Sustainable growth for the renewing industry with VTT's investments
In 2023–2025, VTT is investing in five research entities that promote the green transition, resource wisdom and security of supply while accelerating the renewal and competitiveness of companies. We also promote the national initiative for the development of microelectronics and quantum technology.
- The investments will enable the growth leap of companies, industrial renewal and the creation of new types of business.
- The investments meet the needs identified together with the companies, for which they are also prepared to invest.
- All research investments involve excellence that makes them unique.
Even in hard times, an organisation like VTT should invest in the future. We plant the seeds for industrial growth in Finland and Europe for green transition and resource wisdom
VTT's President & CEO Antti Vasara
Five research investments and a national initiative
- Pure and stable heat in cities: Domestic district heating reactor operational in 2030
- New piloting platform bringing solutions for the recycling of plastics and textiles
- Fibre product piloting environment: Significant reduction of energy and water consumption in the forest industry and new product innovations
- Digital development platform for biosynthetic materials: New materials by natural means 10 times faster.
- Pilot environment to accelerate the development of medical devices
- Initiative: New piloting environment to strengthen Finland's position as the leading RDI hub in microelectronics and quantum technology
Pure and reliable heat in cities: Domestic district heating reactor operational in 2030
VTT has been developing the small modular reactor (SMR) LDR-50 for district heating since 2020. In addition to
technical planning work, a network has been gathered around the project consisting of Finnish nuclear energy sector actors, energy end users and manufacturing industry companies. The aim of the development is to commercialise the technology by the end of this decade. A new industrial sector focusing on nuclear energy solutions will also be created in Finland.
New piloting platform bringing solutions for the recycling of plastics and textiles
In the VTT Bioruukki pilot centre in Espoo, VTT is building a high-quality research and piloting platform that enables
the development of advanced recycling technologies for hard-to-recycle plastic containing multi-materials. Plastic packaging, mixed textiles and composite structures containing many different materials are almost always burned
once discarded. The aim of the new piloting entity is to significantly reduce carbon dioxide emissions by converting the components of plastic containing hard-to-recycle materials into valuable raw materials for the process industry.
Significant reduction of energy and water consumption in the forest industry and new product innovations
VTT is building an internationally unique piloting environment in Jyväskylä to accelerate the renewal of the forest industry and improve the resource efficiency of existing products. The majority of the infrastructure investment
is related to the equipment needed for dry fibre processing and continuous forming. At the centre of the investment is the new virtually waterless forming technology, which significantly reduces the energy and water consumption of the production line. The technology also enables the manufacture of new innovative fibre-based product and lightweighting
of fibre-based materials, which means that more products can produced from the same quantity of wood.
New materials by natural means 10 times faster: Digital development platform for biosynthetic materials
VTT's investment will build a digital platform and methods for the systematic development and optimisation of biosynthetic materials. This enables companies to replace fossil raw materials used in industrial production with renewable raw materials and to develop completely new materials produced sustainably. The digital development platform for biosynthetic materials combines data, AI, biotechnology and synthetic biology. It will be used to design and develop up to ten times faster than before completely new materials with superior properties that are smart and
responsive to different conditions.
Pilot environment to accelerate the development of medical devices
The investment is used to develop the research environment and manufacturing capabilities of VTT's Oulu office so that they enable the development of new innovative photonics-based medical devices and prototype manufacturing in a regulated manufacturing environment. Photonics, the combination of optics and electronics, enables many medical applications from diagnostics to medical devices that can be used both in hospitals and at home.
New piloting environment to strengthen Finland's position as the leading RDI hub in microelectronics and quantum technology
A piloting environment that focuses on unique microelectronics and quantum technology in pre-commercial development is planned in Otaniemi, Espoo. Along with VTT, the City of Espoo, Aalto University and the industry members of the semiconductor industry group of Technology Industries of Finland develop the entity. The new piloting environment expands the current world-class research infrastructure in Otaniemi and promotes Finland's status as
one of the most important microelectronics and quantum technology centres in the EU.