Beyond the obvious
VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland (VTT) is a research and technology organisation (RTO) with a core mission to develop sustainable solutions for our customers and for society. VTT carries out research, development and innovation activities to address the needs of industry and knowledge-based society. The R&D&I activities of VTT’s >2000 expert staff are characterised by trans-disciplinary and cross-sectoral approaches and span a variety of fields, including carbon neutral solutions, sustainable products and materials, and digital technologies. Ranked among the leading European RTOs, VTT is committed to responsible collaboration with Finnish and European actors in the global context and aims at renewal of European industrial value chains to increase EU competitiveness whilst strengthening dynamic ecosystems and addressing societal challenges.
Our main activities at IWA 2022
VTT’s research and development efforts contribute to the widely recognised need to enhance the resiliency, liveability and inclusivity of our cities. We explore innovative, targeted solutions to tackle modern challenges associated with extreme weather events (e.g., urban heat and flooding), resource scarcity, threats to biodiversity, and social decline, with a view to scaling these solutions to suit a variety of needs.
Solutions for climate change adaptation are derived and validated through national and international projects focused on generating evidence on the benefits, cost-effectiveness and economic viability of nature-based solutions for climate and water challenges (H2020 project UNaLab) and effectiveness of reactive biomaterials in field-scale stormwater filtration systems (Water JPI project EviBAN). Combinations of structural solutions and the integration of green-grey infrastructure for building urban resilience have also been examined, including the development of novel water permeable surfaces and structures and deriving tailored surface filtration and subbase solutions to improve stormwater quality (TEKES projects CLASS and StormFilter).
VTT strives to support the transition to just climate change adaptation by generating and contributing knowledge and expertise in stakeholder engagement and ethics, environmental and natural processes, and creation of innovative digital solutions. Numerous activities at VTT support Europe’s twin green and digital transition including, e.g., the development of smart solutions for water management (SWIM Business Finland/Nokia development program project, Horizon Europe project Waterverse).
VTT’s research and innovation impact is maximised by engaging in numerous international projects and initiatives with a wide range of stakeholders, and by contributing to high-level assessments, e.g., IPCC and others. In addition, VTT is an active member of several important European and global networks including Water Europe, OECD and the World Economic Forum.