
improving business.
“Yesterday’s way was preventive maintenance,” he explains. “Now sensors can
see how parts are wearing out. We know
when we need to order new parts and we
can schedule maintenance to minimise
downtime.”
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Industry Hack
Kari Penttinen, Programme Manager
at Tekes, says that there are a multitude
of factors which are helping to propel the
phenomenon forward.
“The drivers behind the Industrial
Internet are: increased computing power, especially in embedded devices; increased network speed; the availability of small, durable
and accurate sensors; and the considerably
lower cost of all these factors,” he says.
Enter Tekes
“We need a network of technology provider SME companies to derive the full
potential of the Industrial Internet,” continues Pankakoski. “Luckily we have excellent
knowledge and know-how in Finland.”
This is exactly where Tekes comes in.
Industrial Internet – Business Revolution
is a new programme which is set to run
for five years. The programme works in
conjunction with the EU’s ECSEL Joint
Undertaking, Horizon 2020 and Eureka
ITEA3 programmes.
“We are not looking for incremental
improvements in the ways business is conducted,” says Penttinen. “We want the partners in the program to take risks and think
big. We have the funding for risky projects
aiming at substantial business renewal.”
Project targets should renew the way
of doing business and have significant international growth potential and cross-industry collaboration.
One way they are helping such cooperation are the Industry Hack events, a way
established industries can get ideas from
start-ups. The plan is for industrial giants
to open their doors and encourage experimentation. Konecranes was the host of the
first event.
“Often, when there is a specific
challenge companies reach out to potential partners to fix that problem,” explains
Pankakoski. “With Industry Hack we
instead open up the environment and see
what they come up with. When we have a
good idea we develop it to the next level in
a more structured manner.”
Penttinen points out that Finland
already has great technology but the key
is to utilise it. This project to develop the
Industrial Internet is not simple R&D, and
a whole network exists to bring these innovations to market. To help SME companies
go international he cites Finpro’s Export
Finland, which is eager to assist in relevant
Industrial Internet projects.
Finland in the future
Finland already has a number of significant
players in the Industrial Internet which
compete in industries from power grids to
health care, industrial processes to logistics. Yet there is enormous potential to take
advantage of this burgeoning field.
“We are doing something else besides
providing funding,” Penttinen concludes.
“We want to help companies grow into an
international business. We don’t want some
company to just go to a trade show once a
year. We want them to go big internationally. We want them to positively and directly
impact the life of the customer.” n
3
new Tekes digitalisation
programmes
Bits of Health
5thGear
Industrial Internet
Bits of Health is a programme to reinforce Finnish expertise in digital health.
It is primarily intended for internationally-oriented companies that utilise
digitalisation and develop products and
services in the health field. These can include health promotion, health monitoring, diagnostics and personalised care.
Healthcare is becoming more oriented towards prevention, decentralisation and personalisation, while innovations in digital technologies are creating
opportunities for major advances.
The programme provides services
for the development of a business network-based ecosystem, comprehending
consumer behaviour, and increasing the
understanding of business and clients. It
offers funding for research and development and innovation projects. Participants are encouraged to think globally
and run pilot programs in the early development phase in real user environments.
Tekes’ long-term strategy to
commercially utilise the current era
of digitalisation has resulted in Bits of
Health and two more new programmes.
Bits of Health has a budget of about EUR
100 million – of which Tekes funds will
constitute half – and is set to run from
2014-2018.
5G is the future of mobile communications. In this new era Tekes’ 5thGear
programme will help Finland to be the
innovation leader in digitalisation and to
attract international investments by the
excellence in our wireless communications.
The programme plans to solve challenges related to the next generation of
wireless data communications. It aims to
make Finland a hotspot for piloting and
demonstrating these new technologies
while leveraging collaboration between
Finnish and international players. There
is enormous potential because the fruits
of 5G research can also enable innovations beyond telecommunications.
5thGear is for companies and
research groups who create faster,
safer and more reliable connections for
consumers and companies as well as
enable technologies for other industries.
Some examples include millimetre wave
technologies, software-defined networks
and the management of heterogeneous
network solutions.
The five year programme started in
early 2015 and has a planned budget of
about EUR 100 million. Tekes funding will
make up about half of the total.
Industrial Internet – Business Revolution
promotes business applications in the Industrial Internet. The programme seeks
to help Finnish companies grow and
profit from the digitalisation of industry.
Improvements in sensors, embedded devices, Big Data analysis and communication networks have revolutionised
industry. Finnish expertise in these areas
offers many opportunities for small companies to thrive in international markets.
Tekes hopes to find primarily SMEs
which focus on renewing business processes with the Industrial Internet and
which have considerable global potential.
The programme encourages collaboration
across industries as well as pilot projects
with active industrial participation. Possible business sectors include asset and
fleet management, heavy industry, retail
and logistics, smart buildings, infrastructure and even health care.
The Industrial Internet – Business
Revolution programme lasts from 2014
to 2019. Tekes plans to contribute half of
the estimated EUR 100 million funding.
www.tekes.fi/bitsofhealth
www.tekes.fi/5thgear
www.tekes.fi/ii
TEKES VIEWS MAGAZINE 2015
19
20 digital solutions
FROM FINLAND
SOLUTIONS
DIGITAL
TEXT: DAVID J. CORD PHOTOS: ENEVO, BEDDIT, THINGSEE ONE
Tweeting dumpsters
showcase smart logistics
How do garbage collectors know
when it is time to go and empty dumpsters? In the past, it was mostly educated
guesswork. It was not uncommon for
trash collectors to arrive late to overflowing dumpsters or waste their time
emptying half-full ones. Now Enevo has a
solution.
