A University of Oulu innovation targets a billion-euro market by helping industry clean water and recover valuable metals
CAAMA (Column-Casted Alkali-Activated Material Adsorbent) is a water purification and metal recovery method developed by chemist and researcher Arto Pikkarainen. Its goal is to make industrial water treatment not only more environmentally friendly but also economically viable. At the core of the technology is a novel adsorbent material made from environmentally safe and natural raw materials. In several tested industrial waters, the method has achieved up to 95–100 % metal removal and recovery efficiency.
“Our goal is to help industry turn water treatment from a cost into value creation. When valuable dissolved metals can be recovered from water, we are not only talking about environmental benefits but also about new business potential”, says Pikkarainen.
Stricter environmental requirements drive demand for new solutions
Environmental regulations are becoming increasingly stringent. At the same time, the green transition is increasing the demand for critical metals. Companies are actively seeking solutions to reduce environmental impact and improve water treatment efficiency.
CAAMA has attracted interest because it simultaneously addresses several key challenges in industry: tightening environmental regulation, growing demand for critical raw materials, and the need for improved resource efficiency. The technology enables water purification and metal recovery within a single process, which can transform wastewater streams from a liability into a valuable resource.
“We have had extensive discussions with mining companies and metal processors. We are now focused on understanding real customer needs, validating the business potential of the solution, and building a path toward market adoption”, says Minna Törmälä, who works on the project as a commercialization expert.
From laboratory to industrial pilots
The technology has been validated with several industrial waters and successfully piloted at a Finnish mine. During the summer of 2026, a new industrial pilot will be carried out to demonstrate the solution’s functionality, reliability, and cost-efficiency in real operating conditions. The pilot unit has been built into a six-metre shipping container, which functions as a mobile water treatment unit.
“The industrial pilot is an important step for us. It provides valuable data on the technology’s performance, customer needs, and helps us build the foundation for future collaboration”, says Pikkarainen.
The pilot unit has been built into a six-metre shipping container, which functions as a mobile water treatment unit.
EriCa Reactor accelerator opens doors to international markets and networks
A significant step in the commercialization of the technology was the project’s selection for the EriCa Reactor accelerator programme, whose first cohort focuses on clean water solutions. The programme aims to accelerate the scaling of sustainable innovations from laboratories to markets through collaboration and partnerships. Through the programme, the CAAMA team gains access to international networks, market expertise, investors, and industry experts.
“We are extremely pleased with the selection. Only two projects from Finland were chosen. Strong networks and the right partners are crucial at this stage when the goal is to build a globally scalable business. Through the programme, we have gained many valuable contacts”, Pikkarainen says.
The programme’s main partner is Kemira, which supports participating teams by offering mentoring, coaching, and insights into business growth and success in global markets.
“Kemira is committed to the EriCa Reactor programme because global sustainability challenges – such as climate change, water scarcity, and the responsible use of natural resources – are too complex for any single actor to solve alone. Overcoming these challenges requires new, innovative solutions and close collaboration between different stakeholders”, says Tuomas Mehtiö, who works in new technology and innovation research at Kemira. “The solution developed in the CAAMA project has significant potential in wastewater purification and metal recovery. During the EriCa Reactor programme, the aim is to jointly assess and develop opportunities to scale up pilot activities toward industrial-scale solutions.”
The programme is implemented in practice by Crazy Town. According to Crazy Town expert Toni Pienonen, projects like CAAMA are increasingly needed:
“Too few research results in Finland are translated into practical solutions that improve the world through commercialization. Researchers like Arto, who take steps toward deep tech entrepreneurship, deserve all possible support and encouragement”, he says. “Deep tech teams need commercial expertise early on – business professionals who bring customer understanding and sales capabilities. At Crazy Town, we aim to offer a peer environment, as well as ideas, contacts, support, and inspiration,” Pienonen adds.
New expertise to support commercialization
The project’s commercialization is being accelerated by the addition of Minna Törmälä to the team. She has a strong background in commercializing new technologies, business development, and international marketing. Törmälä also holds a doctoral degree in economics and business administration from the University of Oulu, bringing strong commercial expertise to the team.
Törmälä joined the project with the support of LähiTapiola’s Kasvukipinä funding, which aims to promote the creation of research-based companies.
“There is often a gap between research and business where even promising innovations can stall. This type of support is important to ensure that truly impactful innovations find their way to the market and into use”, Törmälä says.
Pikkarainen also highlights the importance of the Innovation Centre in the project’s development:
“The Innovation Centre’s support in building contacts and securing funding has been extremely valuable, especially at the stage where a gap can easily emerge between research and commercialization.”
Toward an international growth company and value from side streams
The goal is to build a growth company around CAAMA that helps industry respond to increasingly stringent environmental regulations while making more efficient use of industrial side streams. At the same time, the technology supports Europe’s efforts to strengthen self-sufficiency in the availability of critical raw materials and to advance the green transition.
