Technopolis in collaboration with life science service company FinnMedi Oy has developed a brand new center for healthcare and life science. The new building Finn-Medi 6 has three elements: a patient hotel, an office complex, and an oculist center. Finn-Medi 6 will be built at an excellent location in the Finn-Medi Science Park area right next to the Tampere University Hospital, the Tampere University of Applied Sciences and the Tampere University.

All three project phases will start simultaneously in May 2010. The life sciences center is scheduled to be completed late in 2011. Finn-Medi 6 will also include parking space for approximately 150 vehicles.

The oculist center facilities will be leased by the Joint Municipal Authority of the Pirkanmaa Hospital District (PSHP) and the patient hotel by Norlandia Care Oy. The 2,000 square meter office complex will be leased to several tenants. Marketing of these premises will start immediately.

 

Satu Eskelinen, Director of Technopolis Tampere, is satisfied with the deal: “The new type of life sciences center will serve all the parties in the region, including consumers, researchers, nursing staff and educational institutions as well as high-tech companies and experts. I am truly pleased with the fact that the people in Tampere have the courage to invest in a new type of business concept, the unique competence available in the region, and innovative academic key sectors despite the current economic downswing,” Eskelinen says.

 

Ole Ursin-Smith, COO of the patient hotel tenant Norlandia Care Oy, is also enthusiastic about the potential of the new campus: “Our service concept is the first of its kind in Finland, and we are truly excited. Our collaboration with FinnMedi Oy convinced us that Tampere is an excellent location to launch our patient hotel concept in Finland. Finn-Medi Science Park will provide ample opportunities for innovative collaboration with new partners.”

 

“Norlandia Care`s concept focuses on salutogenesis (health promotion), and our concept has shown that a patient hotel provides guests with security, privacy, their next of kin an opportunity to stay close to their loved one, and decreases traveling costs. The hotel environment is also comfortable and relaxing - such an environment will help patients recover more quickly while allowing them to feel secure that the hospital is right next door. The hotel will be an alternative to the traditional city hotels, and we promise that standards will equal anyone’s expectation” Ole Ursin-Smith says.

 

Rauno Ihalainen, the director of the Joint Municipal Authority of the Pirkanmaa Hospital District (PSHP) believes that the patient hotel will be a totally new possibility for the patients for pre and post operational follow-up and rehabilitation:”Services for consumers, healthcare experts and researchers will be available under the same roof. This is a wonderful opportunity to create new business models and further develop the business. The new and innovative operational methods of the oculist center will increase the profitability of healthcare service processes, improve its quality, and also improve its cost-effectiveness.”

 

Additional information:

FinnMedi Oy, Matti Eskola, CEO, Tel. +358 40 557 5355

Norlandia Care Oy, Ole Ursin-Smith, COO, Tel. +47 900 63 595

Technopolis Plc, Satu Eskelinen, Director of Technopolis Tampere, Tel. +358 50 655 70

 

FIT Biotech has developed a proprietary GTU® (Gene Transport Unit) – technology that is now being used in developing a more efficient vaccine against tuberculosis. Dr. Jelle Thole of Tuberculosis Vaccine Initiative – foundation emphasized in his presentation at the VIII National Tuberculosis Day that the current BCG-vaccine is not effective nor safe enough to combat the global challenge. TBVI has chosen FIT Biotech’s vaccine technology in its development program aiming at developing a new and more effective TB-vaccine as well as at eliminating tuberculosis by 2050.

 

GTU®-vector technology developed and patented by FIT Biotech is well suited for a TB-vaccine. The new vaccine under development does not contain any live bacteria but is based on immune response induced by genes of mycobacterial origin. A DNA-vaccine using GTU®-technology elicits a long-lasting cell mediated immunity. FIT Biotech is one of the leading companies in DNA-technology and FIT has advanced to clinical trials in HIV-vaccine development  In addition to enabling development of a safe vaccine, FIT Biotech’s technology makes manufacturing faster and cheaper than the currently used BCG-vaccine.

 

Tuberculosis remains a major global health problem: it’s estimated that one third of global population – 2 billion people – is infected with mycobacterium and almost 2 million people die of tuberculosis annually.”We need a totally new vaccine to eliminate the disease. Combining novel mycobacterial antigens with modern DNA-vaccine technology may result in a globally superior vaccine against tuberculosis” states Dr. Mika Rämet, professor of applied pediatric infectious diseases and immunology of Tampere University.