Enevo ONe is a comprehensive logistics system that uses sensors to measure
how much waste is in a container and
forecasts when it will need to be emptied.
To top it all off, Enevo collects all this
information from the rubbish bins and
automatically generates schedules and
optimised routes for garbage trucks.
The highly-sophisticated system
takes into account a wide range of parameters for its schedules and routes. The
availability of trucks, traffic information
and road construction are all taken into
consideration. The company says that
their solution provides up to 50 per cent
in direct cost savings. The wear-and-tear
on vehicles and roads are reduced, fuel
use and emissions are lowered, labour
costs go down and there is even less noise
pollution.
If you’re curious to see how it all
works, Enevo has even enabled some
dumpsters to tweet their status and forecast at @trashcanlife. n
Catch your zzz’s
with a revolutionary sleep sensor
Beddit has created an innovative sleep
monitor to track and analyse sleep patterns. Unlike other systems there are no
wearable sensors: the system uses a thin
strip which fits underneath the bed sheet.
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TEKES VIEWS MAGAZINE 2015
The system records heartbeats, respiration and movements of the sleeper. If
the person wakes up and leaves the bed
the sensor recognises it. It can even tell
the difference between the user snoring
and a partner snoring.
Besides providing all this information,
Beddit also helps people to get a better
sleep. The system can give recommendations to improve sleep as well as wake the
sleeper up at an optimal time. The smart
alarm is timed to go when the sleeper is
in a light sleep cycle, up to thirty minutes
before the deadline alarm time. n
Keeping the
selection while
minimising
waste
The manager of the produce department of a grocery store has a tough job.
On the one hand, she wants to have a
large selection of fruits and vegetables
available at all times. On the other hand,
she has to worry about them going bad
before they can be sold. Relex Solutions
has the answer. They say that through
their help their clients have seen spoilage
cut by 40 per cent and on-shelf availability boosted above 98 per cent.
They do this via supply chain optimisation. Clients use Relex’s systems to
manage supplier offers and purchasing
rules. They can provide improved forecasting and automated replenishment to
reduce the time managers spend ordering.
Relex has developed proprietary software to store and analyse Big Data. Their
solution allows Big Data calculations as
much as 100 times faster than competing
systems while data input performance is
several thousand times better. n
Smart device
democratises
the Internet of
Things
Thingsee One is the world’s first smart
developer device. It can alert you when
the mailman opens the mail box. It can
measure and send car telemetry, or even
track a balloon’s flight. It is remarkably
adaptable, and its uses are only limited by
your imagination.
Thingsee’s creation is a novel approach to the Internet of Things, or the
interconnection of uniquely identifiable
computing devices. Their idea is to provide a product and service easy enough
for beginners to use as well as versatile
enough for entrepreneurs.
Energy grids
become
smart
grids
Industrial processess and
networks become ever more
complex and generate ever
more data. Managing these systems is becoming increasingly
difficult but the Oulu-based
company Cyberlightning has
developed an efficient solution.
Sensors collect data from
numerous measurement points,
and Cyberlightning allows their
clients to both analyse and display that information in concise,
easy-to-understand formats.
Currently Cyberlightning’s
main customers are in the energy sector where they specialise
in smart grids. Heating and
electricity grids as well as power generation are their present
focus. However, their technology can also be used for example
in traffic, infrastructure and
health care applications. n
The device contains a GPS locator,
gyroscope and magnetometer. Sensors detect
light, pressure, temperature and humidity. It
wirelessly transmits all of the information
it collects. Besides the device, Thingsee
also provides the backend data and
the frontend application.
The entire concept is to
democratise the Internet of
Things. Small businesses can
create their own offerings by
using Thingsee’s products
and services without having
to invest heavily in hardware
research and development.
Those interested in embedded software development
can work on the software in
an open-source environment.
Thingsee ran a successful crowd-funded campaign
on Kickstarter at the end of
2014. n
Merging
CAD and 3D
printing for a
new service
Computer Aided Design (CAD)
changed how things are designed and
3D printing changed how they are
made. Hetitec has combined the two
for a revolutionary service.
Hetitec is a specialist in on-demand 3D printing of sand parts. The
technology is still new and applications
are constantly being discovered, but
Hetitec primarily helps to manufacture
complicated moulds and cores for
metal foundries.
The mould is 3D printed directly
from CAD data, so the company avoids
the elaborate mould set-up process.
The process is faster and less expensive than traditional methods.
If the designer wants to try several
variations, it is simple to change the
data and manufacture different versions. Since it is all stored digitally, companies don’t even need to worry about
storing the old physical models. n
PHOTO: SUSANNA LEHTO
22 column
Auli Pere
The author is the programme manager in charge of
Tekes Bits of Health Programme
Digital health hub
of the north
D
igitalisation has already changed
our life in numerous ways and
is set to influence it further in
future – especially in healthcare. Mobile
solutions will bring healthcare practically
everywhere and hopefully we will be able
to shift the focus from disease treatment
towards prevention and health promotion.
Healthcare is facing huge challenges
all over the world. Western countries
should be able to renew healthcare
processes in order to take care of the
aging population. Developing countries
are faced with challenges to deliver
healthcare services to their growing
populations. Clever use of digital services
could play a crucial role in solving such
problems.
A sizeable increase in the amounts of
data and the ability to swiftly transform it
into usable information will transform diagnostics and treatment practices. We can
already analyse our health with various
devices and even buy diagnostics online.
Yet we are far from an ideal situation, in
which a patient could be monitored at the
hospital without being tied to wires and
cables, or being able to wear a monitoring device comfortably and unnoticed.
