Employers and 100 years

The Confederation of Finnish Industries (EK) celebrated one hundred years of central-organization activity by employers in Helsinki at the beginning of March. The theme of the celebration was "Succeeding by Knowing", which sends out a message about working together and Finnish skills. At the celebratory seminar Sweden's foreign minister, Carl Bildt, lectured on "the Nordic Countries' Opportunities in Globalization".

In honour of the celebration, a book commemorating one hundred years of employer activity has been published. Entitled "Suurlakosta Euroopan Unioniin - Vuosisata työnantajatoimintaa" (From the Great Strike to the European Union - One Hundred Years of Employer Activity), it covers the employers' entire 100-year journey and was written by Markku Mansner (Ph.D).

The Research Institute of the Finnish Economy (ETLA) has also brought out a commemorative book entitled "Seuraavat 100 vuotta - Aikamatka maailmaan ja Suomeen 1907-2107" (The Next 100 Years - a Time Journey through the World and Finland 1907-2107).

European Enterprise Awards - victory to Finland

The Finnish Y4-yrittäjyysideologia (Y4 entrepreneurship ideology) won the European Enterprise Awards competition in Brussels in December 2006. The award was made for the first time.

The European Enterprise Awards competition recognized and rewarded regional and local authorities' innovative and creative entrepreneurship initiatives that support entrepreneurship in various parts of Europe. In addition to the general prize, the best European entrepreneurship project in each competition category also won a prize.

Taking part in the competition were the winners at the national level in each EU country, altogether 51 entries. The Y4 project was considered to be the most creative and innovative initiative in Europe, because it succeeded in changing the culture and behavioural approach of people in its operating area, Central Finland.

The name Y4 comes from the Finnish slogan "Yrittäjyys Ylös Yhteiskunnassa Yhteistyöllä", which translates broadly as "Boosting Entrepreneurship in Society through Cooperation". The goal of the Y4 process is to make Central Finland the world's most entrepreneur-proactive region; one which appreciates, motivates and encourages the development of an entrepreneurial way of working, as well as of entrepreneurship and innovativeness.

New innovation centre in Silicon Valley

FinNode, the new Finnish innovation centre, opened at Santa Clara in Silicon Valley, USA, in January 2007. The innovation centre will serve Finnish and American companies and researchers.

The objective is to accelerate the arrival of Finnish companies onto the USA market, to increase the mobility of researchers and research cooperation and to add to the attraction of Finland as a target for investment and as a place to establish a business.

FinNode has been established by Finpro, the Finnish Innovation Fund (Sitra), the Academy of Finland, Tekes - Finnish Funding Agency for Technology and Innovation, and VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland. FinNode is Finland's second innovation center. The first one, FinChi, was established in Shanghai, China, in 2005. Innovation centres involving Finnish actors are also being planned for St Petersburg and Tokyo.

>> www.finnode.com

European Chemicals Agency to start in Helsinki

The European Chemicals Agency will start its operations in Helsinki when the REACH Regulation comes into force at the beginning of June.

The Chemicals Agency will administer the widest section of REACH as far as industry is concerned, a registration procedure applying to some 30,000 substances. It will receive registration dossiers, check them and handle industry's proposals for further tests on the substances.

The European Chemicals Agency is an organization specializing in the assessment and control of chemical risks. Its primary task will be to give scientific and technical support in the implementation of REACH. The Agency will also have a central role to play in putting the Regulation into practice and will create new business for Finland.

The Chemicals Agency will be one of the EU's biggest. Its personnel requirement has been put at between 400 and 500. The European Parliament approved REACH in December 2006.

Technology Pioneer 2007 Award for Enfucell

Enfucell became the first Finnish company to be given an award by the World Economic Forum (WEF), when the latter gave the Technology Pioneer 2007 Award to the Finnish company for the development of an environment-friendly, inexpensive battery for miniature electronics.
The thin, flexible SoftBattery TM is intended for use as a power source in disposable microelectronic equipment such as cosmetic patches, smart cards, greetings cards, transdermal drug delivery patches, LEDs on paper, electronic paper and active RFID tags.

