Winners of the Innoint 2009 Invention Contest for Conscripts

The Innoint Invention Contest is part of the Innofinland Project. The purpose of the contest is to encourage conscripts to adopt an innovative, creative and enterprising way of thinking. In order to achieve this, the contest awards inventions, ideas and methods that can be regarded as having general significance. The Innoint Contest was organised for the tenth time.

This year, we received 100 entries to the contest. The entries included new ideas and proposals for improvement of current practices or techniques. Three entries were awarded a prize and two received honourable mention.

General Ari Puheloinen, Commander of the Finnish Defence Forces, and Mr Martti Enäjärvi, President of the National Board of Patents and Registration of Finland (NBPR), handed out the prizes at the Innofinland awards ceremony on 15 December 2009 in the NBPR Innohouse.

Innoint Prize 2009, three equal prizes in alphabetical order

(Cash prize of 2,000 euros and honorary diploma)

Second Lieutenant Tatu Huuskonen, Espoo

Pori Brigade

Battery-powered alarm made of thin winding wire, LED lights and a circuit board for scouts keeping a lookout for the enemy

Student Heikki Kahila, Lappeenranta

Air Force Aircraft and Weapon Systems School

New mess kit tray which can easily be fastened to the kit to facilitate eating in the field

Student Tommi Lamberg, Jyväskylä

Air Force Aircraft and Weapon Systems School

New tubular holder to store rifle cleaning accessories in an assault rifle butt stock

Honourable mention went to two entries, of which one has five different submitters.

(Cash prize of 500 euros and honorary diploma)

Honourable mention

Aircraftman Oskari Raitanen, Jyväskylä

Air Force Academy

Sockets behind the lockers of combat fighters to facilitate the use and charging of electronic devices and to improve the comfort and wellbeing of fighters during their period of service

Honourable mention

Sergeant Antti Ahonen, Espoo

Karelia Brigade

Replacement of storm lanterns with more fireproof, ecological and practical LED lighting devices in camps

Honourable mention

Officer Candidate Lauri Järvenpää, Helsinki

Pori Brigade

Safe, durable and easily transported LED camp lantern with a dual function light: normal lighting and military lighting

Honourable mention

Student Akseli Kujanpää, Lempäälä

Air Force Aircraft and Weapon Systems School

LED camp lantern: adjusting the brightness will extend the life of the lantern

Honourable mention

Students Juho Leikas, Mikkeli and Lassi Luokkanen, Tampere

Air Force Aircraft and Weapon Systems School

Safer and more energy and cost effective LED camp lantern

The Innoint Contest is organised and backed up by the Finnish Defence Forces, NBPR, Foundation for Finnish Inventions, Finnish Inventors’ National Federation, National Defence Initiative Foundation, Soldiers' Home Association, and Innofinland.

Further details:

Mr Timo Suokas, Project Manager, Innofinland, tel. +358 (0)9 6939 5308, mob. +358 (0)40 772 1733, email timo.suokas (at) prh.fi

Ms Leena Puolimatka, Project Secretary, Innofinland, tel. +358 (0)9 6939 5239, mob. +358 (0)40 546 0125, email leena.puolimatka (at) prh.fi

Mr Juha Klemola, Director of Communications and Community Relations, NBPR, tel. +358 (0)9 6939 5800, email juha.klemola (at) prh.fi