CEMIS strengthens its data analytics expertise – CSC to join CEMIS

The Centre for Measurement and Information Systems CEMIS will be renewed. A new cooperation agreement will be signed in connection with the opening of the Kajaani University Consortium in a Strategy Group meeting on Wednesday 31 August.

CSC – IT Center for Science will join CEMIS as a new member. In addition, the centre's foundation agreement will be updated to reflect structural changes in the organisation and the merger of Measurepolis Development Oy into Kajaani University of Applied Sciences.

"CSC's involvement in CEMIS will strengthen the centre's expertise in data analytics. CEMIS has been a strong operator as a developer of new measuring devices, but recently, there has been an increasing need to be able to process and refine data obtained from measuring devices. The merger of Measurepolis Development Oy into Kajaani University of Applied Sciences and thereby CEMIS will now strengthen our ability to produce new technology and generate measurement technology business in Kainuu," says Director of CEMIS, Risto Oikari.

"Enormous amounts of measurement data are produced in CEMIS' projects, and their analysis requires competence and resources that CSC will be able to provide. Cooperation with CEMIS supports our objective to create one of Finland's most important data analytics expertise centres in Kajaani," says CSC's Managing Director, Kimmo Koski.

More than 20 inventions and 10 new companies

CEMIS (Centre for Measurement and Information Systems) was founded in 2010, when the Universities of Oulu and Jyväskylä, research centres MIKES and VTT, Kajaani University of Applied Sciences, the City of Kajaani and the municipality of Sotkamo began cooperating.

"Currently, CEMIS is the most important recipient of competitive international and national funding for research and development operations in Kainuu," Oikari says.

In 2015, CEMIS' projects received more than EUR 5 million in national and more than EUR 1 million in international funding. CEMIS works with more than 300 corporate partners and customers a year, with annual corporate funding totalling nearly EUR 1 million.

All in all, CEMIS has already developed more than 20 commercial inventions, and more than 10 new companies have been established.

A strong cluster of technology and data expertise in Kajaani

CEMIS focuses on developing application areas that are important on a national scale. One of the key targets is online measuring solutions for the process industry and environmental monitoring, which already has a long history in Kajaani.

"Research and development operations in the field have been strengthened and cooperation developed so that CEMIS is now involved in several projects that receive national and international funding. Several developed technologies have been commercialised in existing companies. New companies have also been established, such as Meoline Oy, which specialises in measuring traces of metal in water," says Matti Sarén, Vice Rector for Cooperation Affairs at the University of Oulu.

CEMIS also focuses on, for example, game and simulator solutions, and research into measuring and testing methods for sports and wellbeing.

"In Vuokatti, Jyväskylä University's Sports Technology Unit in cooperation with other CEMIS operators has been able to develop a unique testing environment for athletes and sports equipment that is attracting increasing international interest. This supports the development of the municipality of Sotkamo in a great way," says the Municipal Manager of Sotkamo, Mika Kilpeläinen.

"Kajaani University of Applied Sciences has wished to be a strong operator in CEMIS from the start. Our training in the game and simulation industry has already achieved a recognised position both nationally and internationally. Annually, the training attracts a large number of applicants throughout Finland. In accordance with their role, Kajaani University of Applied Sciences has also been involved in promoting the commercialisation of technologies developed in CEMIS and the development of companies in the Kainuu region. A fine example of this is CSE Entertainment Oy that was founded by employees who previously worked in CEMIS' projects. The company develops simulator solutions for well-being and driving instruction purposes and is undergoing strong international growth. The local industry and commerce and its internationalisation are important to us, and we have recently worked hard in order to develop the technology and education exports of Kainuu-based operators to Latin America," says the President of Kajaani University of Applied Sciences, Turo Kilpeläinen.

Focus on cleantech, well-being technology and developing international business operations

"CEMIS continues with their ambitious objectives of which the most important are creating new business operations and clear increase in international R&D cooperation and funding. We will continue to make the cooperation between CEMIS operators closer," Oikari says.

CEMIS will focus on three main areas: online measurement solutions for the needs of the process industry, in particular bioeconomy and the mining industry and environment monitoring (Cleantech), measurement and testing solutions for sports, well-being and health care applications using sensor, game and simulator solutions (Sport and Wellbeing), and the development of international technology business on the basis of CEMIS' technology competence with cooperation companies (International Technology Business).

Additional information:

www.cemis.fi

Kimmo Koski
Managing Director, CSC
phone. +358 50 381 9777
kimmo.koski@csc.fi

Risto Oikari
Director, CEMIS
phone. +358 44 7101 410
risto.oikari@cemis.fi


CEMIS – the Centre for Measurement and Information Systems is a contract-based joint centre of the Universities of Oulu and Jyväskylä, Kajaani University of Applied Sciences, VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland Ltd and CSC. CEMIS specialises in research and training in the field of measurement and information systems. CEMIS was founded in 2010 by two universities (the Universities of Oulu and Jyväskylä), two research centres (MIKES and VTT) and Kajaani University of Applied Sciences together with the City of Kajaani and the municipality of Sotkamo. As of the beginning of 2015, MIKES Centre for Metrology and Accreditation has operated as part of VTT. CSC joined CEMIS in 2016. CEMIS employs about 110 experts in the measurement and information system sector. www.cemis.fi