New leading companies selected: Canatu, ANDRITZ and Kalmar
Business Finland has chosen three new leading companies. The new leading companies aim to make Finland a world-class center for research, development, and production of nanocarbon materials, double the value derived from wood in the forest industry, and drive the green transition in heavy material handling.
"The participants in our leading company competition demonstrate determination to take entire industrial sectors to the next level by investing in long-term research and development. The ability to operate in networks is a unique competitive advantage for Finland. Leading companies are good at this, and we need to continue to develop it," says Lassi Noponen, Director General at Business Finland.
The participants in our leading company competition demonstrate determination to take entire industrial sectors to the next level by investing in long-term research and development. The ability to operate in networks is a unique competitive advantage for Finland.
Leading companies commit to significantly increasing their R&D investments in Finland and, true to their name, leading ecosystems onto a path of success.
"For example, as a result of leading company Canatu's long-term development work, unique carbon nanotube technology offers more sustainable, energy-efficient, and high-performance solutions for the semiconductor industry than traditional silicon technology. With a strong leading ecosystem, Finland has the potential to become the number one country in nanocarbon technology, supporting Europe's self-sufficiency," says Director Juha Suuronen from Business Finland. He heads the unit responsible for leading company funding for manufacturing industry. Business Finland's funding for Canatu’s leading company project is 10 million euros.
The resource efficiency of the forest industry, which is central to our country, will be increased through the BioCircleToZero research and development program by ANDRITZ. Business Finland's funding for this leading company project is 10 million euros.
The goal of Kalmar's Move2Green program is to promote carbon neutrality in the heavy material handling industries by developing the electric equipment portfolio and data-enabled services. Business Finland's funding for the leading company project is 20 million euros.
Canatu’s Carbon Age program advances semiconductor technologies enabled by carbon nanotubes
The semiconductor industry needs new alternatives to traditional materials. To address this, Canatu has launched a Carbon Age program to drive the development of cutting-edge carbon nanotube solutions.
With over 40 partners, the five-year program will create a dynamic ecosystem, offering unique opportunities for expertise sharing, value capture, and market-driven innovation.
“We are excited to innovate with nano carbon to accelerate the arrival of the Carbon Age and establish 'Nano Valley' in Finland. By building a world-class ecosystem, we drive innovation, collaboration, and new business opportunities, boosting long-term global competitiveness for us and our partners,” says Juha Kokkonen, CEO at Canatu.
ANDRITZ launches R&D program BioCircleToZero to double the value derived from wood without harvesting more trees
The BioCircleToZero program focuses on increasing resource efficiency in the forest products industry and strengthening its role in the green transition. The extensive program is led by ANDRITZ in cooperation with partner companies, research institutes, and universities in Finland.
“We are committed to helping the forest products industry drive the green transition while ensuring its long-term competitiveness,” says Kari Tuominen, CEO of ANDRITZ Oy in Finland. “As a leading supplier of technology to the pulp and paper industry with growing expertise in innovative technologies such as Power-to-X, the production of renewable textile fibers, sustainable fuels, and biobased chemicals, we are well positioned to lead this transformation.”
Over the next five years, the total investments in ecosystem projects, are expected to exceed 100 million euros, with more than 100 partners involved.
Kalmar's Move2Green program accelerates the green transition in heavy material handling
The goal of Kalmar's Move2Green program is to promote carbon neutrality in the heavy material handling industries by developing the electric equipment portfolio and data-enabled services. The vision of the program is to enable Kalmar’s customers’ net-zero emission logistics chain by 2045.
"Heavy material handling is a significant source of carbon dioxide emissions, and we have a unique opportunity to reduce the environmental impact caused by the use of our active installed base of 68,000 machines. The demand for electric equipment is increasing, and our customers are increasingly seeking sustainable solutions. To ensure success, we need a broad ecosystem to develop intelligent charging solutions, software and equipment to accelerate this transformation", says Sami Niiranen, President and CEO of Kalmar.
The Move2Green program brings together over 150 ecosystem partners, including industrial organizations, technology companies, research institutions, and universities. The goal of this collaboration is to initiate and lead large-scale research and development projects and to build solutions that enhance the efficiency in ports, terminals and other heavy material handling operations while creating new business models centered around circular economy principles and lifecycle thinking.
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Business Finland
Kari Komulainen
Senior Director
kari.komulainen (at) businessfinland.fi
+358 50 5577 842
Canatu Finland Oy
Ilkka Varjos
Chief Technology Officer
ilkka.varjos (at) canatu.com
+358 400 372 785
ANDRITZ Oy
Johan Engström
CTO
johan.engstrom (at) andritz.com
+358 40 860 5389
Kalmar Finland Oy
Jukka Borgman
Director Technology and Research
jukka.borgman (at) kalmarglobal.com
+358 50 591 3128
Business Finland's Leading Company Funding
Through Leading company challenge competitions, Business Finland seeks research and development projects for funding from companies that operate globally or aim for global operations. These projects should tackle major future challenges and make a significant impact on Finland’s competitiveness. Leading companies are expected to significantly increase their R&D activities in Finland and build ecosystems aimed at new business ventures. In addition to funding the leading company’s projects, Business Finland also offers funding for R&D projects from partners within leading companies’ ecosystem.
The next challenge competition will be launched in April, 2025.
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