We haven’t yet found effective ways to
help individuals at risk to change their
behaviour for the benefit of their health.
Finnish companies are well positioned for developing successful digital
health business. There is strong expertise
in medical research and ICT in Finland,
especially mobile technologies. The
recent biobank law and excellent health
registries give good grounds for utilising
the huge Finnish sample collections and
related data in a reliable way.
The Finnish health technology sector
continues to grow steadily, even during
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the latest recession. In fact, health technology is currently our largest high-tech
export sector, covering 47 per cent of the
Finnish high-tech exports. We also have
a very active community of digital health
start-ups.
These strengths have also been noticed outside of the country: GE Healthcare has selected Finland as the location
for their hub of digital health expertise.
The company has also established a
Health Innovation Village for start-ups in
Helsinki. Meanwhile, Samsung, together
with local companies and municipalities,
is investing in a new health technology
accelerator Vertical in Finland.
As part of the Team Finland network,
Tekes helps Finnish and international
organisations to commence innovation
collaboration and business partnering. The
new national Health Sector Growth Strategy for Research and Innovation, developed
in co-operation between different Finnish
ministries and innovation organisations, is
an excellent starting point.
The newly launched Bits of Health
Programme is Tekes’ first major initiative
to implement the national strategy. Tekes
is prepared to invest 50 million euros in
this four-year programme, bringing the
total amount of investment to 100 million
euros. It is now important to combine
various expertise in novel ways to create
something radically new; something
that has the potential to change health
and wellbeing as much as mobile phones
changed our everyday lives a few decades
ago.
It is time to join forces to
get a move on! n
research 23
TEXT: TIM BIRD PHOTOS: MARKUS SOMMERS
CELEBRATING
CELLULOSE
Is cellulose the next “super material”? In the opinion of Pirjo
Kääriäinen, a Designer in Residence at Aalto University’s
School of Arts, Design and Architecture, it could well be.
T
he demand for more sustainable materials and processes for a wide range of applications is the driver behind a joint project at Helsinki’s Aalto University, VTT Technical Research Center and Tampere University of Technology called the “Design
Driven World of Cellulose”.
The trans-disciplinary project unites designers, chemistry technicians and business in an
attempt to explore the ways that cellulose – that is, wood pulp from the forestry industry and
other biomass – can be produced and used more quickly, sustainably and cost-effectively.
TEKES VIEWS MAGAZINE 2015
23
“Materials sourced from cellulose
can be recyclable, biodegradable,
strong, light or heavy,” Pirjo
Kääriäinen explains.
“There have been many projects running in the field of paper and pulp, which
remains an important industry in Finland,
but what we wanted to do here was something new,” Pirjo Kääriäinen says.
“We are trying to figure out what else
can be done with pulp apart from traditional pulp or traditional business.”
As Kääriäinen points out, textile fibres
like viscose or rayon have been made from
regenerated cellulose for more than 100
years, but the processes involved no longer
meet the desired levels of sustainability.
“The textile and fashion business is huge
and global, perhaps the fourth or fifth biggest
in the world, and there are so many issues
related to ethics, sustainability, ecology and
so on, as well as waste. Many materials can be
recycled into wonderful fibres.”
There is a demand for shorter production processes, too. “There can be 26
phases in the production of a man’s shirt,
for example, and we need to find ways of
reducing the production chain. VTT has
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developed technology for producing yarn
directly from pulp, but processes still need
further development. Cellulose textiles for
clothing could help replace the environmentally destructive production of cotton,”
she adds.
Endless flexibility
New materials sourced from cellulose are
extraordinarily versatile and flexible. They
can be recyclable, biodegradable, strong,
light or heavy, and the potential for possible
end products, says Kääriäinen is endless.
“A whole range of items, from gardening items to construction and interior
elements which might have previously
been made using oil-based plastics could
be made with cellulose. For example, we’re
looking at making yarns using new methods, at how to dye pulp, at making cellulose
foam for acoustic panelling.”
3D printing using cellulose material
is another option being explored by the
project. Kääriäinen explains how a 3D
printer might be able to produce a custom-sized cast for a broken limb. If similar
materials could be made conductive they
might be used to produce health-tracking
devices, too, she believes.
“The main challenge is achieving scalability, not in commercializing cellulose,”
she concludes.
Growth potential
“Design Driven World of Cellulose ” is one
of a number of strategic research openings
funded by Tekes.
“One of the great things about our
project is that no companies are expecting
quick results,” explains Pirjo Kääriäinen,
whose background is in textiles and whose
residence at Aalto is in the CHEMARTS
section of the Department of Design.
“At the same time, the multidisciplinary cooperation is at the core of what
we’re doing. It’s not always easy but it is
very rewarding to cooperate between
different disciplines, and for us it’s been
working very well.”
Kääriäinen stresses the need for long
term planning and development, although
she expects the coming years to yield
tangible results, especially as seeds for new
business concepts, which in turn can be
realized in small and medium enterprises
(SMEs) with growth potential. Interest in
industry has been strong, especially since
larger companies understand the need
to meet consumer expectations for more
sustainable products and processes.
“We have been able to start on a small
scale, not thinking whether business would
result in two years or five years, but trying
to keep everything very open and looking
at the ways in which we could collaborate.”
Major Finnish pulp and paper industry and design companies, including UPM,
Stora Enso, Metsä Group, Suominen and
Woodnotes, take an interest at advisory
board level. A representative from Finatex,
the Federation of Finnish Textile and
Clothing Industries, is also on the board.
