Otaniemi Technology Hub

Many call it the Silicon Valley of Finland, others as the heart of Finland's Hi Tech. Otaniemi is situated in Greater Helsinki region , just 15 minutes west of Helsinki in Espoo. A stone’s throw from Nokia’s worldwide headquarters, Otaniemi Technology Hub is the leading technology hub in the Nordic countries, featuring a unique mix of world-class research organizations, academic institutions and over 800 companies from start-ups to multinational corporations operating around a compact 4 kilometer campus. Twice selected by the EU as one of the most innovative regions in Europe, Otaniemi is a community of over 32,000 people with 16,000 students and 16,000 technology professionals.

History - Where It All Started

As late as the 1940s, Otaniemi was used for agriculture. In 1949, the Government of Finland purchased the lands of Otaniemi manor for use as the campus of the Helsinki University of Technology - TKK and the VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland. First to be built was the student campus of the Helsinki University of Technology, which also served as one of the Olympic Villages in the 1952 games. Several thousand students currently live in Otaniemi.

Otaniemi, which has grown up around TKK and VTT, is the core of Finnish science and technology activities. The area is architecturally unique, boasting buildings designed by leading Finnish architects including Alvar Aalto, Heikki and Kaija Sirén, and Reima and Raili Pietilä. Otaniemi is a prime example of how physical proximity and interconnectedness foster collaboration and innovation between public and private organizations.

Otaniemi Today - Bridging Innovation and Business

Otaniemi is known internationally for ICT thanks to Nokia, but it also boasts a host of other cutting-edge technology clusters, including mobility-based software and webware, as well as nanotechnology and microelectonics.

Companies, institutes and universities do world class research in a close-knit community that encourages collaborative R&D and commercial collaboration. Otaniemi also hosts multinational corporations like Nokia, Kone, Fortum, Neste Oil, Microsoft Finland and Nissan’s Nordic HQ. Hundreds of networking and matchmaking events and activities are organized, to help generate transactions between key players and their stakeholders and potential partners. 

Toward the Future - Aalto University, T3 strategy and beyond

An all-new Aalto University has started operations in Otaniemi with TKK trasforming in to Aalto School of Science andTechnology. This unique concept will merge three top Finnish universities; the University of Art and Design Helsinki (TaiK), the Helsinki University of Technology (TKK) and the Helsinki School of Economics (HSE), to encompass new joint research and teaching programs. Aalto University's first Factory called the Design Factory has already started operations in Otaniemi as well as the Aalto Venture Park for entrepreneurial students.

The state and private sector will jointly invest an endowment of 700 million euros in the new university to support its activities. The goal for the new university is to be one of the leading institutions in the world in terms of research, education and innovation in its selected niches by 2020.

A brand new Metro will take you from Helsinki to Otaniemi and points West in 2012.

By 2030 there will be 15,000 new jobs and 300,000 new m2 of commercial space. According to city of Espoo's T3 strategy plans Otaniemi will be integrated into the neighboring Keilaniemi and Tapiola districs creating a unique campus that combines research, art and business.