While the first applications are in the mining industry, the technology also has potential in the battery, metal, forest, textile, and chemical industries, where wastewater and process water contain metals in dissolved form.
“Clean water is the world’s most important resource. At the same time, there is a growing shortage of critical metals. We have a solution that can address both challenges simultaneously,” Törmälä says.
“In the future, no water stream containing valuable metals should be viewed simply as waste. We envision a world where industrial waters are treated not only for environmental reasons, but because the materials they contain are too valuable to lose”, Pikkarainen emphasizes.
Interested in collaborating?
The CAAMA team is actively seeking pilot customers, industrial partners, and investors to help accelerate the commercialization of the technology.
If you would like to learn more about the technology or explore collaboration opportunities, please contact:
Minna Törmälä
Business Development & Commercialization Lead, University of Oulu
minna.m.tormala@oulu.fi
+358 50 367 2091
This article is republished from a post originally published on Innoblog by the University of Oulu.
Europe needs fertiliser - NPHarvest makes it from wastewater
As Europe looks for domestic and circular fertiliser sources, Finnish deep tech company and EriCa Reactor participant NPHarvest is turning nutrient-rich liquid waste streams from sources such as biogas plants into valuable fertiliser inputs. The same process can reduce nutrient emissions, lower disposal costs, create new value streams for operators and help make Europe less dependent on imported fertilisers.
Fertiliser is no longer a boring input, it is Europe’s next strategic dependency
Europe learned the hard way that energy dependency is not just an economic issue. It is a political one. It shapes industrial policy, food prices, national security and the ability of countries to act independently.
Fertilisers are now moving into the same category.
Food does not grow without nitrogen and phosphorus. They are basic inputs for agriculture, but Europe remains dependent on imported fertilisers, fossil-based production and fragile global supply chains. Russia’s war in Ukraine made this dependency visible. Iran’s closure of the Strait of Hormuz in March 2026 added another layer of urgency: when global shipping routes can be disrupted overnight, the inputs behind European food production become harder, more expensive and politically riskier to secure.
That sounds obvious, almost too basic to say out loud. But it is exactly the kind of basic dependency Europe tends to ignore until it becomes a crisis.
NPHarvest co-founder Juho Uzkurt Kaljunen and recovery modules of the demo unit
As NPHarvest co-founder Juho Uzkurt Kaljunen said in an article of Tekniikan Maailma: “Nitrogen and phosphorus are as essential as water itself.”
That sentence changes the frame. Fertiliser is not a technical side issue for farmers. It is part of the machinery that keeps modern food production alive.
Without fertilisers, the world could feed only a fraction of its current population. Yet the current system still wastes what it needs most. Phosphorus is mined from the ground. Nitrogen is captured from the air through an energy-intensive industrial process. Nutrients flow through farms, cities and wastewater systems — and then society pays to remove them instead of recovering them.
Around 80 percent of countries are net importers of nutrients. Roughly 30 percent of nutrients end up in wastewater. At the same time, the ammonia value chain represents an estimated €150 billion in annual costs and around 1.5 percent of global greenhouse gas emissions.
In other words, Europe is importing nutrients, using fossil energy to produce them, losing a large share of them into waste streams, and then spending more money to remove those same nutrients from water. That is not a circular economy problem. It is an industrial design failure.
At the same time, the European Commission’s Fertiliser Action Plan highlights domestic and circular fertiliser sources, including nutrient recovery from wastewater, sludge and side streams.
That shift matters. Wastewater is no longer just a treatment problem. It is becoming a resource question. This is where NPHarvest enters the picture.
Turning waste into high-value fertiliser inputs
NPHarvest is not trying to make fertilisers sound greener. It is trying to change where fertiliser raw materials come from.
The company recovers nitrogen and phosphorus from concentrated wastewater streams, such as liquid digestate from biogas plants, reject water from wastewater treatment plants and liquid side streams from farms. The output is not vague “circular value”, but concrete fertiliser-grade inputs such as ammonium salts and calcium phosphate.
The idea is simple: where operators currently pay to treat, transport or dispose of nutrient-rich liquids, they could instead recover local fertiliser raw materials.
Europe is now flushing away something it then has to import, manufacture with fossil energy, or mine from the ground. This is the absurdity NPHarvest is trying to fix.
From Aalto University research to industrial technology
NPHarvest is a spinoff from Aalto University. The company was founded in 2023 after years of academic research, and is now commercialising the technology.
The system combines phosphorus recovery with membrane-based nitrogen recovery. Using its Nutrient Catcher technology, NPHarvest can recover up to 90% of both nitrogen and phosphorus from concentrated nutrient-rich liquid waste streams.
That combination is important.
Many existing solutions either remove nitrogen without creating a valuable product, recover only part of the nutrient stream, produce a mixed low-value output, or require high energy use and complex operation. NPHarvest’s claim is different: low operational cost, a cleaner end-product and modular integration into existing industrial infrastructure.
