Millennium Technology Prize awarded
Metso is a sponsor of the Millennium Technology Prize, which this year was awarded to an open source software engineer
Linus Torvalds and a stem cell scientist Dr
Shinya Yamanaka. Metso has been a sponsor of the Millennium Technology Prize since its inception; this is the fifth time the prize has been awarded.
“It is natural for a large Finnish technology company to support the Millennium Technology Prize and innovative technology development. Major innovations often build on solid technological training and research, but at the same time on the ability to combine and question existing knowledge. That is why it is important to give recognition to the actual ability to innovate and the innovative activity that brings unforeseeable new value in the form of products or expertise, sometimes even in unexpected areas,” says
Jukka Seppälä, Vice President, Stakeholder Relations and Trade Policy from Metso.
Awarded by the Technology Academy Finland, the Millennium Technology Prize is awarded to technology innovators who significantly improve the quality of human life. Metso aims to contribute to the well-being of people by means of technological developments.
Metso in the vanguard of research and product development
“Metso’s research and product development activities focus on issues relating to energy, water and raw materials supply, which also are global challenges. These issues are largely interconnected and, thanks to our extensive expertise and practical experience, Metso is in an excellent position to create innovations by combining these areas. We aim to find ways to further reduce the consumption of energy, water and raw materials and the amount of waste water, while we also aspire to create innovations that give rise to totally new business,” Seppälä says.
Last year, 852 people around the world worked in Metso’s product development activities. Close to 2 percent of Metso’s net sales, i.e. 124 million euros, were invested in product development. In 2011, Metso’s R&D network submitted over 180 patent applications. Close to 3,000 Metso inventions are protected by patents.
Finnish recognition to technology
The Millennium Technology Prize is Finnish recognition of technology developers who improve the quality of human life. The prize aims to highlight innovations supporting sustainability and contributing to the quality of human life and well-being, today and in the future.
The Millennium Technology Prize is awarded by the Technology Academy Finland, a foundation established by Finnish organizations, industry and the Finnish state. Metso is one of the sponsors of the prize. The prize is awarded biannually and the prize was first awarded in 2004. In 2012 both winners received 600, 000 Euros.
Photo: Technology Academy Finland
