Espoo Accelerates Deep Tech Breakthroughs: Driving Economic Growth Through a New Pilot

The City of Espoo, together with its partners, is launching a new pilot aimed at speeding up the scaling and international market entry of research-based deep tech companies. This joint effort focuses on the post-spinout phase following separation from research organisations and universities: when a company has already received initial early-stage acceleration, but needs additional momentum for commercialisation, scaling, and growth. 

Espoo’s research and innovation base is exceptionally strong. Espoo ranks fourth in Europe in the number of patent applications, accounting for over 70% of all patent applications in Finland. However, turning research results into growing businesses requires long-term, well-coordinated support both during and after the spinout phase. The new operating model brings together currently fragmented support structures and provides companies with timely, needs-based assistance for the scaling phase. The pilot complements existing services and business hubs. Through the pilot, the city and its partners deepen their understanding of the needs of deep tech companies in their scaling phase and further develop their activities to better respond to those needs. 

The pilot is implemented as part of a funding application to Sitra under the Developing of RDI collaboration through experiments programme. The programme supports experiments carried out in Innovation Cities to streamline research, development, and innovation (RDI) cooperation between companies and research organisations. The results of the pilots will support the development of both the regional and national RDI system.  

Support for Companies at the Critical Growth Stage 

Over the past decade, deep tech companies have been among the world's most significant value creators, and Finland’s growth prospects rely heavily on the ability to develop and commercialise cutting-edge technologies. The new accelerator strengthens this development by linking research, business, and exports, and by supporting areas in which Finland has a particular competitive advantage—such as quantum technologies, microelectronics, bio-based materials, and energy solutions. 

Deep tech companies are scaled in Otaniemi, at A Grid, the growth entrepreneurship hub on Aalto University’s campus, located at the heart of Finland’s most significant innovation cluster. This is not just about workspace, but about action: companies are brought together and supported in concrete ways through tailored assistance based on their specific needs. Companies receive support especially at points where growth often slows down, such as access to funding, market entry, pilot implementation, understanding regulation, and reaching customers. 

From Science to Practice, and Efficiently to Market 

Support during the scaling phase connects companies with research organisations, investors, and corporate partners in Finland and internationally. At the same time, valuable learning is generated for Espoo and the wider network on how research-based entrepreneurship and the commercialisation of deep technologies can be supported more effectively in the long term. 

“Finland’s economy has not grown for nearly two decades. Where growth has occurred, it has come from new technological innovations. The innovation community located in Espoo plays a key role in generating growth: nowhere else in Finland is there such an internationally competitive deep tech community developing solutions to global challenges. Our task as the City of Espoo is to enable these solutions to emerge and spread. With this newly launched pilot, we aim to be an even stronger home base for growth,” says Teemu Haapalehto, Director of Economic Development for the City of Espoo.