Category: english

The Foundation for Finnish Inventions has developed an online innovation contest platform, in which people can organize self-funded contests. The goal is to stimulate innovation and the development of inventions, and to encourage the unveiling of early-stage ideas. 

The platform enables people and organizations to hold their own contests, invite innovators to participate in them, and bring in their own judges to evaluate the ideas submitted by the innovators. The platform enables the evaluation, encouragement, and development of multidisciplinary ideas to satisfy the needs of businesses and innovators. Organizing a contest on the platform is easy and effortless. 

One can log into the platform with strong authentication through the Signicat authentication service. Innovators, judges, and the organizers of a contest are all required to use strong authentication if they wish to utilize the platform. The personal information and the submitted ideas of the contestants are handled with strict confidentiality. 

The platform is currently in its testing phase, and it will undergo its preliminary trial in the innovation contest in Satakunta this September. The Kymenlaakso Ideakymi 2025 contest will also be held on the platform this fall. The feedback from these contests will be utilized in the further development of the platform. 

The platform and the feedback it receives will also create additional value for the development of the Foundation for Finnish Inventions’ Idearefinary^TM service. The Idearefinary^TM is a digital workspace, in which inventors, innovators, business developers, innovation advisers, and experts can confer with each other with total confidentiality. Confidentiality is one of the central aspects in the establishment of new business contacts.

Additional information on the innovation contest platform and the organizing of contests 

The innovation contest platform has been developed as part of the Satakunta Growth Platform – Towards New Careers and Innovations-project. The project promotes the growth of new businesses and the creation of new innovations. Along with the Foundation for Finnish Inventions, the Satakunta business development organization Prizztech and the Satakunta University of Applied Sciences contributed to the development of the project. The project is co-funded by the European Union. 

The European Inventor Network welcomes innovation-focused proposals with the potential to educate and inspire school children (6-12 years old) and teenagers (13-17 years old). Innovators’ proposals may range from interactive workshops and hands-on activities to entertaining showcases and creative sessions. The goal is to awaken a passion for science, technology and innovation in the next generation. 

Selected proposals will receive grants of EUR 2 000, EUR 4 000 or EUR 6 000, depending on the proposal’s potential impact and outreach. You can find the grant application form through this link. The deadline for the application is 30 June 2025. The Network will contact the successful applicants by September. The selected proposals will be implemented between 1 January 2026 and 31 December 2026. 

The European Inventor Network aims to promote innovation and sustainability among children aged 6 to 18. Through various activities, the Network aims to inspire young minds, while seeking to adhere to one or more of the 17 UN Sustainable Development Goals. Since 2023, the Network has supported 48 activities in 17 countries, inspiring over 4000 children. 

If you are in need of additional inspiration, you may listen to the Network’s podcast, in which Network members Richard Palmer and Jose Angel Avila Rodriguez share their testimonials. You can find more information on the rules and criteria here and frequently asked questions here.

The new Aino learning library enables a new way to learn and share information about intangible property and intellectual property rights. The web page currently exists as a pilot version, whose content is still undergoing development. 

AINO will provide information about both inventions and patenting, protection of the results of creative work, applying for a model or a trademark, and the commercialization of intellectual property rights. Its contents are divided into themes to facilitate easy accessing of topics that are of interest to the user. AINO also encourages its users to learn more and offers ways to enhance one’s knowledge and skills.  

Explore the AINO learning library here (available only in Finnish) 

AINO is the result of a collaborative process 

The AINO learning library has been developed jointly by the Foundation for Finnish Inventions, the Finnish Patent and Registration Office, and the IPR University Center. It has been funded by the European Union Intellectual Property Office.  

The Foundation for Finnish Inventions’ Growth Hub and the Kymenlaakso Idea Refinary projects also contributed to the development and creation of new content.  

To learn more about AINO 

Foundation for Finnish Inventions
Email: info(at)keksintosaatio.fi
Phone number: 040 674 5004 

Finnish Patent and Registration Office 
Development expert Olli Ilmarinen 
Phone number: 029 509 5236 
Email: firstname.lastname(at)prh.fi