Add vitality and new residents to Riihimäki

At work in Riksu, there is a story series in which the employees of the city of Riihimäki talk about their work.

Riihimäki's new director of technology and innovation, Teemu Seppälä, has only just started his work, but he is already talking about energy and plans.

"It is important to bring new profitable business to Riihimäki and with it vitality and new residents. My task is to create, in close cooperation with Riihimäki city's economic company RTOY, such growth conditions for international companies as well, that they would be willing to come here", Seppälä sums up his task.

Seppälä has 25 years of experience in developing extensive technology and innovation environments both in Finland and abroad. He has worked in more than 40 countries. In Finland, he played a central role in starting startup or growth company operations while working at Aalto University.

"In Mozambique and Tanzania, I led ministry-level innovation projects where universities were developed and business incubators were launched. Most recently, I worked on a project that attracted international growth companies to the Helsinki region. Last year, 25 companies came to Helsinki, which employed 65 people. I helped companies to start business in Finland. Now I'm betting on the same thing in Riihimäki."

NATO opens new doors

Seppälä leads three teams: robotics, smart city and new ecosystems. Among them, the most visible in the public eye at the moment is the defense industry's dual-use technology network Define. Dual-use technology means that the same technology can be used for both civilian and defense purposes.

"All technology was originally developed for use by the defense industry. This is how television, radio, the computer and the microwave were born."

Seppälä states that NATO membership can be beneficial for the companies of Riihimäki and the whole of Finland. There are already 23 Nato Diana business accelerators in Europe that were created after the war in Ukraine. The task of these accelerators is to enable rapid international growth of companies.

"Riihimäki also now has incredible opportunities, because Riihimäki already has strong expertise in defense technology. Sako is a well-known operator, and Millog is a company closely related to the defense forces. There are seven different special units of the defense forces here, which have a lot to offer. For example, last year, training to become a cyber conscript started.

The development of dual-use technologies strengthens the growth opportunities of Riihimäki and the whole of Finland. Innovations are best promoted through cooperation. Seppälä states that companies' supply to NATO needs to be refined, because there are endless needs, from clothes to information security systems.

"Riihimäki offers companies an attractive operating environment and the opportunity to network with other players such as experts in the field of education Häme University of Applied Sciences HAMK, Hyria and Sykli. We have to see the big picture and aim for the entire world market."

Technological self-esteem is important

"I heard an interesting concept from a colleague yesterday: technological self-esteem. It's certainly good for many schoolchildren in Riihmäki, because robotics has been invested here for years. Many have gone through the robotics pipeline from early childhood education to high school. They are modern craft skills that are needed in all fields. With the help of robotics training, Riihimäki has achieved a unique position even on a global scale."

Robotics offers huge opportunities in transportation, healthcare and industry. In healthcare, robotics can help improve treatment processes.

Seppälä emphasizes that he is not talking about efficiency, but that the service must improve with the help of robotics.

"Now the doctor spends a lot of time entering data into complicated systems. It would be better to dictate and let artificial intelligence take care of the recording. In this way, the doctor would have time for what is essential, i.e. meeting the patient."

Getting to know Riihimäki is just the beginning at Seppälä. Ahead are familiarization visits to, for example, the Hatlammi swamp, the theater, the housing fair area and the garrison.

"I often stop at Ullan Pakari to buy fresh bread on my way home from work to Helsinki. At home, I will soon go for a run with Milo the dog. It is an immigrant dog from Tanzania, which was acquired when I was working there from 2014 to 2016. My wife and our two children were also there."

Seppälä lives in Vuosaari on the third floor of an apartment building, from where you can admire the sea view. He praises Vuosaari's outdoor areas, where he walks, skis, bikes and mushrooms. Seppälä is from Rovaniemi, where he left for Helsinki to study political science and stayed there. And now we are working on getting to know Riihimäki.

"Riihimäki has a lot of potential to grow as a center of technology and innovation, especially in the areas of robotics and defense technology. I will do my best to ensure that Riihimäki can take advantage of these opportunities in our rapidly changing world."

Reija Ypyä