“As a designer I am really happy to
see that there are so many possibilities. We
have got people inspired from different
disciplines and we have to work to create
business - that is the next step.” n
“WE HAVE GOT
PEOPLE INSPIRED
FROM DIFFERENT
DISCIPLINES AND WE
HAVE TO WORK TO
CREATE BUSINESS
- THAT IS THE NEXT
STEP.”
TEKES VIEWS MAGAZINE 2015
25
26 future watch
IMAGES: ISTOCKPHOTO
What makes us
buy and why?
Feelings and motivations direct the purchase
decisions we make every day. Sometimes
they are conscious calculations, in other cases
unconscious – though just as powerful in
influencing why we might choose one product
over another.
“L
ife has become a complex
combination of choices and
options. We may act differently at home than at work.
We may want things for our children that
we don’t splurge on for ourselves,” says
Soren Kaplan, Managing Director at InnovationPoint in San Fransisco, USA.
Through extensive research and close
collaboration with Team Finland Future
Watch service in Silicon Valley and Tekes,
Kaplan and his team identified eight
primary roles that consumers play as they
interact with companies, products, and services. The results are presented in an report
“What makes us buy and why? The future of
consumer’s roles and motivations.”
“At certain times we may let one role
drive our behavior over others. At other
times and in other contexts, we might
assume a different role. We might also take
on two or more roles at the same time,”
Kaplan explains.
The motivations that lead us to choose
to do business with one company over another are influenced by our backgrounds,
social context, and culture. Just like each
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Make
it easy and
intuititive for
me.
1. Impulse Followers
consumer
roles and
what makes
them tick
Follow the most convenient path,
including buying and engaging
when it’s fast and easy.
Give me
the best value
at the best
price.
of us possesses unique DNA, so do we
possess unique life experiences that impact
what we think, feel, and do.
Most companies provide products or
services that focus on delivering specific features and benefits. Without an
understanding of the deeper motivations
that drive consumer behavior, it becomes
much harder to create differentiation in a
crowded market. n
2. Value Chasers
Look for the greatest value,
usually with cost in mind.
Protect
me from the
uncertain
world.
Life is
about ‘doing’
rather than
‘having’.
I vote with
my time and
pocket book.
5. Fear Fixers
6. Experiential Engagers
7. Meaning Makers
Do what it takes to minimize
risk, reduce the potential for
problems, and address fears
about the future.
Enjoy participating in unique
experiences and place value
in intangible services over
tangible products.
Tries to find meaning in most
everything they do, including
the causes, companies, and
products they support.
Let me
share myself in
unique ways.
I get my
sense of self
from the
brand.
4. Brand Lovers
Gravitate to specific
brands and aspire to
the images and values
they represent.
It’s all
about the
path of least
resistance.
3. Simplicity Seekers
Seek solutions that
reduce complexity and
make things easier.
8. Expressive Creatives
Look for ways to express
themselves to release
creativity and gain a
personal sense of creative
accomplishment.
Team Finland Future
Watch – views for
business development
Read “What makes us
buy and why?” report.
Team Finland Future Watch service gives
companies access to information about
changes in global business opportunities
in the next 2 - 5 years.
www.tekes.fi/futurewatch
TEKES VIEWS MAGAZINE 2015
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28 learning
TEXT: JAMES O’SULLIVAN PHOTOS: MARKUS SOMMERS
“WHILE THE USE
OF INNOVATIVE
TECHNOLOGY
CERTAINLY PROVIDES
A NOVEL APPROACH
TO THE LEARNING
PROCESS, ITS
PRESENCE IS
FIRMLY ROOTED
IN PEDAGOGIC
RESEARCH AND
KNOWHOW.”
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Education
at play
The Playful Learning Centre is at the
forefront of innovative education.
W
hat if the classroom no
longer consisted of stiffbacked chairs all facing
a teacher? Imagine if
learning could be fun, incorporating digital
tools that have become such a significant
part of modern life.
“Education today is in a paradigm
shift,” explains Olavi Mertanen, project
manager of the Playful Learning Center,
located in the Department of Teacher
Education at the University of Helsinki.
“The amount of money used for education
in many countries is growing faster than
their GDP, yet the learning outcome is
not following the amount of money spent.
There is a great demand to find new solutions to this problem.”
Since opening in September last year,
the Tekes-funded project has been making
swift inroads towards this goal, drawing on
the university’s ideals of education research
and design and teacher education. The
focal point of the centre is the Rovio Fun
Learning Research Lab, continuing the
collaborative efforts between the University
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30 column
Tim Walker
Tim Walker is an American teacher working in a Finnish
school in Helsinki. In his blog “Taught by Finland”, he
shares observations and insight about his work. The
article was adapted from his earlier piece on The Atlantic’s
website: “Finnish Schools Are on the Move—and
America’s Need to Catch Up.”
Finnish Schools
on the Move
It’s
just past noon on a
mid-December school
day, and I wander outside
during a 15-minute recess. Now that
my school Ressun peruskoulu—a
bilingual “comprehensive” (grades one
to nine) school in downtown Helsinki with nearly 400 students—has
launched the “Finnish Schools on the
Move” campaign, I wonder if anything has changed about my students’
behavior. Will I see fewer kids slothing
around the playground?
In neon-yellow vests, two of my
sixth graders—Emmi and Marianne—
are facilitating a popular game known
as “Banana Tag.” (The names used for
the students cited in this article are
pseudonyms.) Around them, about a
dozen younger children are dashing
back and forth.
Emmi and Marianne are “recess
activators,” meaning they’ve been
trained to work with their younger
peers, especially first and second graders, once a week. A few minutes before
I arrived, the two girls had huddled
up with these 7- and 8-year-olds and
decided on a game to play.
