The Internationalisation Award of the North Karelia Chamber of Commerce was received this year by Nanocomp Oy of Joensuu. The award was made at the Chamber’s spring meeting on 18 May 2015.

Founded in 1997, Nanocomp Oy is a pioneer in the successful commercialisation of nanotechnology. The company designs, manufactures and sells microphotonic and nanophotonic products using roll-to-roll production. Among other things, Nanocomp’s products are used in the displays of mobile devices, pattern recognition and measuring devices of various types. The company sees potential for growth in the demand of optical elements. It wants to concentrate its activity on producing added value in this field.

Nanocomp currently employs more than 30 people. The company functions globally, with offices in the Silicon Valley of the United States, in Tokyo and in Hong Kong. The most important export destinations are China and the United States. The production and product development are in North Karelia, and the goal is to keep them there in the future as well. In early 2015, the company received a significant capital investment from Evonik Industries of Germany. With this investment, Nanocomp will focus more on growth and internationalisation. It will also invest in additional production capacity and the development of new technologies. The company’s annual turnover is approximately 6 million euros.

Grounds for the selection of Nanocomp Oy as the recipient of the Internationalisation Award:

• the company’s turnover and exports’ share of the same have made tremendous progress
• the turnover of the last accounting period was approximately 6.03 million euros, of which 98% were exports
• the growth figures are excellent and come from international business
• the company is an excellent example of the successful commercialisation of high-tech expertise
• given its major investment, industrial giant Evonik Industries has become a significant partner
• the company’s base and activity are strongly local despite its international customers