Compared with button cell batteries, Softbattery is cost-effective, environment-friendly and flexible in shape. It can be disposed of with household waste and easily integrated with various applications.

The WEF award is made by the world's leading venture capitalists and technology companies.

>> www.enfucell.com

Finland least corrupt

Finland once again came first as the least corrupt country in a comparison carried out by Gallup Worldwide and published in December 2006. Close on Finland's heels come Denmark and New Zealand.

The survey asked citizens in more than one hundred countries their opinion about corruption in their country's administration and business life. A thousand adults in each country involved were interviewed for the survey during 2005 and 2006.

More than half the citizens in the top-ten countries have confidence in their country's administration. Most of them feel that it possible to get on in life by working hard. The most corrupt countries, according to the comparison, include Thailand, Lebanon, Poland and Lithuania.

Honour for location tracking company in USA

Ekahau, which specializes in location tracking technology, has received a rare mark of respect in the USA. The Wall Street Journal listed Ekahaus's location tracking technology among the three best innovations in the Wireless category in the 2006 Technology Innovation Awards competition.

The panel of judges assessed more than 600 innovations. Those that won a prize were highly rated in particular for the technologies in which there was a clear breakthrough from traditional methods. A placing in the competition promises companies wide-scale publicity in the world's financial media.

>> www.ekahau.com

Atria strengthens its position in St Petersburg

The food company Atria Group Plc, which is expanding its international operations, will be constructing a new meat-production plant and logistics centre at St Petersburg at a cost of EUR 70 million.

"After the investment we will be number one in production and logistics in the St Petersburg area. We already have a good market position now, but with this investment we intend being well ahead of competitors," says Matti Tikkakoski, Atria's President and CEO.

The aim is to start using the new production plant at the end of 2008. The new logistics centre will bring fresh potential for customer distribution, managing the delivery chain and efficiency. The logistics centre will be integrated directly with the production plant.

Russia is attracting Atria with its rapidly expanding consumption. Sales in 2006 went up by 40 per cent over the previous year. Meat consumption in St Petersburg will increase from 26 kilos to 33 kilos per person by 2010. In Moscow consumption is expected to go up from 30 kilos to 38 kilos.

>> www.atria.fi

24 top researchers coming to Finland

The Academy of Finland and Tekes - Finnish Funding Agency for Technology and Innovation have financed the recruitment of 24 top researchers to 12 Finnish universities and research institutes at a cost of 17.5 million euros. The first of them started their work at the beginning of the year.

"The Finland Distinguished Professor Programme search aroused unusually strong interest among universities. International evaluations of the selected professors showed them to be top-class researchers," says Raimo Väyrynen, the President of the Academy of Finland.

The aim of the programme is to strengthen Finnish scientific and technological expertise and to make the country's research system international. The programme supports specialization by universities and research institutes and creates new cooperation between university research and companies.
The next search for top researchers is planned to start in October 2007.

>> www.aka.fi

Anneli Pauli joins JRC board

Anneli Pauli, the Vice President for research and international affairs at the Academy of Finland, has been appointed deputy director general of the EU Commission's Joint Research Centre (JRC).

The JRC comprises seven research institutes in different fields, located in Belgium, Germany, Italy, Holland and Spain. Altogether 2,000 people work for the JRC and the annual budget is 300 million euros.

One of its main objectives is to produce research to support public decision-making, such as in consumer affairs, chemical and environmental research, and energy research.

"JRC research plays an integral role in terms of, for example, Europe's draft chemical legislation, REACH. Topical research subjects at the JRC include new testing protocols to replace animal testing and research in areas such as genetically modified organisms," says Pauli.

Pauli also thinks it is important that the JRC becomes a better-known research centre worldwide.

>> www.jrc.cec.eu.int