I walk up to Emmi during the
middle of her game, and as the youngsters cheerfully zigzag to avoid us, I
ask her whether the little kids are more
active during recess now that she’s
leading games. She gives me one of
those looks kids give when adults ask
them a question that has an obvious
answer. With her eyebrows raised, she
nods vigorously—a cue that I should
jump out of their way.
Eventually it became clear that
what I observed that day with Emmi
and Marianne was a daily routine.
Every day at noon, several recess
activators engage in similar activities,
dispersing across the blacktopped
playground and recruiting younger
children to join them in active games
like “Banana Tag.”
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At one school in the city of Salo,
sixth graders help out in a different
way by loaning out sports equipment
during their 15-minute breaks. But
activating recess is just one of the
ways that this new program “Finnish
Schools on the Move” is seeking to
boost the physical activity of students.
When my school’s faculty introduced “Finnish Schools on the Move”
last year, the coordinators came up
with various strategies for getting students to be more active during lessons:
offer “energizers” (short breaks from
sitting for students during lessons), allow kids to complete work while standing, and replace conventional chairs
with exercise balls so that students can
bounce and learn simultaneously, for
example.
Between 2010 and 2012, 45
schools in Finland piloted “Finnish
Schools on the Move.” And the results
were hopeful, demonstrating schools
can increase the physical activity of
children as long as they make the
effort. According to a survey conducted after the pilot program, half
of participating elementary school
students and a third of middle school
students reported an increase in physical activity.
Tuija Tammelin—the research
director of LIKES, the foundation that
conducted the study of the pilot program—tells me that she is impressed
with the rapid adoption of “Finnish
Schools on the Move.” In just a couple
of years, the number of participating
“comprehensive” schools has grown
from 45 to nearly 800, which is nearly
a third of all comprehensive schools in
Finland.
And in just a matter of time, who
knows how many more schools—here
in Finland and around the world—will
adopt this innovative program? n
Education
at play
of Helsinki and Rovio Learning in researching and providing training in playful
learning solutions.
A digital presence
Upon entering the lab, one is immediately
struck by the bright colours of the surrounds. The animated design echoes that
of Rovio’s famous export Angry Birds, with
a model tree in one corner of the room
and a wooden mountain undulating along
the face of a wall. The lure of playtime is
immediate.
In stark contrast to all of this, the sad
face of a young girl lingers at the doorway.
Her lesson has just ended. When asked if
it was a fun visit she looks at her shoes and
doesn’t respond.
“Is she missing the centre already?”
asks teacher student Petra Raivonen, busily packing away some building blocks left
strewn on the floor.
With a compassionate smile she and
her fellow student Ada Kukkonen move to
cheer up the youngster.
“We have had children who don’t want
to leave,” notes the Playful Learning Center’s project planner Heidi Sairanen. “They
are upset because they want to continue
doing things here.”
Just a few minutes earlier, the centre
was bursting with the unbridled energy of
around 15 kindergarten children, busying themselves with the likes of playing
dress-up and drawing. However, alongside
such traditional activities, there was also a
considerable digital presence in the room.
Tablets were on hand for playing games
and taking photographs and video, with
the company taking an active role in the
development of playful learning. Meanwhile, a huge screen facilitating Skype
interviews and remote learning was also
available for use during the session.
New teaching concepts emerge with
regularity at the Playful Learning Center. Lessons have incorporated QR bar
codes, and computer programming is not
unheard of. Nonetheless, while the use of
innovative technology certainly provides
a novel approach to the learning process,
its presence is firmly rooted in pedagogic
research and knowhow.
“It is very important that children are
able to produce something by engaging with
different traditional and modern tools and
be active creators of knowledge and understanding, rather than passive,” explains Kristiina Kumpulainen, the scientific director
of the Playful Learning Center. “That is
what we call play-based pedagogy, or playful
Educating
business
growth
The education research and innovations of the Playful Learning Center
are accelerating growth in some of
Finland’s strongest industries.
“By combining our excellent K12 and early
childhood education and our mobile and
gaming industries, Finland could become
the leading country in playful learning
solutions,” Olavi Mertanen explains.
Testament to the fact that the
e-learning business is growing by over
20 per cent annually, the Playful Learning
Playful learning for life
“PLAYFUL
LEARNING
THROUGH NEW
TECHNOLOGY WILL
SOON BE A NEW
SCHOOLBOOK.”
In less than six months of operations the
centre’s impact on the wider educational
landscape has been immediate. Case in
point: a new playful learning childhood
centre for around 200 children is under construction in the Helsinki suburb of Kallio.
Furthermore, this playful approach is
not confined to the little ones. Helsinki’s
neighbouring city of Vantaa has declared
its intent to become a playful learning
city. This extends to higher and vocational
education, as well as libraries, cultural
institutions and science centres.
Kumpulainen has also helped translated the main ideas of the new national
core curriculum into playful learning for
educators, tackling the growing problem
of students’ lack of engagement with their
studies.
“Creativity is so important,” Kumpulainen states. “Our world does not function
any more like we are factories. We are not
only knowledge receivers; we all have to be
producers of something new. We need to
take agency and not be passive.”
The teacher students also share this
initiative.
“I have a feeling that playful learning is going to be a big thing,” enthuses
teacher student Matias Häkkänen, who,
like his peers, volunteers his time to train
at the Playful Learning Center. “I am really
excited that I get to be here and see how it’s
evolving. This is the most innovative thing
I have ever seen.” n
learning, as this centre is about.”