At full scale, biogas plants, wastewater treatment facilities and farms could become a permanent part of Europe’s fertiliser value chain.
NPHarvest demo unit
The biogas sector has a nutrient problem
Biogas is growing in Europe, but the sector carries a less visible operational headache: digestate.
When organic material is converted into biogas, a nutrient-rich residue remains. That digestate can be useful, but it can also be expensive to manage. Nutrient application limits, local regulation, transport distances and tightening environmental rules all affect the economics.
In target regions, operators pay around €10–15 per cubic metre to dispose of these liquids. In some areas, the cost can be even higher. For a large plant, that adds up to a significant operating expense.
This is why NPHarvest’s commercial argument is stronger than a typical circular economy pitch. The company is not only selling environmental benefit. It is selling cost reduction.
If nutrients can be recovered on site, a biogas plant can reduce transport, lower its nutrient burden, improve compliance and create a usable fertiliser input from a stream that would otherwise cost money to manage.
The potential customer base is not small. NPHarvest identifies around 20,000 wastewater treatment plants and 20,000 biogas plants in Europe, alongside millions of farms that generate nutrient-rich liquid side streams. Across wastewater treatment, biogas and animal farms, the company estimates its European serviceable market at more than €30 billion by 2030.
One demo, and the market came to look
NPHarvest’s next important proof point is in Germany.
In spring 2026, the company deployed a 20 cubic metre per day demonstration unit at a biogas plant in Lower Saxony. The location matters. Germany is Europe’s largest biogas market, with thousands of plants facing rising pressure to manage digestate more efficiently.
The unit processes liquid digestate in a real operating environment. According to NPHarvest, the early results have been strong, and external laboratory checks have supported the company’s internal analysis.
After deploying the German demo, more than 20 potential customers lined up to visit the site. For a technology still at the beginning of commercial scale-up, that is a strong market signal.
In deep tech, real traction rarely looks like noise. It looks like customers showing up at an industrial site to see whether the system can solve their problem. That is now happening with NPHarvest.
Biogas operators do not need another abstract sustainability concept. They need a practical answer to rising digestate management costs, tightening nutrient regulation and the pressure to turn waste streams into something useful.
NPHarvest ran a real-world demo, and the sector noticed.
Europe is now looking for exactly this kind of solution
NPHarvest’s timing is unusually good. EU fertiliser policy is being pushed by several forces at once. Europe wants to reduce dependency on fertilisers from politically risky sources. Fertiliser trade is exposed to geopolitical shocks and shipping disruptions. At the same time, nutrient regulation is pushing wastewater and biogas operators away from simple disposal and towards recovery, reuse and circular nutrient management.
For NPHarvest, this means the market is not driven only by voluntary sustainability commitments. It is driven by cost, regulation, food security and geopolitics.
A good deep tech company usually needs three things: a large problem, a technical edge and a market that is ready to change. NPHarvest appears to be reaching the point where those three are beginning to align.
NPHarvest end products (photo Jari Härkönen)
Scaling from pilot to market with EriCa Reactor
NPHarvest is also part of the first EriCa Reactor cohort. The programme is organized by Crazy Town at EriCa Green Chemistry Park, with industrial partner Kemira supporting startups and research-based teams working on clean water, green chemistry and industrial sustainability.
The fit is clear. Nutrient recovery sits at the intersection of water, chemistry, industrial side streams and scalable infrastructure. For NPHarvest, the value of a programme like EriCa Reactor is not generic mentoring. It is access to conversations where the technology can be tested against industrial realities: process integration, chemical use, product quality, customer value, regulation and the wider value chain.
That matters because nutrient recovery is not just a machine sale. It touches operations, logistics, fertiliser markets, environmental compliance and industrial procurement.
Collaborating with dedicated hosts and coaches helps the team understand how the solution integrates into real-world industrial processes, and what is needed to move from pilot to market.
Those are the places where deep tech companies either scale or get stuck.
The next step: a €4 million seed round
NPHarvest is now targeting a €4 million seed round in 2026 to build its delivery organisation and commercial capability for the first full-scale installations.
The round is intended to help the company move from validated technology to repeatable deployment. That means delivering permanent units, improving unit economics, increasing the value of recovered nutrient products, growing the sales team and accelerating market entry through local expert partners.
For investors, the question is not whether nutrient recovery is becoming relevant. Regulation, fertiliser security and biogas economics are already pushing the market in that direction. The question is who can turn that pressure into working infrastructure.
That makes NPHarvest relevant to three audiences now.
- First, biogas plants, wastewater treatment facilities, farms and industrial operators with concentrated nutrient-rich side streams and rising disposal costs.
- Second, industrial partners who can support product quality, downstream processing, fertiliser market access, distribution or system deployment.
- Third, investors who understand deep tech and business field NPHarvest is operating in
Unlike many deep tech companies, NPHarvest is in a position to scale quickly thanks to strong market traction and an existing distributor network in its target markets. The company can build a defensible position as regulation, infrastructure and market timing increasingly move in the same direction.