 

Additional information

Managing director Kalevi Reijonen, FIT Biotech Ltd, phone: +358 40 843 5695

 

FIT Biotech Ltd is founded in 1995. The company is based in Tampere with a research unit in Tartu, Estonia. FIT Biotech employs 40 people. FIT Biotech Ltd joined TBVI in 2009. www.fitbiotech.com

 

Tuberculosis Vaccine Initiative (TBVI) is a non-profit foundation started to continue EC-financed Tuberculosis Vaccine -project (FP6 TBVAC). The foundation was established 13.11.2008 at European commission PDR (Poverty Related Diseases) –meeting. TBVI supports vaccine projects between academic institutions and industry. TBVI is the leading European foundation dedicated in developing a new more effective tuberculosis vaccine using novel technologies. www.tbvi.eu

Forum for Intelligent Maschines FIMA is preparing a new program proposal for improving the automation of mobile work machines. For more details read here.

New folder Real Estate contains useful information for the international investors about many significant region development projects on the process right now.

 

Go and check new real estate material from the Downloads page!

 

 

Finland's interest in biodiesel has increased. Tampere based Hermia Ltd is administrating the Biograde research program which aims to help Finnish small-scale producers to improve the quality of biofuel and ensure that EU quality standards are met.

 

Finland has around two dozen small producers of biodiesel. Biograde – Finnish bio-diesel from farms – is a project promoting opportunities for small biodiesel producers to bring to market high-quality bio-fuel. The project has created a domestic surveillance system on biodiesel quality.

 

“We wanted to find a suitable, sufficiently simple and low-cost way for small producers to ensure that only high-quality biodiesel is sold that does not cause damage to the machine,” says the project steering group leader, Senior Inspector Veli-Pekka Reskola of the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry.

 

“It is important that the quality of the biodiesel is uniform. The study was useful because it gave practical information and resources on how to improve the product,” says CEO Pertteli Niemistö of Bel Oy in Urjala, Finland. Bel Air was one of several participants in the research program.

 

Pertteli Niemistö says that control must be increased; for example, in monitoring the water content in oil and glycerol filtration.

 

Bel Oy has been manufacturing biodiesel from cold-pressed rapeseed oil for over two years. Biodiesel is sold directly from the farm, mainly for private use in cars. It is also used as an energy source for heating and in machinery.

 

“Demand is greater than our ability to supply. More and more customers are now environmentally aware and want to save energy”, says Pertteli Niemistö.

 

Bel Oy produces about 40 tonnes of biodiesel annually. Production has fallen recently due to the high price of rapeseed. Pertteli Niemistö cultivates rapeseed, but the majority is purchased from elsewhere. Biodiesel can also be made from fish oil as well as recycled oils. The largest manufacturer of biodiesel in Finland is Neste Oil.

 

 

In recent years, the health, wellness and biotechnology sector in the Tampere region has been the fastest growing in Finland. The BioneXt programme was initiated in 2003 to develop biotechnology in the Tampere region. The results of the programme have exceeded all expectations in investments, number of companies and jobs established.

 

The core areas defined for the programme were biomaterials and tissue engineering, vaccines and

biological information processing. “These focal areas are also significant in terms of business opportunities – and will continue to be so”, says Tero Välimaa, Director of the BioneXt Tampere programme.

 

The aim of the BioneXt programme was to strengthen the region’s internationally-competitive biotechnology community, with sustained activities extending to 2010; and to achieve up to € 100 million in investment in the development of biotechnology in the Tampere region between 2003 and 2010.

 

The programme has significantly exceeded its goal. By the end of 2009, investments were almost three-fold the original aim, totalling some € 270 million.

 

During the BioneXt programme, 49 new health technology companies and 2,474 new jobs have been established in the Tampere region. A total of 336 new companies have been established in the health and wellness sector. The region’s wellness and health technology cluster provides some 30,000 jobs.

 

The BioneXt development programme has succeeded particularly well in attracting investors. Investments of close to € 40 million have been obtained for start-up companies. A network of some 60 investors has been created, to whom Finnish companies are regularly presented. The programme has also arranged meetings between companies and investors and invited representatives from large pharmaceutical companies to meet these companies in Tampere.

