Recap on PRINSE24 - great takeaways!
“Printed Intelligence is making great impact already”
Participants of the PRINSE'24 seminar 24.-25 Jan in Oulu, Finland, were treated to a week of insightful company visits, engaging seminar sessions, and collaborative networking moments. The international seminar once again lived up to its reputation, offering a diverse range of activities, an open and friendly atmosphere to get plentiful of new contacts, and learnings on the technological possibilities and the industry status.
PRINSE'24 gathered in total 210 participants from nearly 20 countries - around 80 companies with 140 industrial participants. The participants especially appreciated the excellent program with insightful speakers, the great networking, not to mention smooth and timely organization of all the events throughout the week.
“Printed Intelligence is making great impact already” was the key theme in this 8th PRINSE. We heard many real-life business stories how printed intelligence is creating impact; some very concrete environmental and social sustainability actions and achievements were shared. Printed intelligence was proven to have a lot of opportunities in healthcare and mobility, and emerging as an important enabler in sectors like construction and energy sectors.
The seminar featured excellent keynote speakers who shared their expertise and insights on various industry topics. Alain Schumacher from IEE told us how printed intelligence allowed them to respond to industry needs in the industrial and medical markets early on in 1989, and how they could expand the business to sensors in the automotive sector by continuously carefully investigating the customer needs. “The move to a model of circular economy opens a spectrum for novel use cases right in the sweet spot of the printed electronics world. Following the visionary objective “green by design”, the printed electronics domain has, by its nature, significant potential to be an important player in terms of sustainable materials, production processes and devices.” Ville Vartiovaara from GE Health spread light on the various demands in different parts of the healthcare sector giving realistic opportunities for different sizes and types of companies. Jani-Mikael Kuusisto with his long career with several Printed Intelligence companies and currently acting as CEO at The Warming Surfaces Company – start-up going to the construction sector, emphasized the importance of networks and support of communities like the PrintoCent.
At PRINSE, the industry speaks! The presentations from a very wide spread of companies in different sectors added a practical dimension to the seminar, allowing businesses to showcase their products and services. The presentations facilitated meaningful interactions between industry professionals, fostering potential collaborations and partnerships during the breaks. Companies also showed examples of their products at the company booths, which gave another great setting to discuss collaboration possibilities. Attendees had the opportunity to learn from thought leaders and gain valuable perspectives on the latest trends and innovations.
The last session of the two seminar days left no one cold! Seppo Yrjölä from Nokia gave an excellent and well-appreciated vision plenary on historical grounds of several technology evolvements in the past, thus really picking our brains to think what’s ahead of us in the future. Business angle Ali Omar reminded the tech audience of making sure to know who is the customer paying in order to solve the right problems with the right solutions and getting funding on the way to do it! Last but not least, Sasha Pass from Playtronica connected us with a technology-music interplay as a bridge to Oulu being the European Culture Capital in 2026 (which is the year of next PRINSE!).
Beyond the informative sessions, the social aspect of the seminar was equally rewarding. The city of Oulu hosted a delightful cocktail reception, providing participants with a relaxed environment to connect and exchange ideas. The seminar concluded its Thursday program with a unique experience—a sauna and jacuzzi session amidst the winter landscape of Nallikari “frozen beach”. This informal gathering allowed attendees to unwind, network, and build lasting connections in a picturesque setting.
The PRINSE'24 seminar once again proved to be a comprehensive and enriching event, highlighting the strength of international collaboration within the industry. Participants left with not only enhanced knowledge but also new contacts and a sense of camaraderie, making this year's seminar a memorable and valuable experience for all involved. Welcome to Oulu for PRINSE26!
ps. By the way, only 5 registrants did not show-up which is an amazing achievement and a sign of dedication in these post-covid times - as organizers we are very happy about this 😊 and the environment thanks too for less wasted resources!
