INNOFINLAND 2006: Turning skill and ideas into service products
INNOFINLAND Prize of the President of the Republic 2006
The national INNOFINLAND Prizes of the President of the Republic 2006 were awarded for the 13th time in the Presidential Palace on the National Innovation Day on 28 November 2006.
Five equal national INNOFINLAND Prizes and two honourable mentions were presented. The prizewinners received an INNOFINLAND statuette and an honorary diploma.
The prizewinners are the sorts of innovative businesses that are needed for the Finnish industry and service sector. The key to the success of Finland is how we are able to develop new internationally competitive services in addition to technological innovations.
The theme for INNOFINLAND 2006 was ‘Turning skill and ideas into service products’. The theme highlighted businesses that have created service innovations and turned them into products or combined the service innovations with technological products. INNOFINLAND 2006 received entries from 222 businesses, organisations or persons. They were first judged by the regional T&E Centres. The provinces of Satakunta, Kymenlaakso and Uusimaa were particularly active participants. A major part of the entries came from the technology industry and the ICT and service sector.
President of the Republic Tarja Halonen together with the Chairman of the INNOFINLAND Jury, President of the NBPR Martti Enäjärvi and the Chairman of the Working Committee, Executive Director Juha Jutila presented the national INNOFINLAND Prize 2006 to the following businesses:
Footbalance System Oy, Helsinki: Footbalance product and service concept for custom-made insoles
Silecs Oy, Espoo: Polymeric material technology that improves the performance of storage, logic and digital devices and reduces power consumption
Solving Oy Ab, Pietarsaari: Custom-made heavy load handling system
Suomen Tenava päiväkoti Oy, Espoo: Novel day-care concept
Suorakanava Oy, Pori: Interactive online service for builders
The honourable mentions went to
Idean Research Oy, Espoo: User-oriented research and design in the mobile and telecommunication branch
Tieto-Oskari Oy, Kajaani: New condition analysis system for constructions
In addition, each T&E Centre has presented their regional INNOFINLAND Prizes.
Purpose and background organisations of INNOFINLAND
The purpose of the INNOFINLAND Project is to promote creativity, skill and entrepreneurial spirit in Finland in a practical and creative way in order to improve opportunities to increase well-being nationally.
INNOFINLAND was established in 1994. President of the Republic acts as patron of the project. The national INNOFINLAND Prizes are awarded, both regionally and nationally, each year as an acknowledgement of and encouragement for innovative entrepreneurship. The prize can be awarded to businesses, organisations or persons whose ideas, inventions or innovations significantly have promoted creativity, entrepreneurship, co-operation and employment in Finland.
The organisers of INNOFINLAND consist of a wide range of influential bodies in Finnish business life: Confederation of Finnish Industries, Ministry of Trade and Industry, Foundation for Finnish Inventions, Central Chamber of Commerce of Finland, National Board of Patents and Registration of Finland, Finnish National Fund for Research and Development (Sitra), Jobs & Society in Finland, Federation of Finnish Enterprises, Finnish Funding Agency for Technology and Innovation (Tekes), Employment and Economic Development Centres (T&E Centres), Ministry of Labour, Finnish Regional Councils, educational establishments and other organisations supporting innovative activities.
INNOINT and INNOSCHOOL
In addition to the INNOFINLAND Prizes, the National Innovation Day ceremony on 28 November 2006 includes the presentation of the annual prizes in the INNOINT Invention Contest for Conscripts and the INNOSCHOOL Innovation Event for school pupils.
Further details of the prizewinners are available from
the Chairman of the INNOFINLAND Working Committee, Mr Juha Jutila, tel. +358 (0)9 020 737 3007, e-mail: juha.jutila@keksintosaatio.fi
INNOFINLAND Project Manager, Mr Timo Suokas, tel. +358 (0)9 6939 5308, mob +358 (0)40 772 1733, e-mail: timo.suokas@prh.fi
INNOFINLAND Project Secretary, Ms Leena Puolimatka, tel. +358 (0)9 6939 5239, mob +358 (0)40 546 0125, e-mail: leena.puolimatka@prh.fi
Director of Communications, Mr Juha Klemola, National Board of Patents and Registration of Finland, tel. +358 (0)9 6939 5800, e-mail: juha.klemola@prh.fi