Government-owned investment company Finnish Industry Investment Ltd and Russian Corporation of Nanotechnologies (Rusnano) have signed a Letter of Intent in Moscow for investment cooperation. The aim is to co-invest MEUR 50 in rapidly growing and internationalising nanotechnology companies operating in both Finland and Russia.
Closer cooperation in investments is one element in implementing the cooperation agreement made in December 2008 between the Finnish Ministry of Employment and the Economy and Rusnano.
Both countries possess world-class expertise in nanotechnology. We have taken an important step forward today in collaborative financing that promotes the commercialisation of nanotechnology-related innovations. This will open up some interesting opportunities for Finnish expertise and for companies in the field of nanotechnology, said Finlands Minister for Economic Affairs Mauri Pekkarinen, commenting on the importance of the Letter of Intent.
Nanotechnology is one of the priority areas of Finlands national innovation policy. The Finnish Funding Agency for Technology and Innovation Tekes will coordinate the FinNano programme for the period 20052010. The programmes objective is to enhance the transfer of nanotechnology to commercial companies and to ensure that Finlands competitiveness in nanotechnology strengthens and grows to become internationally attractive also for new business operations.
Finnish public funding organisations, including Tekes, the Ministry of Education, the Nanotechnology Expertise Cluster, and the Academy of Finland will be investing over EUR 120 million in national nanoscience and nanotechnology programmes between 2005 and 2010.
More information:
– Riina Nevamäki, State Secretary, Ministry of Employment and the Economy,
tel. +358 40 705 2593
– Antti Valle, Industrial Counsellor, Ministry of Employment and the Economy,
tel. +358 40 700 4741
– Henri Grundstén, Director, Finnish Industry Investment Ltd,
tel. +358 50 431 0840
FinNano programme: www.tekes.fi/finnano
Finnish Industry Investment Ltd, http://www.industryinvestment.com/
Russian Corporation of Nanotechnologies http://www.rusnano.com