Would You Like to Co-Innovate With Neste Innovators?
Neste creates solutions that combat climate change and accelerate a shift to a circular economy. We refine waste, residues, and innovative raw materials into renewable fuels and sustainable feedstock for plastics and other materials.
At the moment, we are actively looking for research partners to accelerate scalable technologies in renewable and circular economies. Below you'll find links to some world-changing innovation stories, both from Neste innovators and from innovators that have been awarded the Millennium Technology Prize. We invite you to get in touch with us and celebrate the next winner of the Millennium Technology Prize as our guest on May 18th.
Looking for like-minded research partners
A quarter of our 4800 employees concentrate on research, product development, and engineering. We are constantly looking to build research partnerships to accelerate our innovation capabilities further. We offer an environment where innovative ideas that have real potential are not left on the lab table, but when the time is right are put to work for the good of humankind.
Currently, we are actively looking for like-minded research partners in the following areas: conversion technologies for fuels, chemicals, and polymers from scalable renewable and circular raw materials that have been difficult to utilize so far, such as forestry or agricultural residues, municipal waste, algae, waste plastics, and carbon dioxide (renewable H2 and Power-to-X technologies).
To give you a chance to meet some of the change-making minds working at Neste, we created a series of in-depth interviews with our researchers. You can find them behind the following links.
Neste Innovators
Ulla Kiiski
Chemist Ulla Kiiski had a crucial role when Neste made history by inventing renewable, non-fossil diesel. The innovation didn't only change the direction of Neste as a company, but probably also the outlook for the whole fuels industry. While individual stories are sources of insights and encouragement, innovation at Neste is always teamwork. “I would never call this my breakthrough alone. None of us achieves anything on our own. We need each other’s views and skills,” explains Kiiski.
Kai Larnimaa
Kai Larnimaa was one of the first in Finland to study environmental science in the 1980s and has been the head of Neste's groundbreaking department of environment for thirty years. He chose Neste because his studies taught him that he could do more to reduce emissions working inside a factory than if he decided to shout at its gates. A critical revelation when doing the actual work was its impact on business fundamentals. “By making processes and products more environmentally friendly and safe, you usually increase sales and profit, as well.”
Henrik Erämetsä
Innovation has maximum impact when it becomes an industry standard. Henrik Erämetsä is an engineer at Neste that helped to create a worldwide standard for sustainable aviation fuel. When the goal was first discussed, many thought it would take 40 years to push it through. But when passion meets engineering, amazing things can happen. Due to the perseverance of Erämetsä, it took five years. “For me, this is not just a job," he says. "This is important for me personally, too. We desperately need comprehensive actions to solve the climate crisis."
Sponsoring the Millennium Technology Prize
The Millennium Technology Prize
To celebrate and encourage the same spirit that built the business of Neste, the company continues to proudly sponsor the Millennium Technology Prize. This biennial prize of one million euros pays tribute to bold innovators, fearless researchers, and transformative ideas. Former winners include, among others, Tim Berners-Lee (World Wide Web), Shuji Nakamura (Blue and White LEDs), Linus Torvalds (Open source operating system), and Frances Arnold (Directed evolution).
Co-innovate with Neste Innovators
Innovate with us
If your university or research organization is interested in co-innovating with Neste to create solutions for combating climate change and accelerating a shift to a circular economy, please click here to fill in the enclosed contact form for partners.