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ICSTI ’s (International Council for Scientific and Technical Information) Annual Conference will take place in Finland for the first time next June. Canada hosted the 2009 conference, Korea the 2008 conference, and the next host in 2011 will be China. ICSTI offers a unique forum for interaction between organizations that create, disseminate and use scientific and technical information. ICSTI's mission cuts across scientific and technical disciplines, as well as international borders, to give member organizations the benefit of a truly global community. The Society for Finnish Information Specialists, VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland and the National Board of Patents and Registration of Finland are the organizers of this year’s conference in Helsinki.

"From Information to Innovation" has been chosen as the main theme of the conference. It sheds light on the significance of information as the enabler and catalyst of scientific, technical and business developments and provides elements of success in building the future. From Information to Innovation” will focus on inspiring sub-themes:

* Information as the lifeblood of research and innovation – Finnish cases
* Intelligent information solutions and services
* Creating the future – towards the global innovation economy.

The programme features e.g. the following significant Finnish and international opinion leaders and experts as speakers: Mikko Kosonen from Sitra, the Finnish Innovation Fund, Petri Peltonen from the Finnish Ministry of Employment and the Economy, Lee-Ann Coleman from the British Library, Jay Katzen from Elsevier, Jussi Oijala from KONE Corporation, Adam Bly from Seed Media Group, Juan-Carlos Sobrino from Nature Publishing, Mika Waris from the National Board of Patents and Registration of Finland, Juha Korkeila from Tekes, the Finnish Funding Agency for Technology and Innovation, and Erkki KM Leppävuori, VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland.

The conference and exhibition will give you and your organization impulses and examples of a new mind-set and tools for future success in how to benefit more from existing information and innovative solutions. You’ll have an excellent chance to orient yourself to future innovation competencies and to experiment with innovative information tools.

Who should attend?

* information and knowledge professionals and chief information officers
* executives from private, academic and government sectors
* executives, research and innovation professionals
* information service providers
* publishers and providers of online information
* management and innovation consultants
* science researchers.

Please, register by May 31, 2010. Take advantage of the early bird registration date by April 14, 2010.

More information: http://www.vtt.fi/icsti2010

Kemira Oyj and VTT (Technical Research Centre of Finland) will establish a Center of Water Efficiency Excellence in Finland. The total cost of the research, which will be performed at the center, is estimated at 120 M€, including external funding. The investments will be allocated into 4 years, resulting further investment activities in projects for piloting and proof on concept purposes. The center will employ 200 persons annually.

The current Finnish competence of the water sector is being gathered into one center. The goal is to develop unique water knowledge to Finland and to create new business opportunities for companies in the environmental technology sector. The research center supports Kemira's strategic target to become a leading water chemistry company and to promote profitable growth by generating new business in the already strong field of water knowledge. Kemira will arrange a press conference today, March 9 at 10.15 (Helsinki time), including presentations by Harri Kerminen, Kemira's President and CEO, along with Paula Lehtomäki, Minister of the Environment, Johan Grön, Kemira EVP of R&D and Technology, and Erkki KM Leppävuori, President and CEO of VTT.

The main partners of the Center of Water Efficiency Excellence are Kemira and VTT. "The aim is to develop new technology, which helps to enhance the water usage and recycling, and to create more sustainable and energy-efficient solutions for the water intensive industry. When choosing the research sectors, one of the main selection criteria has been the growth of the global markets. Some examples of the research sectors are the cost-efficient cultivation of sea water into drinkable water, the utilization of bio mass resulting from the waste water treatment in production processes of energy and bio energy, and the decomposition of products", says Johan Grön.

"Already today, Kemira is one of the leading water chemistry companies globally. We have operations in 40 countries, an experience of decades in water technology, and a wide competence for different needs in water management. For Kemira, this is a strategic project, in which we are looking for growth based on new products and customer relations. The lack of water and the problems caused by it is a sizable challenge globally for industries and megacities. The regions suffering from water scarcity are usually those where the industrial and population growth is the most rapid. This is why the water-intensive industry is constantly looking for solutions to improve their water efficiency. Normally, the water availability is not a problem in Finland but we have competencies to solve the challenges caused by water scarcity. For Kemira and other environmental technology companies, this provides growth opportunities", says Harri Kerminen.

''VTT has the know how and the structure that can combine different fields of technologies and expertise that meet well with the qualifications in developing new and open-minded environment and water technology. I believe that those products that are being developed in a center based on top expertise and know how meet high market demands and possess growing international potential. I also hope that this will open up a new commercialization of technology opportunity where top end technology can be exploited in water purification, recycling, monitoring and treatment of process waters'', says VTT's President & CEO Erkki KM Leppävuori. According to Veli-Pekka Saarnivaara, CEO, Tekes (the Finnish Funding Agency for Technology and Innovation), "Tekes wants to be actively involved in this project and in constructing a strong basis for competence in Finland, and in new business activities in order to solve a growing global problem".

Press Conference
March 9, 2010 at 10.15 (EET), at Gallery Kalhama & Piippo Contemporary, Mannerheimintie 3 B, 5th floor (Helsinki, Finland). The conference is in Finnish. The material is available in Finnish and English on the Kemira web site. Further information: Anna-Kaisa Säkkinen, phone +358 50 387 6293.

Kemira Oyj
Päivi Antola, Senior Manager, Investor Relations and Financial Communications

Further information:

Kemira Oyj
Johan Grön, EVP, R&D and Technology,
Phone +358 10 862 1058
Leena Lie, VP of Communications
Phone +358 40 7457943

VTT
Kari Larjava, Vice President
Phone +358 40 500 9673

Kemira is a global 2.5 billion euro chemicals company that is focused on serving customers in water-intensive industries. The company offers water quality and quantity management that improves customers' energy, water, and raw material efficiency. Kemira's vision is to be a leading water chemistry company. Its paints and coatings business, Tikkurila, aims to be the market leader in decorative paints and selected wood and metal coatings in chosen markets.

www.kemira.com
www.waterfootprintkemira.com

VTT, Technical Research Centre of Finland, is the biggest multi-technological applied research organisation in Northern Europe. VTT provides high-end technology solutions and innovation services for domestic and international customers, companies, and the public sector. The personnel count of VTT is 2,900.

www.vtt.fi

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