WANDER Nordic Water and Materials Institute
Hygiene in Indoor Environment
WANDER has expanded from drinking water and materials to hygiene in indoor environment and products and services related.
HYGTECH – Solutions to Manage Hygiene in Indoor Environment
Indoor Hygiene Research in Pilot Buildings in Satakunta Region
In the industrialized countries, people spend over 90 % of their lives indoors where their health is threatened by various microbes which might cause even serious illnesses. In particular, large buildings with plenty of people are demanding when hygiene is concerned. For the first time, even globally considered, the two phased HYGTECH research entirety pulled together the central elements and technological solutions of real estate hygiene.
Technological product, monitoring and management solutions e.g. touchless taps, self-cleaning surfaces and clean water and ventilation systems can ensure hygiene of a building and prevent health risks. In the first phase of the HYGTECH research of Satakunta University of Applied Sciences, indoor environment hygiene, measuring technology of microbiological quality, user’s needs and requirements was studied focusing on surfaces, ventilation, and water. The research was carried out in several full scale pilot buildings in the Satakunta region according to Living Lab theme. The project pulled together the central elements of indoor environment microbiological hygiene generating new business into the area.
The HYGTECH research entirety consisted of four work packages; WP1 Products installed and microbiological analyses, WP2 Online monitoring, data management and data transfer to user, WP3 Users, and WP4 Formation and commercialization of the hygiene concept. Duration of the research was 1.4.2012–31.10.2014 and it was financially supported by the National Technology Agency of Finland (Tekes) with European Regional Development Fund.
HYGTECH research network have had an important role in developing the new HygTech Alliance. The original entirety of products and solutions has been supplemented and HYGTECH project group has brought new business partners, research aspect e.g. related to product acceptance and standardization, and concept consideration.
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Project Manager Merja Ahonen
merja.ahonen(a)samk.fi
044 710 3061
Hygiene into Business – HygLi
Hygiene into Business project will endorse the smart specialization of Satakunta region in the field of indoor hygiene and related resource efficient building engineering. The objectives of the project include to survey the indoor hygiene related business potential in the whole Satakunta region and to create a strong foundation for clusterization as well as for Satakunta area to becoming an innovation centre in the field. At this turning point in both economy and industry, hygienic products and solutions are truly a potential opportunity to several fields of business and manufacturers.
In Hygiene into Business project, several new Living Lab innovation environments for pilot studies will be created in e.g. public buildings in the city of Rauma and in the future campuses of Satakunta University of Applied Sciences. The project will develop the infrastructure of the RDI-activity in Satakunta region, one of the emphases in the regional agenda, through networking the research of universities, corporations and the public sector. The project will endorse the innovation cooperation, innovation initiatives, and networking of the operators in Satakunta area by organizing workshops and education as well as creating above mentioned Living Lab environments for research.
One of the innovation initiatives in this project is a new planning recommendation for building engineering of hygienic indoor environment, which will be completed through Living Lab pilot studies. In addition, from an early stage of this project a strong emphasis will be placed on successful commercializing of new innovations as this has proven to be quite challenging with innovations developed in projects. As a result of this project, the RDI-activity in the field of indoor hygiene and related resource efficient building engineering in Satakunta region will increase, creating new RDI-employment and raising private RDI-funding. Corporations have been very interested in Hygiene into Business project which indicates interest in this new field and also recognition of it as a new innovation initiative. Corporations foresee the field of indoor hygiene and related resource efficient building engineering as a possibility to improve their business.
The short term impacts of this project will fall upon the participating corporations, the Living Lab buildings acting as pilot study environments, and also corporations whose business potential within the field will be recognized during the project, both in Satakunta area and nationwide. The long term impacts will fall upon the whole field of construction and building engineering through the new planning recommendations and resource efficient solutions which both will also have a positive impact on education in the field. The project will also have a positive impact on environment through development of resource efficient i.e. sustainable solutions. In addition, the long term impacts of the project will fall upon the Satakunta region as the project will endorse the smart specialization of Satakunta region in the field of indoor hygiene and related resource efficient building engineering; improve the regeneration of region’s industry and its value creation; and increase the RDI-activity between corporations and research networks of the universities and the public sector. Hygiene into Business project will increase the prerequisites of new business initiatives in the field, and thus improve the national and international growth of corporations.
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Project Manager Riika Mäkinen
riika.makinen(a)samk.fi
044 710 3064
Project Manager Tiina Mäkitalo-Keinonen
tiina.makitalo-keinonen(a)utu.fi
050 577 3042