VTT is the Technical Research Centre of Finland Ltd and one of Europe’s leading research institutions owned by the Finnish government. It promotes the use and commercialisation of research and technology to turn our big global challenges into sustainable growth for business and society.
In a recent paper, VTT’s CEO, Antti Vasara, listed 3 breakthrough areas of deep technology from which Finland’s next startups will emerge:
- New materials
- Nano-electronics
- Health technology.
“Finnish growth companies have a unique competitive advantage in several different deep technology areas. That is why they can also provide the EU with the much-needed, competitive and globally spreading technology,” states Antti Vasara. “The commercialisation of deep technology solutions can create completely new industries…”
The deep technological revolution is the way to sustainable business in new industries.
Unlike digital startups, deep-tech growth companies tend to develop concrete physical technology, such as a carbon-based protein that solves the problems of sustainable food production Examples of such startups that utilise material technology are Solar Foods, which produces food protein with renewable energy from the air, and Spinnova, which makes textile fibre from wood or even food waste.
Nano-electronics is a technology based on nanometer-scale structures that can collect and process data with a whole new scale and power. It can enable, for example, the modelling, anticipation and management of human health or the earth’s natural resources. Examples of Finnish companies in the field of nanotechnology include Iceye, which provides real-time satellite data, and IQM, which builds quantum computers.
Health technology enables health anticipation and effective targeted care. Examples of Finnish health technology startups include Desentum, which develops allergy vaccines, and Nanoform, which radically makes pharmaceutical production more efficient through nanotechnology.
The 3 areas have been selected by VTT on the basis that the growth companies operating in them are currently developing and commercialising such fundamental scientific breakthroughs that the inevitable upheaval of industries.
According to Vasara, it would be essential right now for traditional companies to work with deep-tech startups to scale radical innovations into global markets as quickly as possible. Many Finnish deep technology startups are already cooperating with large global companies.
“My message to companies is: Seize the opportunities offered by deep technology now. The user of new technology and innovations will win the competition in their field and can find a way to rapid, sustainable growth,” says Antti Vasara.
