The University of Helsinki provides assistance in the productisation of inventions, invests in innovation companies established at the University and helps, among other things, in applying for funding.
When new ideas or discoveries are created on the desks, computers or laboratory benches of University of Helsinki researchers, they are often disseminated to the international academic community through research articles. This generates top-level science and research, which is to say, new knowledge.
In addition to being academic breakthroughs, these discoveries may grow into innovations and products that benefit society as a whole. Sometimes this journey takes a long time. The University supports researchers and emerging companies on their journey in a variety of ways.
For example, the University of Helsinki's technology transfer and commercialisation company supports the University's research groups in assessing the commercial potential of ideas or inventions originating in University research. When detecting such potential, Helsinki Innovation Services will help researchers acquire commercialisation funding, develop their ideas, license technologies, ensure patent protection and establish spinouts.
Developing an idea or invention based on research into commercial use requires a great deal of money. An important financial instrument for researchers and the University is Business Finland's funding, which is used to refine ideas and determine whether they are strong enough to become licensed products or companies. Without such funding opportunities, the number of spinouts originating in Finnish universities would be considerably smaller.
After a spinout is established, the . The University's investment is among the first funding a startup receives. Among other things, it makes it possible to conduct further research, testing and productisation of the idea while finalising a more extensive funding round.
Typically, a spinout's early-stage team comprises a combination of scientific and commercial expertise, but the most important thing is to find entrepreneurially minded founders. There is no shortage of academic expertise in University teams. Commercial expertise, experience in productisation and other such competencies are often sought from outside the University.
"If they so wish, researchers can also support spinouts in advisory roles while continuing to pursue their academic careers. However, entrepreneurship can offer some researchers a meaningful alternative career path," says Deputy Chief Investment Officer at the University of Helsinki Marko Berg.
In recent years, the University of Helsinki has increased its investments in spinouts. In 2023 investments in companies originating in the University amounted to roughly €0.6 million. In 2024 and 2025 the figure had grown to €1.3 million annually. The size of individual investments varies between €10,000 and €300,000.
"In the cases when we have been the sole investor, our investments are smaller. Some of the investments are more extensive follow-on investments; cases where we are part of a larger round of funding as co-investors," says Berg.
In the next five years, the University has decided to pledge as much as €10 million towards spinouts and startups. This means that the University is expected to be generating increasing numbers of new spinouts and their follow-on funding rounds.
Researchers want to make a difference
If a researcher believes that their new idea or research finding fulfils the criteria for an invention, they submit an . Annually more than a hundred such disclosures are submitted at the University of Helsinki.
If a researcher has an idea that is yet to mature into an invention, and they are looking for new perspectives and confirmation from outside their research team, it can be developed further in the University's .
Not all inventions will turn into innovations, as their productisation or, for example, production scale may prove impossible. We need volume to identify the innovations that have potential for productisation.
The most important thing is researchers' desire to see opportunities for influencing the world outside the academia.
"A growing number of researchers wish to give research more impact and expand their own perspectives to potential innovations. I believe that when you start seeing things in terms of innovation, you will inevitably notice opportunities and ideas around you," says Berg.
According to Berg, there are a number of reasons for this change. Public discussion about innovation activities and their significance, the examples arising from the University and positive talk around entrepreneurship and businesses have changed attitudes. Furthermore, innovation activities are nowadays an established part of the University's strategic plan.
Breakthroughs in medicine
The broad scope of research and disciplines as well as cross-disciplinary research projects are the strength of the University of Helsinki in the field of innovation.
One such example is the life sciences. combines research from six faculties and comprises three operating units: the Finnish Institute of Molecular Medicine (FIMM), the Institute of Biotechnology (BI) and the Neuroscience Research Centre (NC).
"Cross-disciplinary research often enables the generation of very fundamental innovations. In addition, we have, for example, several innovations related to cancer therapies. It's a significant global challenge, and here at the University very broadly studied from a variety of perspectives," says Berg.
The University of Helsinki has invested in dozens of companies. The majority of these are still in the early stages of their journey. In medicine in particular the path to the market is long. However, there are also stories that have advanced further.
"For example, is developing a product that measures the blood glucose levels of diabetics through the skin without piercing it. This may sound simple, but in spite of attempts, no company in the world has been able to do this reliably," says Deputy Chief Investment Officer Kimmo Sundqvist.
GlucoModicum is a spinout founded in 2018 at the University of Helsinki. A few years earlier, in 2015, , which nanoforms drug particles, was established. In 2020 it was dual-listed on the Helsinki and Stockholm exchanges and is now pursuing to get the first three products developed with the help of its technology on pharmacy shelves globally.
Long-term funding
The University of Helsinki will continue to invest in businesses also after the initial boost. In addition to monetary investments, the companies are supported by Sundqvist's legal and Berg's commercial expertise.
"Expertise is also used to create value for businesses. Foresight and doing things the right way consistently and systematically make future investments and growth possible. We have a shared interest with the founders to make companies succeed as well as possible," says Sundqvist.
It is still difficult to assess the financial value of University-based businesses, for example, to Finland's economy. However, spinouts aim to make their impact as wide-ranging as possible and extend it beyond Finnish borders.
The attractiveness of businesses to other investors is already an indicator of possible success. In 2024 spinouts, in which the University of Helsinki has invested, raised a total of €40 million in what is known as equity funding. In 2025 the corresponding figure was €49 million.
Long-term funding for University researchers' ideas or new discoveries will create businesses that will have the opportunity to change the world.
