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Nominate an outstanding product development achievement – the Product Development Path Makers Award will be presented in December

Chemical Industry Federation of Finlandskills and competence
The Product Development Path Makers Award recognizes outstanding projects, experiments, and initiatives that have opened new pathways in product development and created lasting impact. Established in 2024, the domestic award highlights how strategic product development contributes to corporate competitiveness, national prosperity, and the capacity to address global challenges.

The award, presented by Aalto Design Factory and its partners, highlights impactful and inspiring product development projects and initiatives.

Established by Aalto Design Factory, the product development community at Aalto University, the award recognizes impactful product development projects, experiments, and initiatives. Presented for the third time this year, the Product Development Path Makers Award highlights the role of strategic product development in strengthening companies’ competitiveness, promoting national wellbeing, and addressing global challenges.

This year, the award will be presented jointly by Aalto University, Academic Engineers and Architects in Finland TEK, the City of Espoo, Technology Industries of Finland, Chemical Industry Federation of Finland, Finnish Forest Industries Federation, and the TT Foundation.

“A small country like Finland cannot succeed by copying others; we need to lead the way in product development. In addition to time and money, we need skilled people and effective practices. Product development creates invaluable new value and growth for companies and for Finland — and the value and significance of this work should be made visible,” states Professor Tua Björklund, Director of Aalto University’s Design Factory and Chair of the Award Jury.

Nominate an award recipient by 21 October

You can nominate an inspiring experiment, initiative, or project for the award by 21 October 2026. The jury is looking for a team or organization that has created new opportunities and impact by:

1) creating new customer value through pioneering new product development practices

2) bold and successful experimentation challenging established norms, and

3) demonstrating the potential to generate novel opportunities beyond the experiment or activity itself.


The recognized product development achievement may relate to physical or digital products, services, or processes. The award jury will select four finalists from among the nominations; they will be announced on 12 November 2026. Each finalist will receive a prize of €8,000. In addition, one finalist will receive the Ekman Award, worth €8,000, based on a public vote.

Any individual or organization may nominate an inspiring experiment, activity, or project for consideration. From the nominations, the award jury consisting of experts and leaders from Aalto University, Espoo, TEK, City of Espoo, Technology Industries of Finland, Chemical Industry Federation of Finland and Finnish Forest Industries will select 4 finalists. Each finalist will receive a prize of €8,000. In addition, one finalist will be chosen by public vote to receive the Ekman Award, worth a further €8,000.

2025 Award winners:

● Entteri – overcoming adoption barriers with its AI-powered dental X-ray analysis software (Ekman Award winner);

● Saab – bringing a more product-driven and agile innovation model to the defence industry;

● Betolar – reimagining sustainable concrete production through data-driven, low-carbon material development;

● Uute Scientific – advancing customer-driven iteration in microbial extract development across industries.

“The winners of the Product Development Path Makers are great examples of how important agile development and collaboration are in product development. The journey from idea to innovation is long and complex, and product developers must be able to inspire others to join in the change,” says Björklund.

Nominations can be submitted from 28 August to 21 October 2026 on the award website: www.adf.fi/award

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