First challenger class companies join the leading company funding
Business Finland has made the first positive funding decisions for the first challenger class leading companies: Mirka and Picosun.
Business Finland can fund each challenger company with EUR 10 million, and each ecosystem built by these companies with EUR 20 million. The new challenger companies are Mirka and Picosun.
Leading and challenger companies develop solutions for significant challenges, build global ecosystems to attract new know-how and investments and make Finland a lucrative place for R&D work also in the future.
Mirka invests EUR 200 million in cooperation with the Finnish industry in net carbon negative solutions
Mirka offers a wide range of solutions for surface finishing and precision sanding. Rapid economic growth, urbanization and excessive material usage poses a significant threat of an increasing manufacturing footprint. Despite this, Mirka sees an opportunity to develop new innovative solutions to support the green transition in cooperation with the Finnish industry. The aim is to create a cross-industrial eco system to develop solutions for the remanufacturing and construction industries, contributing to a net carbon negative impact. Business Finland has granted 10 million euros in development funding for the Mirka SHAPE project in the challenge competition as well as 20 million euros to the eco system companies surrounding the project. This is a unique project and first of its kind in Finland.
Mirka's leading company press release
Picosun aims for greener semiconductor manufacturing
The heavy growth of the semiconductor industry requires more environment-friendly technologies as well as more scaled manufacturing to support the growth. Picosun responds to these challenges by leading an R&D program called 'Chip Zero'. The aim of the program is to make semiconductor manufacturing more sustainable. Specific goals include achieving a 50-percent reduction in energy and chemical consumption of thin-film deposition and a double-digit increase in the efficiency of power electronic component applications by 2030. These goals will help contribute to developing chips with zero lifetime emissions.
Picosun's leading company press release
Read more about the funding for leading companies
Further information
Karin Wikman
Chief Advisor
Business Finland
karin.wikman (at) businessfinland.fi
+358 50 557 7723