NPHarvest is not solving a niche wastewater problem. It is making waste streams part of Europe’s fertiliser independence.
NPHarvest will be at the EriCa Reactor Demo Day on August 20, 2026 and team can be contacted at https://www.npharvest.fi/
EriCa Reactor Demo Day: Clean Water - 20.8.2026
20.8.2026, 14.00 - 17.00 at EriCa Green Chemistry Park, Malleniuksenkatu 1, Espoo
EriCa Reactor Demo Day brings together deep tech startups, research-based spin-offs, industry experts, investors and ecosystem partners.
The first EriCa Reactor cohort started in March 2026 with seven teams from five countries. Each team is developing a solution that addresses a different part of the global water challenge - from detecting trace contaminants and monitoring water quality to recovering nutrients and turning industrial waste streams into valuable resources.
During the program, the teams have worked with Kemira, investors and ecosystem partners to sharpen their value propositions, explore industrial use cases, prepare for scaling, and identify where their technologies could create real market value.
Demo Day is the moment to hear what the teams have learned, where their solutions are heading, and what kind of partners, customers, investors and collaborators they are looking for next.
The event will also introduce the next EriCa Reactor cohort, which focuses on enabling circularity with new sustainable packaging solutions.
WHO SHOULD JOIN?
This event is for investors, industrial companies, researchers, ecosystem builders and public-sector actors interested in water technologies, deep tech commercialization, and industry-startup collaboration. We want you to meet our teams.
Also, those with interest in enabling circularity with sustainable packaging solutions are also welcome to hear about the second cohort among the first.
AGENDA
14:00 - Arrivals
14:15 - Opening words
Welcome and introduction to EriCa Reactor and Demo Day.
EriCa Reactor Cohort 1: Clean Water teams
Presentations from the first cohort teams working on clean water technologies.
Next EriCa Reactor cohort: Enabling circularity in fiber-based renewable packaging
A look at what comes next and how new teams can join the program.
Networking: Meet the teams, Kemira and ecosystem partners.
After work: Informal continuation for conversations and new connections.
Event ends at 17:00
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Participating teams in Cohort 1
Anferra, Sweden
CAAMA / University of Oulu, Finland
Countertrace, USA
NPHarvest, Finland
P-Agro Minerals, Latvia
Spectromarine, Netherlands / Latvia
Wellmatix, South Korea
EriCa Reactor is implemented by Crazy Town in partnership with Kemira.
Register to the event below
Shared Labs at Crazy Town EriCa
Innovation and entrepreneurship require the right mix of:
- resources and infrastructure
- skills and expertise
- connections, partners and customers
- a supportive environment to keep moving forward
Coworking hubs have traditionally offered these for entrepreneurs and professionals working with laptops. But in deep tech, sustainability and chemistry-based development, progress ultimately depends on something very concrete:
You need a place to do research and development. A lab.
Crazy Town EriCa at EriCa Green Chemistry Park makes it possible for any kind of team, regardless of their stage or capital, to have access to labs with our shared labs service.
Shared Labs as a service
Shared Labs by Crazy Town EriCa gives you access to a professional lab environment without the need to build one yourself.
We combine:
- laboratory facilities, used by multiple teams and companies
- workspaces and meeting environments
- community-driven business development
Instead of building your own lab, you
- access ready infrastructure
- start immediately
- avoid upfront investment, risk before validation
- scale or downgrade when needed
- focus on building your solution without being slowed down by maintaining infrastructure.
Shared Labs at Crazy Town EriCa are not limited to “green chemistry”
Shared Labs at Crazy Town EriCa offer a versatile environment that extends far beyond the scope of "green chemistry." Through our interactions with various customers, we have found that the facilities are ideally suited for building solutions across a broad spectrum of innovative fields. This includes everything from sustainable packaging and textile development to advanced battery and energy storage technologies. Our labs also support specialized work in space technology, mineral analysis, and the development of alternative proteins within the food technology sector.
Furthermore, the space is well-equipped to handle chemistry-based industrial solutions as well as general research into materials and industrial processes. Ultimately, if your work involves testing, validation, or technical development in a laboratory setting, there is a very good chance we can accommodate your specific needs and help your team progress.
One monthly membership gives you access to Shared Labs
We have two membership options to choose from
- Shared Labs: 690 € / month per lab bench. Scale according to your needs. Additional benches at a discounted rate.
- Shared Labs Plus: 2 500 € / month onwards. Fixed area.
These can be combined with traditional coworking use or a private office. For advanced startups and scaleups, opportunity to continue or select a Private Lab at EriCa.
What you get at Shared Labs?
