ITU is a brand-new award family by TEK and TFiF, recognizing distinguished professionals in the field of technology. The family consists of three awards: Breakthrough, Cornerstone and Forerunners.
Anyone can nominate a recipient, the application is open until 12 January 2025. You can nominate awardees via these links:
The winners of each award will be selected by ITU juries made up of distinguished experts in the field of technology. The awards will be presented for the first time in the spring of 2025.
Read more about the awards below. Lisätietoa suomeksi täällä.
Breakthrough
The Breakthrough Award is given to a person, team or work group behind an act, idea or innovation that creates something new in the field of technology. The breakthrough can be big or small. What matters is that it has brought something genuinely new to the field of technology.
Other factors considered in the Breakthrough Award include improving the working environment and/or promoting well-being, as well as the diversity of the work group. The aim of the award is to increase the appreciation and attractiveness of the technology sector as an innovative and socially transformative field. The prize money is €15,000. You can nominate awardees here.
Cornerstone
The Cornerstone Award is given to a person or work group that has made a particularly outstanding contribution to research in the field of technology and natural sciences.
The research may be recent or decades old, but its modern applications make it particularly relevant at the time of the award.
The research shows how high the level of Finnish research in the field of technology and natural sciences is and how much pioneering research is conducted in Finland. The award-winning research can be either basic or applied research. The scientific and/or commercial merits of the research speak for its societal relevance.
The aim of the award is to highlight the thousands of hours of research found behind every new piece of functional technology. The advancement of environmental and/or human wellbeing, as well as diversity of the work group are also taken into account when choosing the recipient. The prize money is €10,000.
Forerunners
The Forerunners Award is given to a work community or team in the field of technology that shows a particularly strong spirit of working and achieving things together.
The criteria for the award may include sense of community, openness, diversity, inclusion and a supportive working culture, combined with a result-oriented approach. Completely new and effective ways of working as a team can also be grounds for the award.
The aim of the award is to develop the working culture, wellbeing and inclusion in the field of technology. The prize money is €5,000. You can nominate awardees here.
