Open Innovation Challenge for Students (Call is open until 31. March 2025)
Apply by 31. March 2025.
Are you ready to tackle a real industrial environmental challenges?
The Tapojärvi Open Innovation Challenge 2025 seeks novel solutions for extracting valuable substances from waste or side streams in three areas of the raw materials industry: the stainless steel, mining, and forest industries.
Teams of two to four students are invited to develop innovative solutions that can reduce the environmental impact of these industries. By creating new products and services from waste or side streams, your team can make a meaningful contribution to sustainable industrial practices while working with industry experts.
Do you have an idea? Apply here until 31 MAR 2025. For more info check out the original call page here.
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What is in it for me?
On top of the positive environmental impact the successful teams will be invited to pitch their ideas to industry experts, and the top teams will advance to the final round.
The winning team can expect a €10.000 prize, while the second and third teams will receive €3000 and €2000, respectively.
Furthermore, winners get the possibility of working within the Tapojärvi group, and their solution could evolve into a product that Tapojärvi can deploy.
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About Tapojärvi
Finnish company Tapojärvi is a global leader in the industrial circular economy, offering innovative solutions to minimise environmental impact across the raw materials sector.
By transforming industrial side streams into valuable resources, Tapojärvi extends the lifecycle of materials for sectors like steel, pulp and paper, construction, and mining. Tapojärvi’s solutions for the mining industry include geopolymer cover structures, dust control solutions and water treatment solutions.
The three challenge areas
Mining industry side streams
Waste rock and tailings are the main waste products of the mining industry. Tapojärvi is exploring ways to turn these materials into valuable resources, such as low-carbon binders and construction materials. We’re looking for cost-effective, low-carbon ideas to reuse mining side streams locally. Do you have a solution?
Stainless steel industry side streams
Steel production generates massive amounts of slag and dust. Tapojärvi processes these by-products, but we need new ideas to repurpose them efficiently. We’re looking for cost-effective, low-carbon solutions that can utilise large volumes of slag. Can you help us?
Forest industry side streams
The pulp industry creates various by-products, some of which are tough to utilise. Tapojärvi has already made progress with some of its solutions, including producing soil cement from green liquor dregs. Now, we’re on the hunt for new ways to repurpose forest industry side streams. Do you have a low-carbon, cost-effective idea?
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