3D Printing Policies and Legislation to Attract Business to Finland

The research project “Additive Manufacturing and Innovation: Technical, Economic, Legal, and Policy Related Aspects of Raising Technologies (AdManI)” is an international study that investigates fundamental questions related to intellectual property (IP) law, rising technologies (such as additive manufacturing, i.e. 3D printing), innovation, and policies. The joint research project, conducted at Hanken School of Economics, Aalto University and University of Helsinki, will benefit from the involvement of top national and international academics, as well as some prominent Finnish companies, like Multi-Print, Wärtsilä, DeskArtes, Kalevala Koru, and BOCO IP.

“We feel that only this kind of holistic and multidisciplinary approach will provide a solid foundation that Finland needs at this moment in order to gain a competitive advantage globally”, says Professor Jouni Partanen from Aalto University, who is the leader of the AdManI consortium.

Additive manufacturing (AM), more colloquially known as 3D printing, is a revolutionary technology by which products are ‘printed’ instead of ‘manufactured’, which in itself radically changes the manufacturing business.

“As AM is a comparatively new technology, most of the legal and policy issues have not been mapped yet”, says Rosa Maria Ballardini, Assistant Professor at Hanken. “Such an analysis is necessary not only to show the legal issues that need to be addressed, but especially to create policies and legislation that would attract business to Finland”, Ballardini argues.

The TEKES funded research project will create a platform for wide-ranging opportunities for new industry sectors and business models, developing solid innovative theories and new practical tools for promoting renewal of manufacturing trough AM globally.

“This project will provide knowledge for governmental policies on AM for how to properly finance start-ups, activating more private sector investment and having great impact on policy decisions by funding bodies like the Finnish Industry Investment (Teollisuussijoitus)”, says Professor Marcus Norrgård from The University of Helsinki.

Read more about the research project AdManI here: http://hanken.halvi.helsinki.fi/portal/en/projects/additive-manufactur%285f06f0e2-9c56-42a5-9372-7f8149e00583%29.html

For more information, please contact:
Rosa Maria Ballardini
+358 40 352 1247
rosa.ballardini@hanken.fi