Foundation for Finnish Inventions

The Foundation for Finnish Inventions (Finnish: Keksintösäätiö) is a Finnish foundation whose mission is to promote Finnish inventing activity and the exploitation of inventions, and to emphasise the central role of inventions as the hard core of successful innovations. It began operations in 1971, succeeding the Invention Office of the Finnish Cultural Foundation, whose work had started in 1957 with a donation made to the Cultural Foundation by Maili Autio. The foundation has supported the development of inventions by Finnish private individuals and start-up companies into business ventures. The foundation provides methods and tools that support the evaluation and development of new inventions and innovation ideas, and it connects experts in business and innovation development with inventors and innovators. Its service offering has included the Ideajalostamo ('Idea Refinery') and a competition platform, and it publishes news articles and inventor stories on its website. From the beginning of 2014, the Tuoteväylä service, which the foundation had developed to support inventors, was transferred to the responsibility of the Uusimaa ELY Centre. Thereafter the foundation has focused on raising appreciation for inventions and inventors and on generating new growth-company seeds. The foundation previously received most of its operating funds as state aid under the administrative branch of the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Employment. From 2014 onwards, the ministry has not supported the foundation's operations. Its current operations are financed by so-called returns, i.e. royalties paid on the income of successful inventions that received funding. The foundation's wholly owned subsidiary, Keksintökeskus Oy, carries out practical measures for the benefit of inventors, including peer support for inventors and training in the field of inventing. The foundation's board includes influential figures in the field; in 2014 Risto Nieminen served as chairman of its delegation.

The Foundation for Finnish Inventions (Keksintösäätiö) traces its roots to the Invention Office of the Finnish Cultural Foundation, which began its work in 1957 thanks to a donation made to the Cultural Foundation by Maili Autio. The foundation itself started operations in 1971. Its purpose was to promote Finnish inventing activity and to support the development of inventions by Finnish private individuals and start-up companies into business ventures. For much of its history, the foundation received the majority of its operating funds as state aid under the administrative branch of the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Employment. It developed services to support inventors, including the Tuoteväylä service. At the beginning of 2014, Tuoteväylä was transferred to the responsibility of the Uusimaa ELY Centre. From 2014 onwards, the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Employment has not supported the foundation's operations. Since then, the foundation's operations have been financed by so-called returns, i.e. royalties paid on the income of successful inventions that received funding. After 2014 the foundation focused on raising the appreciation of inventions and inventors and on generating new growth-company seeds. Its wholly owned subsidiary, Keksintökeskus Oy, carries out practical measures for the benefit of inventors, including peer support and training in the field of inventing. The foundation's board includes influential figures in the field; in 2014 Risto Nieminen served as chairman of its delegation. On its website the foundation presents its mission as promoting Finnish inventing activity and the exploitation of inventions, and emphasising the central role of inventions as the hard core of successful innovations. It offers methods and tools that support the evaluation and development of new inventions and innovation ideas, and connects experts in business and innovation development with inventors and innovators. Its services include the Ideajalostamo ('Idea Refinery') and a competition platform, and it publishes news articles and inventor stories.

• 2014

  The Tuoteväylä service is transferred to the Uusimaa ELY Centre; the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Employment ceases support; the foundation refocuses on appreciation of inventions and growth-company seeds.

• 2014

  Risto Nieminen serves as chairman of the foundation's delegation.

• 1971

  The Foundation for Finnish Inventions (Keksintösäätiö) starts operations.

• 1957

  The Invention Office of the Finnish Cultural Foundation begins its work, funded by a donation from Maili Autio.

A national foundation promoting Finnish inventing activity and connecting inventors with business and innovation development experts.

• Ideajalostamo

  A service of the foundation.

• Competition platform

  An open platform for innovation competitions.

• Tuoteväylä

  A service developed to support inventors, transferred to the Uusimaa ELY Centre at the beginning of 2014.

• Keksintökeskus Oy services

  Practical measures for inventors, including peer support and training, carried out by the wholly owned subsidiary.

1. 1Keksintösäätiö official websitekeksintosaatio.fi
2. 2Keksintösäätiö – Wikipedia (Finnish)fi.wikipedia.org
3. 3Foundation for Finnish Inventions – Wikidatawikidata.org