My Oulu: A Nato test centre will be established in Oulu
Research Director Hannu Nikurautio from the University of Oulu’s Centre of Wireless Communications (CWC) and the University of Oulu’s Faculty of Information Technology and Electrical Engineering’s Dean Jukka Riekki pictured in the EMC Laboratory. Photo: Ville Wittenberg / University of Oulu
Jaa sosiaalisessa mediassa:
One of the two Naton’s DIANA accelerator programme test centres established in Finland will come to Oulu. The test centre will utilize Oulu’s world-class expertise in the development of 6G technology in the defense and private sectors.
Nato’s Defence Innovation Accelerator for the North Atlantic (DIANA) Programme’s Board of Directors has approved Finland’s proposal for establishing an business accelerator and two test centres in Finland.
According to the proposal delivered to Nato by the Ministry of Defense last summer, VTT will establish an enterprise accelerator in Otaniemi, Espoo in collaboration with the Aalto University and the University of Helsinki. The accelerator will focus on the future’s communication systems and quantum technology.
The technology test centres will be established in connection with the University of Oulu and the VTT Otaniemi office. The test centre, coordinated by the University of Oulu, will offer businesses the opportunity to test 6G network technologies. In the test centres, concepts and technologies developed by businesses can be evaluated and their development supported.
“The accelerator and the test centres coming to Finland will increase Finland’s recognition and Finnish business opportunities among Nato member states. Finland’s secure position especially in the field of communication and quantum technology development is ideal for attracting experts of the field to Finland. Being profiled as a pioneer of dual-use communication technologies increases Oulu’s attraction in the eyes of funding parties and strengthens our technological contribution as a Nato member”, states Defense Minister Antti Häkkänen in the Government announcement and adds that digital communication systems are crucial in modern warfare.
Expertise from Oulu
The University of Oulu will administer the coming test centre in collaboration with the Technology Research Institution VTT. The 6G Test Centre offers modern wireless telecommunication facilities, services and processes for research and for business testing purposes.
“The 6G Test Centre works as a modern, global test centre that offers services for development and testing work of dual-use technologies for Nato’s DIANA partners and operators of the defense sector”, the Dean of the Faculty of Information Technology and Electrical Engineering Jukka Riekki explains in the University of Oulu’s announcement.
“Our new 6G Test Centre will be a research and service centre of high-tech wireless telecommunications. From the perspective of research and product experimentation, we already have the capability and ability to offer our facilities and expertise to our partners. We will partially utilize our own 5G/6G test network and laboratories, but the test centre will have separate facilities too”, adds Research Director Hannu Nikurautio from the University of Oulu’s Centre of Wireless Communication (CWC).
The test centre will offer its users access to radio frequency measuring devices of world-class rarity. All 6G technology measurements and experimentation can be carried out in the same location.
“Our 6G Test Centre offers testing opportunities globally to NATO’s DIANA Programme’s partners for products and services that relate to dual-use telecommunications and defense sector services. It promotes the development of critical application areas such as autonomous mobility and communication between machines”, explains Research Director Nikurautio.
“The centre coming to Oulu under the University’s coordination proves Oulu’s status as a pioneer in 6G technologies and its central position in the continued development of new technology. We were the first in the world to research this, even before 5G technology was adopted for commercial use. We have patiently built expertise in the field of 6G technology. It is easy to continue from here”, Jukka Riekki states.
NATO’s DIANA Programme’s goal is to identify future challenges in the defense sector and find innovative technological solutions together with businesses. The decision of DIANA’s establishment was made at the 2021 Brussels Summit. DIANA focuses on new dual-use technologies such as artificial intelligence, autonomy and quantum technology that can naturally be utilized in commercial, civil and defense sectors.