 

BioneXt embarked on a mission to cross traditional boundaries with unique business and operating models, setting out to do something new. “It’s essential to look towards the long-term,” Tero Välimaa says, summarising the vision of BioneXt and the future. “In its strong fields, Tampere is an attractive centre at the international cutting edge, which draws researchers and health tourists. Large and small companies come here too, because they want to conduct research and product development either alone or in cooperation with existing companies. Tampere could also provide a pilot environment when developing new operating models.”

 

The biotechnology degree programmes at the University of Tampere (UTA) and Tampere University of Technology (TUT) have together produced a bioscience curriculum that is both nationally and internationally unique. The curriculum links the possibilities of natural and engineering sciences with medicine in an exceptionally multidisciplinary manner.

 

Demand for eye services rises with demographic ageing, driving greater need for uniform practices and the prioritisation of treatment. Tampere region’s new Eye Centre will be launched in Spring 2010, and the first patients will be received in January 2012.

 

The Eye Centre will concentrate on the examination and treatment of eye diseases currently performed at Tampere University Hospital. The Centre is designed to cope annually with 40,000 episodes of care, but the facilities are designed to adjust to patient volume. The centralisation of treatment, new methods and care practices will also improve the hospital’s prospects for scientific research cooperation with the Tampere-based Research and Development Centre for Ophthalmic Innovations, SILK.

 

In recent decades, ophthalmology has progressed massively. “As recently as a decade ago, there was nothing that could be done for age-related macular degeneration, but the situation is now different. Eye surgery has been revolutionised by new procedures, biomaterials and technical developments, fast and more patient-friendly cataract surgery, amongst other factors,” says Anja Tuulonen, Chief Opthalmic Physician and Director of the Pirkanmaa Hospital District’s Eye Centre project.

 

“Today, collapsible artificial lenses made from biomaterials are used in cataract surgery. This means the operation can be carried out through a small incision and the patients recover quickly. Thick cataract lenses are a thing of the past, and even glasses aren’t always necessary. Viscoelastic substances – which are also biomaterials – protect the eye during surgery. Biomaterials can also be used to enhance the release of a medical substance in the eye.”

 

Imaging has also developed. According to Tuulonen, optical coherence tomography has raised the diagnostics of retinal diseases to an entirely new level.

 

“Our system continuously produces new diagnostic methods and therapies, but we can’t afford to use them all on a daily basis. This is why healthcare professionals, patients and decision-makers need to jointly agree on sufficient means when aiming to identify those at greatest risk of losing their eyesight, whilst also satisfactorily charting the eye health of others”, says Anja Tuulonen, Chief Opthalmic Physician and Director of the Pirkanmaa Hospital District’s Eye Centre project.

 

Tuulonen also emphasises that comprehensive scientific evidence is required when prioritising examinations and treatments. This is why the Eye Centre will undertake research into health economics and leadership in addition to research into new eye disease treatments and diagnostics.

 

 

 

In many countries, gas-fuelled cars are becoming more and more popular. In Tampere, the GasHighWay project is contributing to producing gas cars, a gas refuelling station network and the production of biogas.

 

Pekka Parkkonen has 80,000 km of experience in driving the VW Caddy Ecofuel gas car. According to his experience, usability was good, and the operating range of a single 26 kg tank was up to 500 km. Fuel prices have stayed around € 6/100 km when driving carefully. Currently, natural gas as a fuel is not taxed. One kilogram of natural gas is equivalent to about 1.55 litres of normal petrol.

 

VW Auto Group's representative Toni Nieminen says that the engines are designed specifically for gas use, and consumption figures have been reduced thanks to comprehensive product development. When the VW TSI Ecofuel model is filled with 21 kilograms of natural gas and 31 litres of petrol, the combined use of a single tank gives an operating range as high as 900 km.

 

The gas tank does not take up any more room than a traditional tank, so the space inside the car will remain the same. Gas tanks are safer than petrol tanks, for example in collisions.

 

Natural gas provides the car with the same power as conventional fuels, and maintenance costs are also comparable. Retrofitting conventional cars is also becoming more common, costing between € 2,500-3,000.

 

Currently in Finland, there are 12 natural gas fuelling stations and also four under construction or at the licensing stage. The aim for the future is to achieve a network of 30 stations. The city of Tampere has one refuelling point. In addition, private refuelling stations are one technical possibility, when there is a natural gas pipeline in the vicinity.

 

The short-term goal is to distribute clean biogas through the natural gas fuel network, which is an important element in the EU’s 10% target for bio-based transport fuels.

 

For more information: http://www.gashighway.net