Category: english

The My IdeRefinery ™ platform, currently being developed in the context of the Idea Refinery Kymenlaakso project, provides an avenue for innovators to receive support from experts and partners in the further development of their innovations. The platform seeks to bring services promoting innovation under one roof and to help early-stage innovators to develop their ideas. Due to the significant early-stage difficulties innovators often face, this platform attempts to make the advancement of innovations easier for everybody. The platform makes it easier to assess one’s ideas, both independently and under the guidance of experts. The platform also helps experts to assess and enhance their services, as well as acquire new clients.  The platform reflects the vision of the Foundation for Finnish Inventions on the development of early-stage innovation and the furtherance of new innovative business in Finland.  

The experts on innovation and business offering their guidance on the development of innovations include startup angels and patent attorneys, as well as the organizations that they represent, such as universities, development companies, regional innovation networks, and finance companies.  

The platform will partly utilize currently existing tools of the Foundation for Finnish Inventions which offer support especially on early-stage development and business-related matters. These tools include, among others, Lean Canvas, which aids in visualizing and developing one’s business, especially the honing of a business model in the initial phase of building a company, and 10 P Marketing Mix, which helps in the commercialization aspect of the innovation business. After logging in to the platform, users can save the documents and projects they have created into their own workspace. The platform also encourages the partners who collaborate with the innovators to bring their own tools to the platform and to participate in its development. The final shape of the platform is the outcome of these collaborative efforts. The platform also facilitates networking with other actors, which further advances innovation in Finland while generating more business.  

The platform also serves as an excellent way to collect data, which also furthers the development of innovations. The collected data can be utilized, for instance, to assess the usefulness of various tools and services. The data can also be used to identify needs for new services and to respond to previously unnoticed market demands. 

The security of the users is of paramount importance on this platform. Users log in using their bank credentials. Strong customer identification is a precondition for using the platform. The experts involved are bound by a non-disclosure agreement, which prohibits them from sharing information on the platform with outsiders or using it for matters unrelated to the purposes of the service.  

The My IdeFerinery ™ platform seeks to advance and promote research, development, and innovative activity in Finland by developing ideas and services and encourages everybody to participate in this societally important work.

The third IdeaKymi contest, which will start in September, aims to find ideas and inventions in Kymenlaakso and to help in the further development of the ones that have the most potential. Proposals submitted to the contest may include technical solutions, products, services, service improvements and well-developed ideas. The contest will be held between 1 September and 15 October. A proposal for the contest needs to be submitted by 4 PM on 15 October. The contest has previously been held in 2021 and 2023. The previous contests received 173 proposals in different divisions. The goal is to establish the contest as a biennial event and to revitalize the Kymenlaakso region through new innovations. The contest endeavours to receive proposals from private innovators who live or study in Kymenlaakso and from companies or other organizations in the Kymenlaakso region. 

The contest will be organized by the Kymenlaakso Innovation Network (Kymenlaakson Innovaatioverkosto). The network, comprised of 14 member organizations, was established in the spring of 2020 at the initiative of the Kymi Innovation Association (Kymen Innovaatioyhdistys ry). The goal of the network is to advance the creation and development of new ideas and inventions in Kymenlaakso. The member organizations of the Kymenlaakso Innovation Network are Foundation for Finnish Inventions (Keksintösäätiö), the Kymi Innovation Association, Cursor Oy, Kouvola Innovation Oy, Southern-Kymenlaakso Vocational School Ekami (Etelä-Kymenlaakson ammattiopisto Ekami), Kouvola Vocational School Ltd (Kouvolan Ammattiopisto Oy, EduKo), South-Eastern Finland University of Applied Sciences (Kaakkois-Suomen ammattikorkeakoulu, Xamk), Kymi Entrepreneurs Association (Kymen Yrittäjät ry), South-Eastern Finland Centre of Economic Development, Transport and the Environment (Kaakkois-Suomen Ely-keskus), Southern-Kymenlaakso Employment Services (Etelä-Kymenlaakson työelämäpalvelut), Kouvola Employment and Business Services (Kouvolan työllisyys-ja yrityspalvelut), Kymenlaakso Association (Kymenlaakson liitto), Kymenlaakso Chamber of Commerce (Kymenlaakson Kauppakamari) and the Kouvola unit of the LUT University (LUT-yliopisto). The Kymenlaakso Innovation Network remains the only regional innovation network in Finland. 

Foundation for Finnish Inventions joined the Kymenlaakso Innovation Network to support innovation in Kymenlaakso. The Idearefinary, developed by Foundation for Finnish Inventions to enable innovators to receive support from experts and to provide them with useful tools to enhance their innovations, will offer a digital platform for the hosting of the contest this year. The platform, which makes its debut in the contest, can also be utilized across Finland. 