Laboratory infrastructure
- Fume hoods
- Workbenches
- Cold, warm and RO water
- Compressed air and nitrogen supply
- Safety systems and chemical storage
Equipment and facilities
- Refrigerators and freezers
- Laboratory scale
- Fire safety cabinets
- Corrosive storage / acid–base cabinets
- Instrument washers and drying cabinets
Services
- Gases based on usage
- Maintenance and cleaning based on usage
- 24/7 access to the laboratory
Workspace and environment
- 24/7 access to Crazy Town EriCa coworking floor
- Professional address and HQ-level environment
- Access to Meeting Hub for customer, partner and stakeholder meetings
How does it compare to alternatives?
How to get started?
Getting started begins with seeing the concept in practice, which is why we recommend booking a tour as your very first step.
Before you arrive, take a moment to define your specific needs. You should be clear about what stage your business is in, why you need a lab, and how frequently you’ll use it. Consider the technical requirements of your development, such as specific equipment needs, including whether you plan to bring your own, and how your team balances time between the lab and the office. Being prepared to describe your roadmap and business goals will help tailor the experience to you.
Once you have a clear picture of your requirements, visit to see the space firsthand. This is the best time to discuss your specific use case and evaluate which setup fits your workflow. We generally suggest that teams start small rather than trying to build a full setup from day one. You can begin by testing assumptions and validating your early work in our Shared Labs for occasional use, or Shared Labs Plus for more continuous work. Starting this way allows you to scale or upgrade your membership as your project gains momentum.
A successful strategy involves combining lab work, office tasks, and business development. Most teams don't actually need to be in the lab full-time, so we encourage using the lab only when necessary and utilizing our workspaces for analysis, planning, and meetings.
Additionally, you can leverage your membership to connect with the community and build valuable professional relationships. As your work progresses, our flexible model allows you to scale whenever needed by adding or removing users, moving to a dedicated area, or transitioning into a private lab when your development requires it.
To explore Shared Labs at Crazy Town EriCa, book a tour by contacting
Oona Sulkunen, +358 400 634, oona.sulkunen@crazytown.fi
Pavel Popov,+358 40 044 1973, pavel.popov@crazytown.fi
On the journey toward the impossible, many things become possible - EriCa Reactor Kickoff
On the journey toward the impossible, many things become possible. On March 3-5, 2026 the first EriCa Reactor cohort gathered in Espoo, Finland for the program’s onsite kickoff at EriCa Green Chemistry Park.
Seven startups and research-based spin-offs from five countries came together around a shared goal: turning new water technologies into solutions that can scale to real markets.
The participating teams are:
- Anferra, Sweden
- CAAMA / University of Oulu, Finland
- Countertrace, USA
- NPHarvest, Finland
- P-Agro Minerals, Latvia
- Spectromarine, Netherlands / Latvia
- Wellmatix, South Korea
A shared mission: enabling clean water globally
EriCa ecosystem (thanks to Kemira’s solutions) already help enable access to clean water for over 400 million people globally. The ambition behind the ecosystem and Reactor is to extend that impact further: how can innovations emerging today scale to serve billions of people in the future?
Each team is developing technology that tackles a different part of the global water challenge — from detecting trace contaminants and monitoring water quality to recovering nutrients and turning industrial waste streams into valuable resources.
Even though the technologies differ, many of the questions are the same. Most teams are moving from research or early pilots toward real markets, and that transition brings new challenges. They need to identify the right first customers and use cases, define a clear value proposition, and understand where their solution fits in the industrial value chain. Another key question is the business model: should the company sell a product, offer a service, license the technology, or combine several approaches?
Many founders also want to understand how large corporations operate between research, product development, and sales. This adds question: Where external innovation can realistically fit?
It’s a people game – building social capital
The kickoff started with something simple but essential for innovation ecosystems: building relationships.
Alongside roadmaps and commercialization discussions, we made sure there was time to build social capital. That means trust, connections, and open dialogue between startups, Kemira experts, investors, and ecosystem partners.
Conversations continued well beyond the formal sessions. People shared contacts, introduced potential partners, and pointed each other toward opportunities that could help move things forward.
From technology to real market value
During the sessions, teams looked closely at market drivers and industry needs. One conclusion was clear: new technology alone is not enough. For a solution to succeed in industrial markets, it must create clear value. It needs to solve real problems for customers and fit into existing processes and value chains.
In practice, that usually means delivering something tangible, such as:
- better performance or reliability
- lower costs or higher efficiency
- access to new markets or use cases
- solutions to problems that existing technologies cannot address
This adds lots of burden of proof for the startup to convince customers and partners. Participants also highlighted resilience, safety, and stability of water systems as priorities that customers and societies increasingly care about.
Collaboration with Kemira
For Kemira, EriCa Reactor represents a new way of collaborating with emerging technologies and startups.
Each participating team works with dedicated Kemira hosts and coaches, many of whom operate at the intersection of research, applications expertise, and market development. This helps startups understand how their solutions could integrate into real industrial processes and customer environments.
Kemira’s leadership was also present during the kickoff, joining both official sessions and informal discussions. The aim is not only to support the participating companies but also to explore where joint development opportunities could emerge. They will be available for teams to meet throughout the program.