Aside from giving student teachers the
opportunity to hone their playful skills, the
centre also serves as a magnet for researchers, educators and businesses. The observation room adjacent to the lab hosts regular
local and international visitors interested in
developing playful learning solutions, and
the word is spreading fast.
Center recently signed a MoU with Serious Gaming Cluster (SGC) to establish
and strengthen their cooperation and find
ways to develop the industry further.
“The basic idea of serious games is
to use game entertainment for something
useful, like learning,” explains SGC’s
Chairman of the Board Matti Kuha.
“Our collaboration with the Playful Learning Center will bring great value to the
approximately 50 Finnish companies we
represent, as the real science of human
behaviour is connected to actual in-practice game design.”
Information gained from the Playful
Learning Center is shared with the SGC
companies, helping fresh start-ups in
particular with overcoming challenges.
“The future of playful learning games
is more than bright,” Kuha continues.
“Playful learning through new technology
will soon be a new schoolbook – and a
schoolbook needs to fulfil certain peda-
gogical requirements and improvements.
This is what our collaboration with the
Playful Learning Center is all about.”
“We can also be a matchmaker
between the customer—who is here for a
purpose—and game companies who can
present their solutions,” states Mertanen,
who recently introduced a group of visiting educators from Shanghai to a group of
local gaming companies. “This adds value
for Finnish society and industry.”
“We also work with many other
companies who are interested to develop
21st century learning solutions,” Kumpulainen states. “They can also be more
immaterial ideas and concepts: what is
playful learning; what it entails; what it
requires from material space, from teacher behaviour, adult behaviour; and what
kind of models and principals you should
follow. Then we are developing different
products and materials to support such
playful learning activities.” n
TEKES VIEWS MAGAZINE 2015
31
32 learning
TEXT: JAMES O’SULLIVAN PHOTOS: MARKUS SOMMERS
A YOUTHFUL
APPROACH
TO BUSINESS
Sixth-graders create their own
economy at Me & MyCity
Think back to when you
were 12. Would your
career path have been
any different if you were
able to try your hand
back then at working for
an invoicing company,
interior designer or even
Nokia for that matter?
32
TEKES VIEWS MAGAZINE 2015
M
e & MyCity now offers youngsters this opportunity in the
shape of a miniature town.
“The idea is to teach sixth
graders how society functions,” explains
Tomi Alakoski, the founder and Executive
Director of the Me & MyCity concept.
“We teach them about society, economy
and entrepreneurship, showing them in a
practical way. It is learning by doing.”
The concept’s growth has been unprecedented since first emerging in 2010.
Some 70 per cent of Finland’s sixth-graders
will visit one of the eight Me & MyCity
learning environments nationwide during
the 2014–2015 school year.
On the job training
Before their session at Me & MyCity,
students go through a typical job interview process with their teacher and are
trained on topics ranging from “What is
the economy?” to “Taxation”. Then it’s time
to put this newly acquired knowledge into
practise.
Inside Me & MyCity in Espoo, the
budding members of the workforce busy
themselves with the various products
and services of 17 real companies. In one
corner an art gallery director plans an
exhibition; in another a young forestry
worker learns how to operate machinery
via a gaming consul. Over at City Hall, the
mayor conducts a meeting with her project
planner, as various workers schedule
consultations regarding their business
practises.
As in real life, many of the industries
are intertwined, relying on one another to
function. Digital currency flows through
the mini economy. Having applied for a
loan from the bank upon their arrival,
CEOs seek to turn a profit by the end of
the day.
Looking around the miniature city,
what is perhaps most surprising is the diligence displayed by the 70 youngsters. Even
if business is slow, the children remain ‘in
character’.
TEKES VIEWS MAGAZINE 2015
33
LET’S
TALK ABOUT
INNOVATION
TEKES R&D FUNDING IN 2014
Tekes - the Finnish Funding Agency for Innovation is a
government funded expert organisation that finances
R&D and business development in the best Finnish companies and research organisations.
“We have no patients at the moment,
but we have many appointments scheduled
today,” states a young doctor, as he introduces the facilities at his medical clinic
that include an eye chart and equipment to
measure blood pressure with.
“The children are very organised and
focussed,” observes Markku, one of the
teachers from the students’ school. “They
take it very seriously.”
“Students can see in a concrete way
that they are all needed in society,” affirms
Viivi Viitanen, Me & MyCity’s Regional
Coordinator. “If they don’t do their tasks
and responsibilities, this society doesn’t
work.”
Expanding City limits
Plans are also afoot to introduce Me &
MyCity to ninth graders.
“The concept is very versatile,” states
Project Coordinator Essi Lehtovaara. “We
can educate teachers and older students
and also meet companies.”
Introducing the concept to other
countries is also on the economic forecast,
following on from Me & MyCity winning
the prestigious World Innovation Summit
for Education (WISE) competition last
year.
“I believe that it has also changed the
language at home a bit,” states founder
Alakoski. “I have heard many times that
the parents have been quite surprised when
children ask ‘What is your salary?’ or ‘How
much do you get after tax?’ The kids can
learn more than we can ever guess.” n
34
TEKES VIEWS MAGAZINE 2015
Universities
Research centres
€178 M
Large
companies
€136 M
SME’s
€235 M
Start-ups
€123 M
63%
of company funding
for Small and Mediumsized Enterprises
Total 2014
550 M€
(or 620 million USD)
for R&D projects in
companies and research
organisations
by Tekes’
experts
WHAT ARE THE
FOCUS AREAS?
