Boost! New Environmental Technology Companies have Emerged in Kuopio

It has been very nice to witness the birth of new environmental technology companies during this year. The Savilahti area in Kuopio has already hundreds of technology and service companies, several national research centres and numerous testing and analysis laboratories. Environmental technology has been almost twenty years one really interesting field in Savilahti Area. Now it seems like there is some kind of boost going on. People in area are cooperating in many levels and various ways producing new business, hopefully sort of new era has now started...

The new spin-off company BioSO4 Oy focuses on developing biopolymer based water purification methods. Furthermore, the EcLa Water Finland Oy is new startup company which has created patented water purification method based on electrocoagulation. Both of these companies, BioSO4 Oy and EcLa Water Finland Oy, are heading first to industrial water treatment. Savilahti Area interested also Sulfator Oy company, who decided to move their headquarters to Kuopio. Sulfator Oy have developed an energy efficient process to remove sulfates from water used in processes by the mining and industry sector as well as waste water. The process is based on the microbiological refining of sulfate to sulfide and from there to reusable products. Fourth new company during this year in Savilahti Area is Envineer Oy, which offers environmental consultancy services in the fields of contaminated soils, waste management, material recycling and environmental monitoring.

As a representative of Savonia University of Applied Sciences, I think that this boost is really good sign for our students of environmental engineering. They have good skills and great attitude for finding their place in the field of environmental technology. These growing new companies might use their expertise someday. Moreover, in recent years Savonia have taken major role in many R&D projects by providing our knowledge for a creation of new technologies and also for testing existing inventions in a laboratory or pilot scale. Hopefully this fruitful cooperation with other organizations in Savilahti Area continues, because we're stronger together!

I wish good luck and courage to all new businesses. Hopefully there will be even more startups in the near future...