ITRI, VTT Ink Memorandum of Cooperation

In an effort to expand its cooperative links with international R&D organizations, ITRI recently signed a memorandum of cooperation with Technical Research Centre of Finland (VTT), Scandinavia’s largest R&D institution.

In addition, ITRI and VTT are holding a conference to further lay out future plans for interaction, focusing on cooperation in innovation-oriented R&D, the establishment of a strategic partnership, accelerating the commercialization of R&D achievements, and enhancing the bilateral cooperative relationship.

ITRI also hopes to harness both Finland’s and VTT’s strengths in order to pave the way for greater entry into the European and international markets. The memorandum signed by ITRI and VTT indicates that the two parties will engage in cooperation in four main areas, namely health care, clean technology, nano-electronics and semiconductors, and biomedicine.

In the field of biomedicine, for instance, ITRI hopes to access VTT’s microchannel process technology and apply it in the development of high-end in vitro diagnostics, for rapid detection systems used in heart attacks or heart disease. ITRI hopes to further work with local medical device manufacturers in project development.

In addition, ITRI and VTT plan to jointly participate in the EU research and innovation network, while ITRI will also invite VTT to take part in related R&D alliances, such as the OLED lighting and flexible electronics alliances, while establishing strategic partnerships with VTT in these fields. The two organizations will also maximize their respective relationships with various industries and their technical prowess in accelerating the commercialization of R&D successes, thereby enhancing the competitiveness of companies and start-ups associated with ITRI and VTT, and helping them expand their international markets.

VTT President and CEO Erkki Leppävuori stated that the signing of this memorandum marks a major step in promoting cooperation between the two countries in innovation-oriented R&D. The cooperative platform created will be conducive to promoting strategic and broad-based cooperation, hastening the commercialization of R&D achievements, providing greater benefits to industry, and opening the door to new opportunities between the two countries in industrial cooperation, he said.

ITRI President Jyuo-Min Shyu remarked that VTT is especially strong in basic research, while also focusing on the incubation of start-ups. He said the close interaction between VTT and ITRI will help to play on each other’s strengths, adding that he is confident that results from this cooperation will become evident in a short period of time. ITRI hopes to create even greater opportunities for industry, he said, pointing out that besides having operations in North America, Berlin, Moscow, and Tokyo, ITRI expanded into the Netherlands at the end of June this year, further out rounding its international cooperation blueprint.

VTT, which was founded in 1942, is the largest applied research institution in Scandinavia, providing high-tech solutions and innovation services. It carries out research in the fields of electronics, information technology, industrial systems, processing procedures, bioengineering, and construction and transportation. VTT’s strengths in basic research, together with its wealth of technology, enable it to create world-class innovation-oriented technology services and applications research.