DIGITALISATION
WELLBEING
AND HEALTH
NEW BUSINESS
ECOSYSTEMS
MARKET ACCESS
Companies’ applications
processed in
NATURAL RESOURCES
AND EFFICIENCY
55 DAYS
17 thematic programmes
advance the focus areas of the
Tekes strategy
reasons to
fund innovation
Researchers and innovative companies play
an important role in solving critical global
questions related to environment, energy,
health and an aging population.
A flourishing economy is built on the success
of innovative businesses.
Public funding for innovation accelerates
companies investments in R&D. For every euro
invested by Tekes, companies increase their
own R&D expenditure by 2 euros.
In growth companies funded by Tekes, the
increase of turnover was 24 % units faster than
in other SMEs in 2010–2013. In SMEs funded
by Tekes the annual growth of exports was
1 billion euros.
Over 80 % of Tekes customers state that the
Tekes funding was a significant factor in their
success.
How do the companies
spend our money?
Explore new markets
Study the customer
Build new competence
Develop a product or a service
Enhance global business
What are we looking for
in a company?
Half of the
funding is
focused
thematical
funding.
Half is available
for any excellent
business
R&D projects
suggested by the
companies.
Spirit to grow
Resources to develop
Courage to take risks
Expertise to succeed
A team with a winning attitude
TEKES VIEWS MAGAZINE 2015
35
36 Tekes funding and services
A
B
Tekes in
a nutshell
Funding opportunities
for companies
Tekes - the Finnish Funding Agency for Innovation
offers funding for research and development projects
carried out by companies and research organisations
working in Finland. Tekes is part of the Team Finland
network that brings together public organisations
offering services for growth companies.
Planning for global growth
Renew – Test – Go global - Grow
Tekes financing is available especially to small and
medium-sized companies that are seeking to grow
their business into the global market. Tekes funds
part of the project’s costs and shares risks related to
companies’ development work.
Large, international companies can also benefit
from Tekes funding, when the development work
is carried out in Finland and when it creates value
for the whole business ecosystem. Tekes asks large
companies to collaborate with SMEs and research
organisations.
Networks - Expertise International collaboration
Tekes programmes are an excellent platform to network with other companies and research groups, and
to get the latest knowledge about the developments in
the programme’s field of business and technology.
Internationally, Tekes collaborates with science
and technology funding organisations around the
world and opens regularly joint calls together with
partner organisations.
In Europe, Tekes contributes actively in the developments of the European research and innovation
area. Tekes communicates the European Union’s R&D
programme’s (Horizon 2020) funding opportunities
to Finnish companies and research organisations.
Tekes is also the coordinator of EUREKA activities in
Finland.
36
TEKES VIEWS MAGAZINE 2015
With the help of Tekes funding
young growth companies can
develop their team, increase
understanding of the customer
base, new target markets and new
kinds of business models.
Research projects
Tekes funds companies’ research
projects, which aim to create new
knowledge and competence to
serve as a basis for future business.
Development and piloting
Tekes offers a low-interest loan
for companies to improve or
develop new products, services
and business model. With Tekes
funding companies can also
demonstrate the functionality of
the solution with the customer and
to accelerate commercialisation.
Workplace innovations
Development work can also include
elements that aim to improve
leadership, quality of working life,
productivity and processes.
Young innovative companies
This funding service is provided
only to the most promising young
companies to accelerate their rapid
global growth.
Insight into
global markets
Market Access Program
Finnish SMEs interested in
expanding to the USA, China
or Southeast Asia have the
opportunity to get a full business
plan for target market from
business professionals doing MBA
degree at world’s top universities.
Team Finland Future Watch
Future Watch service gives
companies views of global business
developments in the next 2-5 years.
Funding levels
Tekes funds research and
development projects helping
companies to grow and renew
their business. The funding options
include a low-interest loan and a
grant depending on the nature of
the project. Tekes’ share varies
between 25 – 75 % of the project
costs.
Companies can submit an
application to Tekes at any time.
www.tekes.fi/funding/
companies
Team Finland services
for companies:
http://services.team.finland.fi
!
C
Funding opportunities for
research organisations
Research networked
with companies
This is the most common funding
type for universities, research
institutes and polytechnics. The
funding is targeted to research
projects that create new
competence and solutions for
identified needs of businesses and
industries.
New knowledge and business
from research ideas
In this project type research
organisations develop an idea
further while preparing for the
commercialisation of the idea into
new business.
Strategic research openings
Strategic research openings’
starting point is a bold vision and
a multidisciplinary approach. The
goal is to create new high-level
competences in areas expected to
be important for businesses in the
future.
Funding levels
Finnish universities and research
institutes can apply for project
funding from Tekes, when they
cooperate with companies and
carry out research that will have
an impact in business life. Tekes
funding covers generally 60 % of
the project costs.
Most research organisation’s
projects are connected to Tekes
programmes. Tekes opens
application rounds regularly for
universities and research institutes.
www.tekes.fi/
funding/research
Present
your idea!
1. test
Before applying for funding, please
present your idea at the Test your
idea service on the Tekes website.
The information will be sent using
an encrypted connection and
treated as confidential. We will be
in touch with you within a week
and make a proposal on how to
proceed with your project.
www.tekes.fi/test
2. apply
Companies can submit an
application at any time. For
research organisations Tekes
opens application rounds regularly.
The funding application is done
through Tekes online service and
evaluated internally at Tekes.
www.tekes.fi/online
FiDiPro, the Finland
Distinguished Professor
Programme
FiDiPro Programme provides grants
to projects recruiting internationally
merited scientists to work in a
Finnish university or research
institution. FiDiPro funding is meant
for a long-term cooperation. Finnish
universities and research institutes
may propose FiDiPro Professors
and FiDiPro Fellows from all
disciplines.
