The Faculty of Science, located on the University of Helsinki’s Kumpula Campus, is an innovative community that produces research-based inventions for the benefit of society as a whole.
“The natural sciences have a long history at the University of Helsinki. The Faculty and its disciplines have played a significant role in Finland’s industrial development, and this significance is only growing in the current transformation,” says Dean Sasu Tarkoma of the Faculty.
Researchers at the Faculty collaborate closely with industry and business, and dozens of collaborative projects were ongoing in 2024. Key partners include Nokia, Kone, Konecranes, ASM Microchemistry and Elisa.
Inventive researchers generate indisputable advantages for businesses. Basic research is about producing new knowledge, and gaining early access to such knowledge benefits product developers too. Research projects develop state-of-the-art technologies, which help to spot application opportunities and envision new products.
“The natural sciences are at the core of research, development and innovation. Persevering basic research lays down the groundwork for applications. Society benefits from the results of these efforts, which occasionally lead to breakthroughs through novel solutions and technologies. Businesses benefit from broad-based research in many ways, including through the strengthening of the competence base, product development and the creation of new, disruptive solutions.”
“Our Faculty’s disciplines, such as quantum technology, artificial intelligence and the space and atmospheric sciences, offer plenty of opportunities for growth that also applies to businesses. By working together, researchers and businesses create new solutions as well as a basis for long-term collaboration. Thanks to research collaboration, businesses also find experts to hire.”
Growth in Business Finland projects
In recent years, a particularly high number of projects collaboratively conducted by researchers and businesses, and funded by Business Finland, have been launched in Kumpula. The amount of Business Finland funding secured by both the University of Helsinki as a whole and the Faculty of Science has grown steadily.
“Business Finland holds a key role as a supporter of industrial relevance and increasingly applied research, and we have a number of examples of findings being transferred to the industry. Close research collaboration is carried out with a broad group of businesses. The Untangling People Flow project, part of Kone’s efforts under the Veturi scheme for leading companies, is a recent example of such collaboration: it aims to improve the functionality of the built environment with the help of sensor technologies and AI,” Tarkoma says.
In 2023, Kumpula received almost 34% more Business Finland funding than in the previous year. This growth continued in 2024 by nearly 40% compared to 2023. This amounted to almost €4 million in Business Finland funding for Kumpula in 2024.
At the moment, researchers at the Faculty of Science have almost 20 Business Finland projects ongoing, with several new ones pending.
According to Tarkoma, there is now a specific demand for comprehensive and multidisciplinary ventures that bring together industry needs and researchers’ skills and visions.
“In Kumpula, we educate top-level problem solvers for the needs of science and society alike. We are an engine of research for many other campuses too. For instance, our AI research is very broad-based, with all four campuses involved. Multi- and cross-disciplinarity are essential for enhancing competitiveness, as problems often require extensive expertise and insight. Emerging multidisciplinary themes relate to, among other things, collaboration among medicine, AI research and data science as well as space technology and law.”
A leader in invention disclosures
According to the latest annual report on the commercialisation of research by Helsinki Innovation Services, the Faculty of Science is a clear leader in these activities at the University of Helsinki. For example, the researchers working in Kumpula submitted 51 invention disclosures in 2025, out of a total of 126 at the University overall.
Similar reports from recent years have shown that Kumpula researchers also frequently apply for patents and establish businesses. For example, 29 research-based spinouts have been founded at the University of Helsinki in the past decade, of which 12 are based on expertise in the natural sciences.
Three examples of innovations and collaborative projects originating in Kumpula
1. ALD thin films boost technology
One example of the historical alliance between research and the private sector is atomic layer deposition, or the ALD technique, which has been under development by the HelsinkiALD lab for over 30 years. ASM Microchemistry, a company manufacturing semiconductor processing equipment, has collaborated with the University of Helsinki for more than 20 years and employs dozens of doctoral graduates. The company’s research unit is located in the Chemicum building, the hub of chemistry specialists at the University, and utilises the University’s research equipment.
The ALD technique, which is used to deposit thin films, is used in the semiconductor industry around the world. The technique has had its most significant impact on computers. Today, each integrated circuit of a new computer or smart device has undergone dozens of ALD processes.
“No technical device containing microelectronics would be possible without ALD. This applies to computers, smartphones, artificial intelligence, car motors – practically everything technical around us. The University of Helsinki is a key player in research and development related to ALD chemistry,” says Professor Mikko Ritala, who heads the lab.
“The future of ALD is bright. The development of artificial intelligence in particular has increased the demand for high-performance circuits. Their manufacture requires more semiconductor plants and more ALD equipment and processes,” Ritala says.
2. An increasingly sustainable future through machine learning
Professor of Computer Science Laura Ruotsalainen is developing AI methods that will enable providing recommendations for sustainable mobility planning in cities.
“My group has achieved significant results in, among other areas, optimising the sustainability of urban planning, which aims to improve air quality and reduce carbon dioxide emissions. The results will hopefully have a significant impact on both the health of urban residents and the prevention of climate change.”
Besides sustainability perspectives, Ruotsalainen is developing computer vision methods and applications with the support of the lifting equipment manufacturer Konecranes. Ruotsalainen’s research is also linked to safety and security, as her group is working to protect satellite navigation from jamming.
According to Ruotsalainen, collaboration with businesses provides researchers with a direct vantage point to the real-life challenges that research should focus on.
“Through collaboration, we often gain data related to these challenges, which is extremely important in machine learning research. As for businesses, they can keep themselves up to date on new findings, which will hopefully speed up their deployment. At the same time, they can identify experts to hire in the future.
"For us researchers, one of the reasons that collaboration is often very motivating is because when businesses put our findings to use, we get to see the impact of research directly.”
Ruotsalainen is also involved in the operations of the ELLIS Institute Finland, a world-class research hub for AI research.
“The establishment of the institute in Finland is a significant step forward for AI research. The ELLIS Institute, where the University of Helsinki is strongly involved, supports the strengthening of AI expertise in Finland while attracting new talent and investments to Kumpula as well as to Finland as a whole.”
3. New drugs with quantum computing
One of the greatest success stories in quantum technology originating in Finland and Kumpula is Algorithmiq, which applies quantum computing to drug discovery. The company was founded by a group of University of Helsinki researchers.
“Algorithmiq is utilising Finland’s solid foundation in quantum physics, computational chemistry and algorithm development,” says Professor Sabrina Maniscalco, one of the founders.
“We are developing state-of-the-art error-reduction techniques to harness quantum computers for solving real-world problems in chemistry. Our technology can significantly speed up drug discovery, reduce costs and shorten the time it takes to bring life-saving therapies to the market.”
Algorithmiq has attracted international investors and carried out successful funding rounds to expand its operations. Its partners include the technology giant IBM.
“In addition to strengthening the Finnish quantum startup ecosystem, all of this helps to consolidate Finland’s status as a key operator in the quantum economy,” says Maniscalco.
Society also benefits: quantum-based pharmaceutical inventions promote increasingly effective and inexpensive therapies for patients and can bring savings to healthcare.