Helsinki University of Technology hopes for Pentagon research contracts
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The Helsinki University of Technology (HUT) is ready to promote transatlantic military cooperation by conducting research on behalf of the US Department of Defense.
The Social Democratic Party newspaper Uutispäivä Demari reported on Monday that representatives of the Pentagon had visited HUT in February to solicit proposals for cooperation research.
Veijo Ilmavirta, director of the HUT Innovation Centre, says that it would be possible to offer expertise in materials technology, communications technology, as well as research into transportation and robotics.
HUT is familiar with military matters; the Finnish Defence Forces are the third-largest user of HUT research services, right after Nokia and the Technical Research Centre of Finland (VTT).
So far, HUT has been involved in only one Pentagon-related project, which was financed by a US foundation promoting defence technology.
HUT has many long-term projects in which it is cooperating with the Finnish Defence Forces. Ilmavirta says that a precondition for HUT involvement in military research is that it should advance scientific know-how.
If cooperation with the United States begins, it would be part of HUT’s projects linked with the Finnish Defence Forces, making HUT a subcontractor of the Finnish military. Financing for such projects would come from the Pentagon.
"We are interested in research funding that would promote scientific competitiveness. Today, all of HUT’s research funding comes from outside, and is subject to competition", Ilmavirta says. In addition to promoting Finnish competitiveness, he feels that cooperation with the Pentagon would also benefit Finland’s Defence Forces.
Finland and the United States have a treaty of reciprocity in the acquisition of military materiel.
The countries are also working to dismantle duties, taxes, and other barriers to trade in military equipment.
"A concrete goal is to promote access of the Finnish defence industry onto the US market", says Jari Takanen, head of the materiel unit of the Finnish Ministry of Defence.
The Pentagon has a similar goal - to promote sales of US weaponry in Finland.
Takanen says that so far, cooperation with the United States has not been particularly fruitful from the point of view of Finland’s objectives.
Helsingin Sanomat
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| 21.3.2006 - TODAY |
 Helsinki University of Technology hopes for Pentagon research contracts
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