TEKES VIEWS MAGAZINE 2015
37
38 Tekes network
Finland
HELSINKI, HEADQUARTERS
Tekes employs approximately 400 experts in Finland
and abroad. Tekes’ headquarters are located in Helsinki.
Part of the personnel work at the regional Centres for
Economic Development, Transport and the Environment
(ELY centres) located around the country. Globally,
Tekes works in close cooperation with the Team Finland
network’s 70 local teams across the world.
WASHINGTON D.C.
PALO ALTO, CA
Tiina Tanninen-Ahonen
Head of Office, Silicon Valley
Tel. +1 (408) 893 8237
[email protected]
Thuong Tan
Manager, Innovation Collaboration
Tel. +1 (408) 464 2988
[email protected]
United States
Tekes is an active partner collaborating with local
start-ups and entrepreneur ecosystem in the areas
of, for example, eHealth and digital solutions.
Tekes is part of Team Finland network and provides
services related with identifying future trends and
new business opportunities. We also collaborate
with local top level universities.
www.tekes.fi/usa
38
TEKES VIEWS MAGAZINE 2015
Jukka Salminiitty
Counselor, Innovation
Tel. +1 (202) 203 8001
[email protected]
Kyllikinportti 2
P.O. Box 69
FI-00101 Helsinki
Tel. +358 29 50 55000
Find Tekes personnel
www.tekes.fi/en/search
Europe
Russia
China
The Brussels office of Tekes monitors,
analyses and provides anticipatory
information about the development of
European research and innovation policy. In
addition, the office brings forth Tekes’ views
to key European bodies and decision-makers
and keeps up a wide contact network of
European research and innovation actors. In
Europe, Tekes is also starting operations in
Germany in cooperation with Finpro.
Tekes promotes cooperation in innovation
between Finnish and Russian companies and
public research organisations, especially in
Saint Petersburg and Moscow area. Tekes
is part of the Team Finland network and
helps companies to detect and understand
innovation signals, business trends and market
changes in Russia and to initiate cooperation
between Russian and Finnish partners.
Tekes has bilateral agreements with key
science and technology administrators
in China. The agreements have created
excellent collaboration in areas such as
ICT, nanotechnology, Cleantech and urban
development.
www.tekes.fi/russia
Virpi Herranen
Head of Tekes Russia
Tel. +7 921 942 1216
[email protected]
Finnish Liaison Office for EU R&D
Brussels, Belgium
Tel.+358 2950 55652
[email protected]
SHANGHAI & HONG KONG
Pavel Cheshev
Tekes’ partner facilitating innovation
cooperation in Russia
Tel. + 7 495 280 0287
[email protected]
TOKYO
In Japan Tekes promotes
research and innovation
co-operation with Japanese
funding agencies and
partners.
India
As part of the Team Finland
Network, Tekes advances research
and innovation collaboration
between Finnish and Indian
organisations and facilitates future
business opportunities for Finnish
companies in India.
www.tekes.fi/india
NEW DELHI
Silva Paananen
Tekes’ partner facilitating
innovation cooperation in India
Tel. +91 7838 043030
[email protected]
TAIPEI
In Taipei Tekes co-operates
with the Team Finland
partners with special focus
in the Future Watch studies
and foresight work related
to East Asia.
Jarmo Heinonen
Consul, Science and Technology
Tel. +86 1366 1878 400
[email protected]
Sari Arho Havrén
Consul, Innovation
Tel. +86 1381 6232 371
[email protected]
Greetings from
Team Finland
More than 70 teams already
represent the Team Finland
network around the world.
We are proud of being part
of this co-operation network,
which focuses to offer excellent innovation funding,
networking and foresight
services.
As an expert in innovation and business, Tekes is locally present in countries that are investing in R&D and that are drivers
in developing new technologies, competence and business.
Tekes works in close cooperation with Team Finland network
in major growth markets for Finland.
We have built strong networks and collaboration both in Asia and
North America. In Europe, Tekes has been actively influencing the EU
innovation policy and programmes for a long time. We are looking
forward to advance the European and international innovation cooperation together with wider range of partners.
KUVA: SUSANNA LEHTO
MOSCOW
Matti Hiltunen
Councellor, Research and Innovation
BEIJING
Kari Hiltunen
Councelor, Science and Technology
Tel. +86 1391 1874 947
[email protected]
www.tekes.fi/brussels
BRUSSELS
www.tekes.fi/china
Looking forward to meeting you!
Merja Hiltunen
The writer is director responsible for
Asia networking activities at Tekes
TEKES VIEWS MAGAZINE 2015
39
ARCTIC 15: EXIT PATH
May 26–27, Helsinki, Finland
www.arctic15.com
HELSINKI DESIGN WEEK
September 3–13, Helsinki, Finland
www.helsinkidesignweek.com
THE GLOBAL CLEANTECH
SUMMIT 2015
September 8–10, Helsinki, Finland
www.globalcleantechsummit.fi
SLUSH 2015
November 11–12, Helsinki, Finland
www.slush.org
More news and events
Tekes news and events
www.tekes.fi/news
This is Finland
www.finland.fi
Team Finland
http://team.finland.fi/en
Order Tekes Views Magazine
[email protected]
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www.tekes.fi/views
@Tekesfi
PHOTO: ISTOCKPHOTO
WELCOME
TO FINLAND
Tekes - the Finnish Funding Agency for
Innovation is the main public funding
organisation for research, development
and innovation in Finland. Tekes
publishes Views Magazine once a year.