There will be five divisions in the contest this year. From an invention to business –division (Keksinnöstä liiketoiminnaksi) seeks an invention, product, service, process, social innovation or innovative business concept with the potential to become a business. Responsible future –division (Vastuullinen tulevaisuus) seeks an invention, business idea or employee or student invention which places particular emphasis on recycling, green transition and ecological, cultural and social sustainability in innovation. Built environment –division (Rakennettu ympäristö) seeks tools which can be utilized in advancing the commercialization of innovations and digitalization in the construction and real estate business. Idea is the beginning –division (Idealla alkuun) seeks new ideas and solutions with the potential for further development. The division is mainly intended for students, but any person living in Kymenlaakso is eligible to enter it. Growing idea –division (Kasvava idea) is meant for youngsters and school-aged children, with the aim of finding inventive and bold ideas. 

Instructions for entering the contest are published in August on the website of the Kymenlaakso Innovation Network and on its social media channels. The contest is financed by funding provided by the Kymenlaakso Association.  

The Foundation for Finnish Inventions has developed an online innovation contest platform, in which people can organize their own contests. The goal is to stimulate innovation and the development of inventions, and to encourage the unveiling of early-stage ideas. 

The platform enables people and organizations to hold their own contests, invite innovators to participate in them, and bring in their own judges to evaluate the ideas submitted by the innovators. The platform enables the evaluation, encouragement, and development of multidisciplinary ideas to satisfy the needs of businesses and innovators. Organizing a contest on the platform is easy and effortless. 

One can log into the platform with strong authentication through the Signicat authentication service. Innovators, judges, and the organizers of a contest are all required to use strong authentication if they wish to utilize the platform. The personal information and the submitted ideas of the contestants are handled with strict confidentiality. 

The platform is currently in its testing phase, and it will undergo its preliminary trial in the innovation contest in Satakunta this September. The Kymenlaakso Ideakymi 2025 contest will also be held on the platform this fall. The feedback from these contests will be utilized in the further development of the platform. 

The platform and the feedback it receives will also create additional value for the development of the Foundation for Finnish Inventions’ Idearefinary^TM service. The Idearefinary^TM is a digital workspace, in which inventors, innovators, business developers, innovation advisers, and experts can confer with each other with total confidentiality. Confidentiality is one of the central aspects in the establishment of new business contacts.

Additional information on the innovation contest platform and the organizing of contests 

The innovation contest platform has been developed as part of the Satakunta Growth Platform – Towards New Careers and Innovations-project. The project promotes the growth of new businesses and the creation of new innovations. Along with the Foundation for Finnish Inventions, the Satakunta business development organization Prizztech and the Satakunta University of Applied Sciences contributed to the development of the project. The project is co-funded by the European Union. 

The European Inventor Network welcomes innovation-focused proposals with the potential to educate and inspire school children (6-12 years old) and teenagers (13-17 years old). Innovators’ proposals may range from interactive workshops and hands-on activities to entertaining showcases and creative sessions. The goal is to awaken a passion for science, technology and innovation in the next generation. 

Selected proposals will receive grants of EUR 2 000, EUR 4 000 or EUR 6 000, depending on the proposal’s potential impact and outreach. You can find the grant application form through this link. The deadline for the application is 30 June 2025. The Network will contact the successful applicants by September. The selected proposals will be implemented between 1 January 2026 and 31 December 2026. 

The European Inventor Network aims to promote innovation and sustainability among children aged 6 to 18. Through various activities, the Network aims to inspire young minds, while seeking to adhere to one or more of the 17 UN Sustainable Development Goals. Since 2023, the Network has supported 48 activities in 17 countries, inspiring over 4000 children. 

If you are in need of additional inspiration, you may listen to the Network’s podcast, in which Network members Richard Palmer and Jose Angel Avila Rodriguez share their testimonials. You can find more information on the rules and criteria here and frequently asked questions here.

The new Aino learning library enables a new way to learn and share information about intangible property and intellectual property rights. The web page currently exists as a pilot version, whose content is still undergoing development. 

AINO will provide information about both inventions and patenting, protection of the results of creative work, applying for a model or a trademark, and the commercialization of intellectual property rights. Its contents are divided into themes to facilitate easy accessing of topics that are of interest to the user. AINO also encourages its users to learn more and offers ways to enhance one’s knowledge and skills.  

Explore the AINO learning library here (available only in Finnish) 

AINO is the result of a collaborative process 

The AINO learning library has been developed jointly by the Foundation for Finnish Inventions, the Finnish Patent and Registration Office, and the IPR University Center. It has been funded by the European Union Intellectual Property Office.  

The Foundation for Finnish Inventions’ Growth Hub and the Kymenlaakso Idea Refinary projects also contributed to the development and creation of new content.  

To learn more about AINO 

Foundation for Finnish Inventions
Email: info(at)keksintosaatio.fi
Phone number: 040 674 5004 

Finnish Patent and Registration Office 
Development expert Olli Ilmarinen 
Phone number: 029 509 5236 
Email: firstname.lastname(at)prh.fi