Safety and security are an important part of a smart city, and best solutions are created through cooperation. At the moment, Tampere Region is working on issues like cyber security in industrial companies and impact of the coronavirus pandemic.
Digital operating environment is growing more essential in industry, which makes cyber security more important as well. DIMECC is activating industrial companies in the Tampere Region to develop their cyber security expertise in CyberTre project. The development work will be done in teams of 2–5 companies, and funding applied from Business Finland.
– We are bringing together companies from industrial and ICT sectors, and on top of that, research institutions. This adds up as an extremely interesting mix with a high potential for innovation, says CyberTre coordinator Antti Karjaluoto, Disruptive Renewal Officer at DIMECC.
Cyber security is outsourced in industrial companies, but this is about to change. Karjaluoto emphasises that it is crucial to develop cyber security capabilities internally in companies. That may also open opportunities to commercialise cyber security as a part of company’s own service business.
CyberTre project was initiated last autumn by an assignment of Smart Tampere. New partnerships have already been created, and the call is still out for new participants. According to Karjaluoto, industrial and ICT companies of any size are welcome, and there is a special wish to activate as many industrial SMEs as possible.
– We’ll help teams plan their projects and make applications. That is, we’ll take care of all that stuff that companies often find bureaucratic and laborious, says Karjaluoto.
Companies will invest their time and effort in their actual project. To start with, they need a tentative idea of the development needs. In a co-innovation project team members learn from each other and that usually creates entirely new ideas and partnerships.
– In tte beginning nobody knows for sure what the final results will be, and the possibility to come up with new products and services is very high with this method of working, says Karjaluoto.
Co-innovation is a longterm effort: projects will last two years, but there will be agile experiments bringing first results quite soon. Project preparation is activated after the summer holiday season – new participants are asked to contact DIMECC by the 15th of August.
– For more information, please contact Antti Karjaluoto, +358 40 772 5440, antti.karjaluoto@dimecc.com, www.dimecc.com
Reacting quickly to COVID-19 needs
Face masks are a prime example of the quick reaction the Tampere Region industry is capable of. Businesses were eager to provide various solutions based on their expertise and networks.
Business Tampere participated in the joint effort by identifying local manufacturing companies capable of providing face masks and protective gear. A number of companies rose to the occasion, and manufacturing of protective equipment has been started in Finland.
Business Tampere promotes internationalisation and export opportunities for the local companies. That’s why the companies providing solutions and protective gear to COVID-19 crisis are listed on the Tampere Health Technology and Life Science Ecosystem website. You’ll find contact details there, should you like to join the list with your company.
Making plans for the autumn – have your say!
Safety and security are essential when building a smart city and require swift reacting when conditions change. Smart Tampere is making plans for the autumn and welcomes ideas and feedback on safety and security related issues.
For example, the secondary effects of COVID-19 on everyday safety and security have been under discussion. There have been various coronavirus scams, like people claiming to make house inspections because of the virus, or phishing emails. The pandemic has also fuelled a surge of fake medicines and protective gear.
All this calls for new safety and security solutions. Companies that are interested in these challenges and the potential new business opportunities, are asked to contact Director, Safety and Security Petri Nykänen of Business Tampere (+358 40 806 2375, petri.nykanen@businesstampere.com).
– We would like to know the company’s areas of interest and possible propositions to be developed further. This feedback is useful when we assess what actions to take next autumn, Nykänen says.
The Second Safety and Security Research Symposium will be organised under the theme Global Disruptions and Everyday Experiences on 10th September 2020, more information here.
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