Member introduction: VTT
Over 2,400 professionals work at VTT, Technical Research Centre of Finland, a leading research organisation in Europe. Sauli Eloranta, Vice President, Defence, says that VTT is committed to turn their civilian tech base into dual use and defence applications.
“As the current Chair of DDE, I hope that DDE serves as a structure that brings the members together. Traditional defence players should collaborate with new ones wherever possible, and similarly, start-ups need traditional players to enter the industry. We are an export-driven ecosystem, so let’s operate on the principle that the involvement of other members doesn’t limit the size of the cake. Instead, the cake grows, and everyone gets a larger slice when we work together.”
What expertise do you offer?
“VTT is a visionary research, development and innovation partner for companies and society. Our expertise lies specifically in areas that haven’t been done before – the kind of 'don’t try this at home' projects. We can investigate how a phenomenon can be implemented by testing and developing complex systems. Our role is to provide support and share our expertise. We can offer advanced technical operational or development environments for companies, so they don’t need to invest in them themselves.”
Which themes interest you the most?
“We help customers and partners build new business and find sustainable solutions in carbon neutrality, digital technologies, and sustainable materials. We focus on autonomous systems, including sensors, situational awareness, and GNSS-free navigation. We are also intrigued by communication tools, like radio transmitters for positioning, radars, and system integrations. We develop specialised antennas for data links, and our expertise covers quantum sensors and artificial intelligence.”
What are your expectations for DDE?
“I hope we can establish effective processes and ways of working. DDE is heading in the right direction, but it’s up to us members to collaborate effectively. Traditionally, the defence sector has operated behind walls, but this network can create new solutions by combining capacities. Even a single company’s subjective success contributes to the ecosystem’s shared success. Trust helps expand reliability and delivery capabilities into larger export solutions.”
What are your company’s future goals?
“We strive to maintain our defence business, which has grown tenfold in recent years. We will also continue working with NATO DIANA, Defence Innovation Accelerator for the North Atlantic. Our primary goal is to support export-driven operations. As a state-owned special-purpose company, we don’t operate for ourselves or compete against commercial companies. We hope companies utilise our technology to bring products to international markets, which is already happening. DDE serves as a mechanism for combining expertise.”
