Tapojärvi is once again organizing an international innovation competition for university students. The goal for the upcoming competition is to develop innovative solutions for the purposes of mining, steel, and forest industries.
The competition is held in collaboration with EIT RawMaterials. Innovation challenge supports Europe’s circular economy and strategic autonomy objectives by fostering collaboration between academia and industry to tackle urgent environmental challenges.
“Collaborations lay the foundation for future competitiveness of Europe,” said Bernd Schäfer, CEO of EIT RawMaterials. “EIT RawMaterials provides knowledge and networks, while Tapojärvi brings expertise and a real-world operating environment for developing innovations. Together, we create opportunities to advance sustainable solutions and strengthen Europe’s leading position in circular economy.”
Students from across Europe are invited to seize the opportunity of developing innovative, replicable, and scalable solutions for reusing mining, steel, and forest industry waste—for example, by converting slag and dust from steel production into building materials.
The Finnish family-owned company Tapojärvi is known for sustainable mining and industrial services that reduce environmental impacts and conserve natural resources. Tapojärvi processes industrial by-products and develops new solutions, particularly for the mining sector.
“Our previous collaboration with EIT RawMaterials in 2023 set the bar high for student creativity and enthusiasm, and we are looking forward to new ideas and participants in the next challenge,” said Seppo Ahola, Chief Innovation Officer at Tapojärvi.
By connecting students with leading companies in the raw materials sector, such as Tapojärvi, EIT RawMaterials’ open innovation competitions address actual industrial and environmental challenges. These competitions also provide students with practical experience, preparing them for careers in the raw materials industry. Such initiatives are vital for addressing the sector’s skills gap, as the industry will require 1.2 million skilled workers by 2030.
The Tapojärvi Open Innovation Challenge 2025 for Students offers students from environmental, chemical, metallurgical engineering, business, and related disciplines the opportunity to apply their knowledge to real industrial challenges.
Top teams will receive expert mentorship, compete for a €10,000 prize, and may secure internships or permanent positions within the Tapojärvi Group.
ReAct, a student team from the Technical University of Madrid, won the previous competition. They developed a groundbreaking concept to convert fly ash—a by-product of the forest industry—and wood into activated carbon for air and water purification.
