Snowpolis was selected to a European Network of Living Labs

Kainuu Living Lab - Snowpolis Vuokatti was selected to a European Network of Living Labs (ENoLL). "This means straight connections to Europe and growing international co-operation for Snowpolis companies and research institutes", says Managing Director Antti Leppävuori. The new Living Labs were announced in Brussels in mid-October.

European Network of Living Labs got 45 new membership applications and 32 of those were selected. From Finland four new Living Labs were selected in addition to Snowpolis: Agro Living Lab from Seinäjoki, Lahti Living Lab, Northern Rural Urban from Oulu and Laurea Living Lab from Vantaa.

The aim of the European Network of Living Labs is to answer to the Lisbon Strategy by building an European level product and service development environment. In the network there are large companies like Nokia, IBM and SAP operating as well as small and medium size enterprises.

European Network of Living Labs started last year. In the first phase there were 19 Living Labs in the network including Helsinki Living Lab from Finland and the Archipelago of Turku, also from Finland.

Living Lab – an innovative product and service development environment

Living Lab is an environment, where new products and services are being developed and tested, based on the principle of an open innovation. This means that the starting point is the consumers – the users of the future innovations – they are a crucial and natural part of the development work of a new product or service.

Snowpolis is a great environment for living lab well-being products and services. Possible areas of application are sports-, nutrition- and winter technologies. In the Snowpolis environment, research is done in four university departments, and in addition to these there are also the Sports Institute of Vuokatti and an IB High School (International Baccalateur) nearby. There are plenty of potential users for the new products and services in the area, as there are about one million tourists in Vuokatti every year, and in addition to that some 3500 soldiers doing their military service at the Brigade of Kainuu in Kajaani. In the Vuokatti area, there are so many athletes training every day, so that you could actually form multiple teams out of them. One should also take the amount of senior citizens in the area into account, as about 20% of the inhabitants are over 65 years old.

Kainuu Living Lab - Snowpolis Vuokatti is a great environment for living lab well-being products and services.

Kainuu Living Lab – Snowpolis Vuokatti

There is a number of Living Lab – research projects currently going on at Snowpolis. In the Physical Condition Testing Station – project the target is to create a user-friendly physical condition testing- and training station for people at all conditional levels. In the pilot project there are 107 test persons involved in the developmental process. The testing people who are already senior citizens are taking part in a study done by the Department of Sports Technology at the University of Jyväskylä, where the object of study is the decrease in muscular power generation of older people. 

Additional information:
www.openlivinglabs.eu

Enjoyable reading moments!

Antti Leppävuori
Managing Director
Snowpolis Ltd

- The advertising agency "Ajatus“ settles down in Vuokatti

The advertising and marketing agency “Ajatus” (translated “The Thought”) has rented an office location on the fourth floor of Snowpolis. “Although our work is totally independent from the location, we felt very much attracted by the innovative environment of Snowpolis, the well-known partners here and the good image of Vuokatti”, says Mr. Jukka Laukkanen. “Snowpolis has everything we need; office facilities as well as meeting rooms, reception and restaurant services, which all help the everyday work of our company here”, he says.
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- The Sokos Hotel Vuokatti already at finishing stage

The second stage of building up Snowpolis and the Sokos Hotel Vuokatti is proceeding according to the time schedule and budget. The total budget of the almost 10 000 square meter building is about 20 million euros, of which some 16 million euros account for building the hotel. The construction work was started last autumn and the hotel will be opened on the 14th of December 2007.
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- New culinary experiences from the restaurant “Kippo”

Mr. Tom Kaisla and Mrs. Tuija Holappa are the entrepreneurial couple of the Restaurant Kippo, which is located in Snowpolis. They take care of the restaurant together with their employees. During the weekdays, the restaurant offers a buffet, at weekends also an à la carte list. They also manage the conference services of the technology park Snowpolis. In addition, the restaurant also offers catering services.  

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- Journalists for a visit

The Club of Journalists in Kainuu and their chairwoman Katja Oittinen visited Snowpolis, its companies and the people settled down there on a Friday night in September. All the participants got to know each other and found that the new meeting room called “Snowstorm (Tuisku)” is well-functioning and its equipment is definitely to be recommended. After the first get-to-know session and presentations the participants had an evening meal at the restaurant “Kippo”. And as we are in Finland, the meeting was finally crowned by taking a sauna bath.

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SPORTS:

- Research focus: People. LIIMARI moved to Snowpolis

The research team of the Measurement and Sensor Equipment Laboratory of the University of Oulu moved to Snowpolis from Kajaani during the month of September. “Our team LIIMARI now has the right application environment, and in addition to that we are here now close to our most important cooperation partners”, says the Team Leader, Mrs. Mari Lahtinen.

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- Vesa Linnamo appointed as a Professor of Sports Biology at Snowpolis

The Department of Sports Technology in Vuokatti of the University of Jyväskylä and its personnel celebrated a new professorship at Snowpolis at the end of September. Mr. Vesa Linnamo was nominated as a temporary Professor of Sports Biology, and he is the leader of education and research in the field of sports technology in Vuokatti.  

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