Through these interactions, a few common areas quickly became visible where the program can support the teams as they scale, such as:
- Commercialization: refining go-to-market strategies, defining clear value propositions, and deciding whether the model should focus on products, services, licensing, or hybrids.
- Technology scaling: preparing industrial pilots and moving from laboratory validation to real operating environments.
- Investor readiness: strengthening the case for funding by demonstrating clear pathways to scale and market traction.
- Team development: many companies are still R&D-heavy and are beginning to build stronger commercial leadership.
Investors and ecosystem partners involved
The kickoff week also included engagement with investors and the wider innovation ecosystem.
During the Kemira Night gathering, startups had the opportunity to meet business angels and venture capital representatives interested in water technology and deep-tech innovation. Investors joining the discussions included Kustaa Valtonen (Finest Love VC), Paavo Räisänen (Maki VC), Pontus Stråhlman (Voima Ventures), Henrik Keinonen (Innovestor), and Matti Rönkkö (Kiilto Ventures).
In addition, Heli Hiden from City of Espoo, Miska Hakala from Enter Espoo, and Inka Orko from VTT introduced opportunities for collaboration beyond the immediate program network, helping companies understand how they can connect with research infrastructure, industry partners, and regional innovation initiatives.
Teams — welcome to the community
During the program, all participating teams are also startup members of the Crazy Town EriCa community, which provides access to additional mentors, networks, and collaboration opportunities.
Crazy Town coaches Mikko Korpela and Toni Pienonen work closely with the teams, helping connect them with partners and opportunities across the broader innovation ecosystem.
In the end, programs and technologies matter — but it is always people who make the difference. And they work best when built together.
Thank you. This was a great start and we will share highlights along the way.
Demo Day of EriCa Reactor Cohort 1 will take place in August 2026. EriCa Reactor is implemented by Crazy Town in partnership with Kemira.
Kemira Espoo Innovation Center officially opened
EriCa celebrated the opening of the Kemira Espoo Innovation Center on January 29, 2026 at EriCa Green Chemistry Park, its home. As one comment put it: “This is where customers, technology, and science meet.”
Under the award-winning roof of EriCa stands Kemira’s global innovation hub, equipped with state-of-the-art laboratories and talent to tackle some of the world’s most pressing challenges.
The opening ceremony featured remarks by CEO Antti Salminen, Mayor of Espoo Kai Mykkänen, and EVP, Research & Innovation Sampo Lahtinen. During the discussions, one point kept coming up: “Everyone in the value chain needs to collaborate. We need faster innovation cycles and commercialization.”
Walking through the seven floors on a tour, another observation from the opening speeches felt particularly on point: “The new innovation center is an investment in talent development. People bring spaces to life. Otherwise, they are just empty walls and equipment.”
Mayor Mykkänen emphasized that EriCa and the Kemira Innovation Center are part of Green Line, a deep tech hotspot where Finland builds local solutions to global problems.
During the tour guests found out that today Kemira’s solutions help provide clean and safe water for 400 million of people worldwide. But how do we help everyone access it? After all, making water dirty is free, cleaning it is not. That is one of the shared challenges for us.
EriCa Green Chemistry Park is happy to be part of the journey. Congratulations to Kemira and the entire team for the official opening.
“Onks pakko tulla toimistolle?”- Oppivan työyhteisön johtaminen hybridiajassa - 12.2.2026
to 12.2.2026, klo 8.30-11.30
Crazy Town EriCa, Espoossa (Malleniuksenkatu 1)
Mukamas Learning Design ja Crazy Town järjestävät yhteistyössä tilaisuuden yhdestä tämän hetken työelämäkeskustelun polttavimmasta teemasta: hybridityöstä ja oppimiskulttuurin johtamisesta. Kohtaamme upeissa, uusissa tiloissa, vastavalmistuneessa EriCassa.
Monet yritykset ovat viime aikoina kiristäneet etätyökäytäntöjään. Pelätään, että yhteisöllisyys, työn merkityksellisyys ja yhdessä oppiminen kärsivät hajautetussa työssä liiaksi. Kielletäänkö etätyöt kokonaan, vai löydetäänkö jokin sopiva monimuotomalli? Hätäjarrutuksilla voi olla dramaattisia vaikutuksia yrityksen veto- ja pitovoimaan sekä oppimiskulttuuriin.
Tilaisuudessa sukelletaan yhdessä mm. näihin kysymyksiin:
- Mitä erityishaasteita hybridityö on tuonut työ- ja oppimiskulttuuriin?
- Mitä hybridiajan johtaminen vaatii?
- Miten jatkuva oppiminen ja innovaatiot mahdollistetaan hybridityössä?
- Millaisia puitteita ja toimintatapoja tarvitaan?
- Kenen vastuulla on sopia hybridityön ja oppimisen käytänteistä?
Tapahtuma sopii erityisen hyvin ihmisten, työkulttuurin, johtamisen ja työympäristöistä vastaaville johtajille ja asiantuntijoille, sekä esihenkilöille ja tiiminvetäjille.
