https://www.vttresearch.com/
VTT is one of Europe’s leading research institutions. We are owned by the Finnish state. Our task is to advance the utilisation and commercialisation of research and technology in commerce and society.
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The special duty of VTT as an independent and impartial research centre is to promote the wide-ranging utilisation and commercialisation of research and technology in commerce and society. VTT is a non-profit company.
VTT has nearly 80 years of experience in cutting-edge research and science-based results. Our research, development and innovation activities are divided into three business areas: carbon neutral solutions, sustainable products and materials and digital technologies.
At the core of our research in 2020 was, for example, to build Finland's first quantum computer.
The VTT Robotics research is divided in three locations: VTT Espoo is specialised in Industrial robot safety and robotics in indoor logistics and drones. VTT Tampere is specialised in human-centred Robotics, tele-operation and teleoperation interfaces. VTT Oulu is specialised in special robotics, as robotics in heavy mobile robotics. Most of the personnel are experts in robotics and full time researchers in robotics from PhD students to senior researchers and project managers. The Unit also holds senior business developers who develop the technical and commercial activity and the bilateral links with industrial companies.
The services proposed by the DIH are aiming at creating the framework facilitating deployment of technologies, building connections and trust and understand needs of industrialists in order to promote the economic development.
The form of the DIH VTT & SMACC
The VTT and SMACC (Smart machines and manufacturing competence centre) DIH gathers several legal entities: VTT, Tampere University (TUNI), Tampere University of Applied Sciences (TUNI), Tamlink ltd. Tampere University and Tampere University of Applied Sciences have just unified several research and education institutes of Tampere region. DIH will also expand in the future, when all the stakeholders of each institute are involved to the DIH operation. Each entity has its own domain of competences and work together to stimulate innovation. All the entities are located in Tampere.
SMACC Tampere Digital Innovation Hub has laboratory facilities in many locations (and the situation is evolving):
Business development
Category: Incubator/accelerator support
Description of activity, value proposition (what?): Support on business creation of spin offs and start ups, Accompanying the creation of start-ups, Protecting research results, advising on IPR management, Carry out strategic analyses, Find scientific and technical information, business intelligence, Set up industrial and collaborative contracts
Format (how?): As agreed
Profile of DIH contact (who?): Experts in business creation, in IPR management
Involvement, effort from DIH: Meetings with experts in business development
Financial charge for customer: Free for DIH -organisation members
Funding, business plan: Subsidised by the DIH
Funding opportunities investigation
Description of activity, value proposition (what?): Dedicated to VTT or other DIH member organizations interested in promoting DIH technologies.
Advice on opportunities offered by European research and innovation programmes, regional sources of funding, tax refund mechanism and private investors
Dedicated to spin off and start up promoting VTT or other DIH members technologies.
Support on business creation, Accompanying the creation of start-ups, Protecting research results, advising on IPR management, Carry out strategic analyses, Find scientific and technical information, business intelligence, Set up industrial and collaborative contracts
Format (how?): As agreed, meetings, conference calls
Profile of DIH contact (who?): Business developer, technical expert, experts in IPR management
Involvement, effort from DIH: Meetings with experts in funding of research, development and innovation in robotics
Financial charge for customer: Funding by national or European sources
Hands-on training
Category: Skills and education
Description of activity, value proposition (what?): Training of operators on teleoperation, and robotics
Format (how?): Courses and hands on training on equipment available at the DIH. On demand
Profile of DIH contact (who?): Training by university training organisation
Involvement, effort from DIH: Not planned yet, future activities
Financial charge for customer: paying services
Funding, business plan: Rates according to the trainer's profile
Research, development and innovation opportunities
Category: Project development
Description of activity, value proposition (what?): Dedicated to organization interested in promoting new technologies or willing to do collaborative research with VTT / other DIH.
Planning together technological research and partners needed for development and innovation activity. Elaboration of an action plan for R&D&I with milestones, deliverables, agreement on the respective role of stakeholders and on the final delivery.
Format (how?): Planning the project in meetings, conference calls etc. Running the project in company and DIH -laboratory as planned and needed.
Profile of DIH contact (who?): Business developer, technical expert
Involvement, effort from DIH: Meetings with experts in research, development and innovation experts in robotics
Financial charge for customer: Free as a part of the project
Hosting to Spin off and Start up
Category: Offering housing
Description of activity, value proposition (what?): Accompaniment and hosting follow-up of spin offs or Start-ups willing to use and be located in DIH -facilities
Format (how?): On demand
Profile of DIH contact (who?): Business facilitator
Involvement, effort from DIH: Office space, workspace, located in DIH premises.
Financial charge for customer: Paying service
Funding, business plan: Rates according to needs
Brokerage, Matchmaking
Category: Ecosystem service, Community building
Description of activity, value proposition (what?): Organisation of meetings between players in the value chain. Discussing interfaces and information exchange between players. Share ideas and analyse opportunities
Format (how?): One event per project as a part of the project (or more if necessary). With presentations from stakeholders, visit of the DIH, possibly networking lunch.
Profile of DIH contact (who?): Business facilitators, technical experts
Involvement, effort from DIH: One day event with participation of 3 to 4 experts from the DIH, supply of communication material
Financial charge for customer: Free (as a part of the project)
Awareness creation
Description of activity, value proposition (what?): Robotics awareness, advances and possibilities info for decision-makers.
