Nokian Tyres is to lead the FUTUREPROOF research, development and innovation program to confront the key challenges of future mobility through solutions related to for example the digitalization of tires and traffic, sustainable product lifecycle and advanced manufacturing technologies. The five-year-long program’s mission is futureproofing resilient European on- and off-road mobility by crosslinking industries to join the common cause. The program is funded with EUR 20 million by Business Finland, Finland’s official organization for innovation funding and trade, investment and travel promotion. Business Finland also funds the ecosystem with EUR 50 million. The FUTUREPROOF ecosystem is aiming to involve over 100 partners.
“The FUTUREPROOF program aims to respond to challenges such as climate change and increasing vulnerability of the global value chains with innovations across business, process, and technical domains. It drives growth for both Nokian Tyres and the ecosystem partners while creating concrete benefits for drivers,” says Paolo Pompei, President and CEO from Nokian Tyres.
The expenditure on the research, development and innovation work of Nokian Tyres and the ecosystem combined is estimated to increase significantly during the program. The program is also estimated to create hundreds of new jobs in Finland by 2034.
Business Finland has launched challenge competitions that fund RDI programs and projects of leading companies aiming to solve significant future challenges. The innovation program lead is a globally operating company able to make significant research, development and innovation additions in Finland and act as a driver of the ecosystem. The ecosystem consists of partner companies joining the program and sharing its goal with their expertise and innovations.
Aiming to find new business opportunities for the mobility sector
“Results of the cooperation can vary from a new innovative form of technology used in a tire to a new business opportunity for the mobility sector. It is only together we can rise to the challenges, and a cross-industry ecosystem will be needed to find the solutions,” Paolo Pompei says.
Nokian Tyres’ FUTUREPROOF program consists of four main themes: Future Mobility and Business, Sustainable Tire Lifecycle, Digital Foundation and Advanced Manufacturing. Every theme has specific objectives guiding the joint development with ecosystem partners. The themes aim to tackle issues such as improving the safety and sustainability of Finnish and European mobility, reducing emissions throughout the entire supply chain, developing advanced driving solutions and accelerating the implementation of Industry 5.0.
