Foundation for Finnish Inventions names new board chair
Juhani Talvela works at the Aalto University Department of Built Environment and at LUT University, where he is finalising a doctoral thesis on small businesses' ability to take advantage of the patent system.
Talvela is an experienced entrepreneur and a veteran of business. In 2013, he gave up the companies he had founded, continuing his work in the field of entrepreneurship and strategic development with numerous start-up companies and small businesses.
'The future of Finland has to be based on expertise and innovation. The Foundation for Finnish Inventions' wealth of experience and sterling reputation in promoting inventions in Finland are more useful than ever,' Talvela says. 'As the chair of the Foundation for Finnish Inventions, I have an opportunity to deepen collaboration between the foundation and Aalto University and to bring more societal attention to the great practices developed by Aalto,' he adds.
The core of the foundation's activities includes recognising the potential of inventions and their commercial exploitation, making use of intellectual property rights (IPR) protections and supporting creative entrepreneurship that aims for global markets and creates jobs.
Represented in the foundation's board are business federation Suomen Yrittäjät, IPRUC (higher education institutions' joint body tasked with advancing IPR education in Finland), the Association for Finnish Patent Attorneys and the national inventors' federation, Suomen keksijäin keskusliitto.
Board
Juhani Talvela, board member, chair
Niklas Bruun, board member
Marcus Norrgård, deputy member
Timo Nyberg, board member
Maria Rehbinder, deputy member
Petri Peltonen, board member, vice-chair
Yrjö Rinta-Jouppi, deputy member
Matti Vesterinen, board member
Markku Merovuo, deputy member
Tord Langenskiöld, board member
Kristian Luoto, deputy member
Urho Ilmonen, board member
Pekka Salmi, deputy member
Mika Kuismanen, board member
Thomas Palmgren, deputy member
Founded in 1971, the Foundation for Finnish Inventions (Keksintösäätiö) is tasked with advancing the creation and exploitation of Finnish inventions. In its activities, the foundation emphasises the great significance of inventions as the core of innovation. Until 2014, the foundation acted as the central channel for distributing government funding to inventors for building prototypes and applying for IPR protections.
Further information:
Juhani Talvela,
tel. 050 62471, email. juhani.talvela@aalto.fi
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