Format (how?): Project sales, proposals, workshops, webinars (Sales activity)
Profile of DIH contact (who?): Sales personell, Technical experts
Involvement, effort from DIH: One half day event with senior experts from DIH explaining the project.
Financial charge for customer: Free
Funding, business plan: Subsidised by the DIH, aiming to sell the project
Dissemination
Description of activity, value proposition (what?): Communication about the offer of services of the DIH. Dissemination of the references, results and key facts in local language and in English
Format (how?): Information distributed through e.g. web sites, social media, newsletters, mailing
Profile of DIH contact (who?): Experts in communication
Involvement, effort from DIH: Involvement of the communication team of VTT and other DIH - organisations
Ecosystem building
Description of activity, value proposition (what?): Allowing people to get in touch with sectorial associations certification bodies and public and private investors in region and in Europe
Format (how?): Reference information provided through the DIH web portal. Possible contact with experts
Involvement, effort from DIH: Access to networks, clusters, associations and federations to which the organizations of the DIH belong
Market research, market awareness, market/technology trends
Category: Ecosystem service, Strategy development
Description of activity, value proposition (what?): Market analysis and market data by the experts of the network and the DIH at European and International level
Format (how?): Meeting with business developers at the DIH
Profile of DIH contact (who?): DIH experts in market analysis
Involvement, effort from DIH: Required time with experts
Financial charge for customer: paying service (if not part of the project)
Technical advising
Description of activity, value proposition (what?): Consultation/advising on technical questions on robotics and automation (or other technical expert problems)
Format (how?): Conference calls, meetings, projects
Profile of DIH contact (who?): Technical and application experts
Involvement, effort from DIH: Discussions or projects with experts
Resources and knowledge sharing
Category: Ecosystem service, Ecosystem learning
Description of activity, value proposition (what?): Allowing access and providing information about resources, seminars, workshops, conferences, newsletters and other information of interest
Format (how?): Information provided through the DIH and RIMA network web portal. Possible contact with experts for advanced advices
Profile of DIH contact (who?): DIH contact person of communication, innovation
Involvement, effort from DIH: The communication team of the DIH -organisations
Financial charge for customer: Free, if part of the project or marketing actions
Funding, business plan: Mixed Public and private funding
DIH network promotion, Promotion of the offer
Description of activity, value proposition (what?): Promote the DIH, its members and services
Format (how?): Organization of campaigns on social media, newspapers and professional magazines. Participation on fairs and events.
Profile of DIH contact (who?): Communication, business and technical experts
Involvement, effort from DIH: Communication teams of the DIH
Research and development collaboration
Category: Strategic RDI
Description of activity, value proposition (what?): Research aiming to POC, reaching TRL 5, specifications, research and development, validation in laboratory
Format (how?): Research with Business Finland funding, with Business Finland funding models, OR collaborative research with several partners in EU on 2 years or more.
Profile of DIH contact (who?): Technical experts, others if needed
Involvement, effort from DIH: Support from DIH -experts in the submission of European or national proposals. Long term participation (over 2 years) of several experts from the DIH for technical research and development in robotics
Financial charge for customer: Free (if funded by national funding)
Funding, business plan: Funded by European or national research programmes
Innovation projects: technology demonstrators, proof of concepts
Category: Contract research
Description of activity, value proposition (what?): Research and development aiming at application for international markets. Validation in laboratory
Format (how?): Bilateral projects from one to a few years
Profile of DIH contact (who?): Project manager, technical experts
Involvement, effort from DIH: Support from experts in the submission of European or national proposals. Long term participation (over 2 years) of several experts from the DIH for technical research and development in robotics
Financial charge for customer: Paying (National funding applied)
Funding, business plan: Funded by bilateral contracts, European or national innovation programmes, private investors
Proof of concept, prototyping, commercialisation/industrialisation, small series production
Category: Technical support on scale-up
Description of activity, value proposition (what?): Demonstration in real environment or in realistic conditions. Adaptation of existing technologies to specific use case
Format (how?): National funded project of one to several months
Profile of DIH contact (who?): Technical experts
Involvement, effort from DIH: Support from experts in the submission of European or national proposals Participation of several experts from the DIH for development and innovation
Financial charge for customer: Paying (Partly customer, partly national or European funding organisation)
Funding, business plan: Funded by bilateral contracts, European or national innovation programmes, investors
Lab facilities, equipment for lease/use (sensors, robots, robot tooling, etc.), rapid prototyping
Category: Provision of technology infrastructure
Description of activity, value proposition (what?): Demonstration with equipment held in the lab. Realization of interfaces with DIH equipment. Provision of test benches (for actuation, perception, etc.)
Format (how?): Conducting experiments with the assistance of DIH personnel
Involvement, effort from DIH: Support from experts in the submission of European or national proposals Participation of several experts from the DIH for maturation
Financial charge for customer: Paying, financial charge based on daily rate and depending on the personnel involved, equipment used at the DIH and adaptation needed. Typically paid by national or European funding.
Certification, product demonstration & testing, comparison of products
Category: Testing and validation
Description of activity, value proposition (what?): For testing and benchmarking, VTT and other DIH -members can offer access to a set of dedicated to infrastructures to make assessment in realistic conditions. DIH can organize access to infrastructure in many sectors of applications.
Format (how?): Conducting tests and experiments with the experts of VTT following evaluation protocols and applicable standards.
Profile of DIH contact (who?): VTT and other DIH -members technical experts.
Involvement, effort from DIH: Participation of several experts from the DIH , if needed.
Financial charge for customer: Paying