Innovation Centre team introduction: Part 3

It is time for the third introduction round of Innovation Centre experts. Today we will take a closer look at Kaisa Still, Maarit Jokela and Janne Haverinen.

Kaisa Still - Business Collaboration Manager

kaisa.still@oulu.fi

Kaisa’s role at the Innovation Centre:

x Kaisa works as the Business Collaboration Manager of the Innovation Centre. She develops cooperation and partnerships between the university and companies, ensuring communication and information flow between the parties. Kaisa's mission is also to promote research with Business Finland fundings, for example to coach researchers to apply for Co-Innovation and Co-Creation projects. 

Kaisa’s background: 

x Kaisa's background is in industrial engineering and management and information technology. From the latter, she has also got her PhD degree. 

x Kaisa's career has included several research related positions. Kaisa has been accumulating work experience at the interface of universities, research and innovation ecosystems in various roles for more than 20 years. The background helps to see the world through the eyes of the researcher also in her current work position. 

x Her duties at work have included also communications, marketing, HR and education which have guided her to his current role, where she now sells university research to companies. 

Highlights of Kaisa’s work and opportunities for new learning: 

x The best thing in Kaisa’s work is to see when cooperation between the university and companies is successful. “Positive feedback from companies is always great to take forward to researchers dedicated to their research”, says Kaisa with a smile. 

x “The fact that our research results and expertise are actively used for sustainable and responsible development of society is simultaneously rewarding, challenging and educational”, Kaisa tells. 

On what issues can you contact Kaisa?

x Kaisa knows a lot about competence and people working in the university. You can ask Kaisa how to combine your own research with the needs of companies. From the perspective of the company, Kaisa also provides help to connect companies with different interesting student projects. 

x “The Innovation Centre is welcoming people to visit as well,” says Kaisa and promises to tour visitors around the university's attractions with experience! 

Kaisa’s favorite innovation: 

x Kaisa has done her own dissertation on the diversity of cellular communication at a time when text moved to forms of image and video. The reflection on how technology serves people and communities when we want to share things to others is interesting in Kaisa’s opinion. Kaisa is also excited to look forward to future communication development, as smartphones are still lacking, for example, the features that arouse the sense of smell. 

Kaisa’s summer 2022: 

x Kaisa told her summer included reading books under the umbrella, long bright evenings with family and friends and casual outdoor activities. She told me this summer is her first golf summer, but she's already planning that it won't be the last! 

Maarit Jokela - Innovation Manager

maarit.jokela@oulu.fi

Maarit’ role at the Innovation Centre: 

x Maarit's work as an Innovation Manager includes tasks related to intellectual property matters and commercialisation of research results. 

x Maarit will help you when you find something to commercialise in research. Patenting and other protection methods are also part of her expertise. 

x Drafting various agreements and training on issues such as IPR are also part of Maarit's work field. You will hear more about these topics by following Innovation Centre communications done also by Maarit. 

Maarit’s background: 

x Maarit's background is in biochemistry, in which she has received her doctorate and then worked as a postdoctoral researcher at the University of Oulu. 

x Maarit has been involved in the construction of the Innovation Centre since 2019, bringing with her diverse background in IPR and inventions from both the Foundation for Finnish Inventions (Keksintösäätiö) and the university world. 

Highlights of Maarit’s work and opportunities for new learning: 

x “I enjoy when I get to work on the crest of a wave with various new results emerging in different research results. Often the emergence of results is very long-term but rewarding. A rolling stone gathers no moss in this work”, says Maarit. 

x Maarit considers it important to increase knowledge of IPR issues among researchers. Thus, more inventions with commercial potential and other results can be found in the research. 

On what issues can you contact Maarit?  

x If you are wondering that your own research results could have an invention or if you have questions about patents and copyrights, Maarit can help. Also, in material and data transfer issues, Maarit is the professional! 

Maarit's favorite innovation: 

x Maarit thinks that CyDisCo technology, developed at the University of Oulu, is particularly interesting. The technology allows bacteria to produce proteins that bacteria wouldn't know how to make themselves. This can be exploited for example in the development of medicines and detergents. Maarit has been involved in technological development since its inception. It has been over a 10-year development journey. “This, if anything, demonstrates how much time and patience the projects take,” says Maarit. 

Maarit’s summer 2022: 

x Maarit tells her summer included hiking in Lapland — kayaking, cycling, wandering and swimming. Her cat Lumi was her companion in the nearby forests of the summer cottage in Kemijärvi. These vacationers did not spend a lot of time indoors. 

Janne Haverinen - Business Development Manager

janne.haverinen@oulu.fi

Janne’s role at the Innovation Centre

x Janne has the focus on Business Finland's Research to Business (R2B) financial instrument in his work as a business development manager. Janne surveys research conducted by researchers considering whether there could be commercialisation potential that could lead to founding new businesses.  

x Janne has a strong interest in working on basic research matters with researchers and students. He is a professor of practice meaning that Janne comes from working life to university and utilizes his expertise in his field of work with researchers. In his work, Janne focuses especially on research at the faculty of information technology and electrical engineering. 

Janne’s own background: 

x Janne's own research background is from the area of information technology and embedded systems. He received his PhD in neural networks and robotics in 2004 and started his own company in 2012. 

x Janne’s professor of practice at the University began in 2018. He soon moved to the Innovation Centre to pursue a role in business development tasks. 

Highlights of Janne’s work and opportunities for new learning:   

x Janne says this one is easy to answer: “Working with scientists is the best thing about my work. At the same time, I learn what kind of research scientists are conducting at the moment and what new scientific contributions are emerging.”  

x In addition to the work, Janne has also learned more about different commercialisation paths. This has developed Janne's ability to detect new innovations. He has also learned about how different teams operate by seeing the everyday life of teams along with his work. 

On what issues can you contact Janne?   

x Janne describes himself as an interface between research and business. When a researcher has a new idea or invention based on research and wants to find out its potential for commericialisation applications and business potential, you should contact him! 

Janne’s favorite innovation:  

x As the world is full of innovation, Janne chooses two as his favorites. Energy innovations like electric cars are great, world-changing innovations in his opinion. 

x Secondly, he mentions the technology for measuring the functioning of the brain purification system developed at the university. As an addition, Janne also mentions a university-based research project to develop tissue measurement technology based on laser radar. Both innovations are in the development phase, and Janne is involved in the development of the business. 

Janne’s summer 2022 

x Janne’s summer included a new house project and vacation time with his family.