The Fossil Free Future project by Danfoss opens opportunities for collaboration between companies and the University of Oulu
Kirjoittanut Vilma Lehto
In the photo (left): Arto Pikkarainen, Sari Tuomikoski, Petri Aikio, who is part of the commercialisation team, and Minja Korhonen.
The goal of the Fossil Free Future project is to develop new fossil-free solutions that are used in the production and use of energy needed in industry and transport. Danfoss is currently looking for partners to design smart, sustainable and renewable energy source innovations in co-innovation projects funded by Business Finland and various EU-funded projects.
The project’s experts visited Oulu in October to discuss cooperation opportunities with research groups from several faculties of the University of Oulu.
“In the project, we do research and product development. With the University of Oulu, we focus on research cooperation in the project’s three areas, which are the use of high-performance intelligent power electronics for electrification needs, the electrification of mobile work machines, smart energy storage solutions and charging infrastructure, and improving the efficiency and cost competitiveness of green hydrogen production. We receive funding from Business Finland to build a research ecosystem in the above-mentioned areas in co-innovation projects, where we cooperate with research organizations and companies operating in Finland,” says Pia Karumaa, the project manager of Danfoss.
Danfoss is one of the challenger-class locomotive companies funded by Business Finland. Business Finland has granted Danfoss’s Fossil Free Future project a 10 million euro funding for the company’s own research and product development work and 20 million euros for similar work in the ecosystem. The funding enables broad-based research, development, and innovation cooperation with existing and new partners.
Towards a green energy transition
According to Karumaa, the vision of the Fossil Free Future project is to create new solutions for the green energy transition, i.e., to move from using non-renewable fuels to using fossil-free energy sources.
“However, giving a clear description of the goal is difficult, because we don’t yet know what the green energy transition will look like in five years, for example.”
Karumaa is happy that Danfoss gets to be a locomotive company in such a project.
"Research and product development not only boosts Danfoss but also research organizations and companies operating in Finland more broadly. In addition, people’s skills grow and develop, and new jobs come to the market.
Common synergy
Danfoss has also cooperated with the University of Oulu before, and according to Karumaa, the Fossil Free Future project increases cooperation opportunities. Next, the intention is to start discussing in more detail what kind of cooperation could be done within the framework of the project.
“We got to hear practical examples of what kind of product development we could do together when we visited Oulu. There was a common interest in things on the visit, and we were very happy with the trip,” Karumaa says.
Now, the discussion on the importance of using green energy is hot in many forums and public discussion. Change is also a big economic issue, where the risks are big but so are the opportunities.
Photo: Bing AI
Vilma Lehto
Viestinnän harjoittelija / Communications Intern
+358 50 305 5761
vilma.lehto@oulu.fi
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