Viikki Food Design Factory does things with a so-called bottom-up experimental approach and together with researchers, students, companies and other actors in the field, combining different competencies and networks.
The third season of the Germinator pre-incubation programme starts in August 2023.
Viikki Food Design Factory is led by Laura Forsman. They’re accompanied by a growing number of professors, researchers, experts and students from the Viikki Campus. The protector and initiator of the entire innovation activity of Viikki is Dean Ritva Toivonen.
Viikki Food Design Factory is a member of the Design Factory Global network
We are also leading the Food SystemiCity.
The aim of Viikki Food Design Factory is to create an enthusiastic, multiskilled community that promotes innovation. At the same time, Viikki Food Design Factory ensures the quality of future food innovations by bringing innovation skills into the teaching of the food sector and by collaborating with experts from other sectors and networks in the food sector.
The task area of Viikki Food Design Factory covers teaching, the start-up pre-incubator Germinator, joint development of new research projects and low-threshold business cooperation.
Read more about the areas below:
Viikki Food Design Factory complements the current course curriculum and inspires students into food system innovation thinking and practices as part of education. In the future, the course selection focusing on food innovation will include both existing and new courses. By completing them, students will be able to innovate in food and food systems.
The courses piloted in Viikki Food Design Factory and in the Pre-Germinator programme will now be included in the faculty's curriculum.
The Germinator is Viikki Food Design Factory’s pre-incubator programme for food system transforming innovations. It offers testing facilities and tools for the development of inventions towards minimum viable products, expert support from food business professionals (coaches-in-residence), as well as food sector networks in the early stages of innovation development.
This collaboration focuses on the creation and conceptualisation of new multidisciplinary research, development and innovation (R&D&I) project concepts. We address topical issues of food systems, bring together suitable researchers, companies and other actors, and manage co-creation processes that produce innovation or research project concepts. The theme may be based on company demands or, for example, on EU Horizon searches.
Are you interested in developing the food system? Come and learn how to do it!
The Viikki Food Design Factory, together with the Faculty of Agriculture and Forestry teachers, brings together a new kind of course entity, the "School of Food System Innovation". It provides students with training in the development and management of innovations in the food sector such as cultivating an innovator’s mindset and understanding the requirments to become a food start-up entrepreneur. The provision of the innovation education entity will be tailored from suitable courses offered by the University of Helsinki, complementing these with a few entirely new courses.
Contact us if you’re interested in early stage food system transforming business ideas and teams, and perhaps mentoring science-based teams!
Are you interested in submitting a challenge to Viikki Food Design Factory? Would you perhaps like to give your idea to our multidisciplinary student groups to develop?
Are you interested in developing the food system? Join us in refining new solutions as a sponsor-mentor for the innovation teams of the Germinator programme!
The Germinator is a pre-incubator programme for motivated innovators who want to start developing their food-related solution into a viable offering for the markets and towards new business activity. The Germinator offers training from food sector professionals, laboratory facilities for testing and producing test batches, and a pathway into food sector networks and partnerships. Contact us!
Are you launching a research, development and innovation (R&D&I) project or a project related to the food system? Looking for partners or need clarification for your concept? Contact us!
The theme project of Viikki Food Design Factory focuses on creating new multidisciplinary research, development and innovation (R&D&I) project concepts. We address topical issues in the context of food system transformation, bring together suitable researchers, companies and other actors, and manage co-creation processes that produce innovation or research project concepts. The theme may be based on company demands or various funding applications.
Are you interested in changing the food system? Do you or your team already have an idea for a solution or a product / service concept? Apply to the Germinator pre-incubator programme!
The Germinator programme of Viikki Food Design Factory is aimed at motivated innovators who want to invest in refining their research results and developing their ideas into new solutions for exploitation and towards business activity. The Germinator offers coaching from food sector professionals, lab facilities for testing and experimenting, and a pathway into food sector networks and partnerships.
Are you putting together or looking for a R&D&I project or project related to the food system? Looking for partners or concept clarification? Contact us!
Viikki Food Design Factory facilitates the creation of new multidisciplinary R&D&I project concepts. We address topical issues in the context of food system transformation, find suitable researchers, companies and other actors, and lead co-creation processes that produce innovation or project concepts for e.g. EU Horizon or BF Co-creation or co-innovation applications.
Are you interested in changing the food system? Do you or your team already have an idea for a solution or a product / service concept? Apply to the Germinator pre-incubator programme!
The Germinator programme of Viikki Food Design Factory is aimed at motivated innovators who want to invest in refining their research results and developing their ideas into new solutions for exploitation and towards business activity. The Germinator offers coaching from food sector professionals, lab facilities for testing and experimenting, and a pathway into food sector networks and partnerships.
Are you putting together or looking for a R&D&I project or project related to the food system? Looking for partners or concept clarification? Contact us!
Viikki Food Design Factory facilitates the creation of new multidisciplinary R&D&I project concepts. We address topical issues in the context of food system transformation, find suitable researchers, companies and other actors, and lead co-creation processes that produce innovation or project concepts for e.g. EU Horizon or BF Co-creation or co-innovation applications.