Oppeja ja tarinoita asiakaskentältä jakamassa työelämän oppimisaktivisti ja oppimismuotoilun valmentaja, Mukamaksen perustaja ja toimitusjohtaja Vilma Mutka sekä Crazy Townin modernin työympäristön asiantuntija Miia Korhonen. Mukana keskustelemassa monipaikkaisten kasvuyritysten ja organisaatioiden edustajia.
Lämpimästi tervetuloa mukaan! Paikkoja on rajoitetusti.
Aamukahvitarjoilu klo 8.30 alkaen. Tilaisuus alkaa klo 9 ja on läsnätilaisuus (ei striimiä).
Tilaisuudessa arvotaan paikan päälle saapuneiden kesken 3 kpl Oppimismuotoilijan työkirjoja!
Saat muutamaa päivää ennen tapahtumaa sähköpostiisi kutsun Howspace-alustalle, jossa virittäydymme keskusteluun teemasta jo ennakkoon.
Sinulla on myös mahdollisuus osallistua tutustumiskierrokselle nyt syksyllä avattaviin täysin uusiin ja ainutlaatuisiin, yhteisöllisiin EriCan tiloihin ja Crazy Townin toimintaan tapahtuman lopuksi.
Suoria EU-avustuksia suomalaisille - 27.2.2026
27.2.2026, 08.30 - 10.30
Crazy Town EriCa, Malleniuksenkatu 1, Espoo
EU-hankerahoitus kuulostaa monelle yritykselle byrokraattiselta, hitaalta ja “ei meille tarkoitetulta”. Tässä aamukahvissa nuo myytit puretaan.
Tämä ei ole leppoisa kuuntelutilaisuus. Pääset työstämään omaa ideaasi, keskustelun ja ohjatun työskentelyn kautta. Lähdet kotiin ensimmäisen concept noten (eli tiiviin hankesuunnitelman luonnoksen) kanssa tai ainakin selkeällä käsityksellä siitä, onko EU-raha sinulle realistinen polku vai ei.
Vetäjänä OFAP:in Pirkka Junes ja Tomi Räsänen sekä Crazy Townin Toni Pienonen.
OFAPin kanssa käymme läpi:
- millaista EU-rahoitusta yrityksille on oikeasti tarjolla
- kenelle se sopii (ja kenelle ei)
- mitä hakeminen vaatii oikeasti
Samalla tartumme myytteihin, kuten
- “EU-raha on vain yliopistoille ja isoille konsortioille”
- “Hakeminen kestää kuukausia ja on hirveän byrokraattista”
- “Vain huipputeknologiafirmat voivat saada rahoitusta”
- “Tarvitset ison tiimin ja ammattihakukirjoittajan”
- “Suomalainen yritys ei voi hakea EU-tukea”
- “Läpimenot ovat niin pieniä, ettei kannata yrittää”
- “EU-raha sitoo loputtomaan raportointiin”
- “Voitteko hakea meille helppoa EU-rahaa ihan vaan johonkin?
Vastaus ei ole “EU tarjoaa helppoa rahaa”, mutta ei myöskään “ei kannata yrittää”.
Kenelle tilaisuus on suunnattu? Erityisesti yrityksille ja yrittäjille seuraavilta aloilta:
- kestävä kehitys, kiertotalous ja vihreä kemia
- uusiutuva energia
- digitalisaatio ja digitaaliset ratkaisut
Ohjelma
8.30 - 9.00 Avoin osuus & aamukahvi
9.00 - 9.30 Aloitus ja keskustelu: EU-rahoitus yrityksen näkökulmasta
9.30 - 10.15 Työpaja: Oma idea → concept note
10.15 - 10.30 Klousaus & seuraavat askeleet
10.30 jälkeen mahdollisuus jäädä keskustelemaan
Paikkana uusi Crazy Town EriCa tila Espoon Finnoossa
EriCa Reactor info webinar
💧 Do you have a breakthrough clean water solution ready to change the world? Over 2 billion people still lack access to safe water. Could your innovation make a difference?
EriCa Reactor is an accelerator program that helps green innovations move from lab to market, in close collaboration with industry leaders. We are looking for startups, scaleups, and spinoffs developing clean water solutions for the first cohort launching in March 2026.
Applications to the first program cohort (ensuring clean water) are open until December 31 at https://ericagcp.fi/reactor
Join our info webinar on November 28, 14:30 - 15:15 (UTC+2, Finnish time) to learn:
- Whether your solution could be a good fit for the EriCa Reactor program
- How the program supports innovators in validating their approach, finding the right partners, and preparing for global scale
- What collaboration with Kemira, a global leader in sustainable chemical solutions, looks like
💡 Selected teams to the programm will receive:
- Mentoring from industry experts, investors & business developers
- R&D expertise and technology validation support
- Market knowledge and global scaling insights
- Peer learning and curated matchmaking opportunities
- Full EriCa Green Chemistry Park membership, including 24/7 access to coworking and shared lab facilities in Espoo, Finland
Program is hybrid and welcomes teams from all over the world. Free of charge. No equity taken.
👉 Join our info webinar by registering here at
https://forms.gle/qknHvYM8H2o1BpTm6
Press release: EriCa Reactor accelerates green innovations from lab to market
EriCa Reactor is an accelerator program that takes green innovations from lab to market in partnership with world-class industry leaders.
The sustainability crisis is too complex for anyone to solve alone. EriCa Green Chemistry Park is a hub and home to an ecosystem, where talent, startups, and industry collaborate to accelerate a resource-efficient and sustainable future.
The EriCa ecosystem is open to those working to ideate, innovate, and collaborate for growth together with like-minded peers. The approach is a people-first, high-trust community.
“What makes EriCa special is how it brings together world-class partners at one hub, with shared R&D labs easily available even for early-stage startups in proximity with industry partners. We’re in the epicenter of one of Europe’s leading deep tech ecosystems that we have here in Finland,” says Toni Pienonen from Crazy Town, the operator of EriCa Green Chemistry Park. At the heart of EriCa is the social capital.
“Most importantly, we’re building a community of experts. Innovation grows when people build trust, share knowledge, and open doors for each other. This community-driven approach defines the ecosystem and builds on 20 years of experience in nurturing entrepreneurial communities.”
To accelerate impact, EriCa runs innovation activities with global industry partners. Its flagship program EriCa Reactor helps to bring innovations and technologies from lab to market, around themes such as:
- Ensuring clean water
- Enabling circularity and material recovery
- Replacing fossil-based raw materials
- Accelerating decarbonization
- Advancing industry digitalization
The first EriCa Reactor cohort will focus on ensuring clean water, with Kemira as the lead partner
The first program cohort will run from March to August 2026. Kemira, a global leader in sustainable chemical solutions for water-intensive industries, has its global innovation center onsite at EriCa Green Chemistry Park and is the lead industry partner for EriCa Reactor and its launch.
Today, over two billion people lack safe water, while climate change, population growth, and contaminants like microplastics increase pressure on water resources. Kemira seeks to explore innovations that address these challenges. Startups, scaleups, and spinoffs developing clean water solutions are invited to apply. Examples include new technologies and chemical solutions in water treatment and purification, or digital tools such as AI and IoT for sustainable water management. The program welcomes a wide range of approaches from around the world.
“Kemira’s innovation strategy focuses on bringing together chemistry expertise and advanced digital solutions to address some of the defining issues of our time: water resilience, climate change and circularity,” says Kemira’s Sampo Lahtinen, EVP, Research & Innovation. “We believe in succeeding together with our strategic partners and customers, and we’re excited to join forces with startups through EriCa Reactor. Together, we can explore breakthrough solutions and help promising companies scale globally, leveraging Kemira’s long experience and deep expertise in water-intensive processes.”
Selected companies benefit from:
- Hands-on mentoring and insights from industry experts, investors, and business developers
- Opportunities to work alongside leading industry R&D teams
- Customer understanding and insights
- Understanding of what scaling to global markets requires
- Peer-learning with fellow participants and matchmaking
- Full EriCa Green Chemistry Park membership, including 24/7 access to coworking and lab facilities in Espoo, Finland
Eligible participants should have a novel, scalable technology and business model, initial funding or support, and an ambition to expand globally. Startups bring agility, Kemira brings scale.
Teams selected for the program will receive dedicated growth support within Espoo’s globally recognized deep tech hotspot, a hub of innovation at the forefront of sustainability, water, and green chemistry.
Applications now open – apply by December 31, 2025 for the first cohort
EriCa Reactor runs twice per year in a hybrid format. The first cohort starts in March 2026 with a kickoff event in Espoo, Finland.
Startups, scaleups, and spinoffs are invited to apply. EriCa is also open for ecosystem partners globally to co-create a better future.
For more information and to apply, visit: https://ericagcp.fi/reactor
CONTACT DETAILS
Crazy Town Oy
Toni Pienonen, Partner
toni.pienonen@crazytown.fi
+358 400 737 238
Kemira Oyj
Jenni Vuorela, Communications Manager
jenni.vuorela@kemira.com
+358 40 186 4094
EriCa Green Chemistry Park, located in Espoo, Finland, a pioneering hub in green chemistry and sustainable development. It offers state-of-the-art facilities for research and development in the chemical industry and brings together leading players, startups, and research institutes in the field. https://ericagcp.fi/
Crazy Town is the operator of EriCa ecosystem and EriCa Reactor. It is one of Europe’s oldest innovation community-builders. www.crazytown.fi
Kemira is a global leader in sustainable chemical solutions for water-intensive industries. We deliver tailored products and services to improve the product quality, processes, and resource efficiency of our diverse range of customers. Kemira is listed on the Nasdaq Helsinki. www.kemira.com