When the student team from Madrid heard about the Tapojärvi Innovation Challenge, none of them could have guessed that it would take them on a three-day journey to northern Finland — and eventually to victory.
The team, consisting of Simon Coen, Gabriel Avila, and Juliette Bourden, were active members of a European innovation network and students of chemical engineering.
– First, we submitted our idea to Tapojärvi. After a while, we were invited to present our innovation to a group via video conference. Then we were invited to the finals. We also received coaching and preparation support for our presentations, Simon explains.
The finals trip to Finland lasted three days. On the first day, the team got to know Tapojärvi and its local operations. The second day was the competition itself, and the third day was the return home.
One moment stood out in particular:
– We visited Tapojärvi’s site in Tornio, next to the Outokumpu plant, and it was snowing. When we left Madrid, it still felt like summer — it was an unforgettable moment.
ReAct’s competition entry focused on producing activated carbon from wood waste and fly ash from the forest industry. Activated carbon can be used for air and water purification, and the team aimed to develop a new way to combine sustainable raw materials into an effective purification product.
At the time, the team had little technical or laboratory experience. Their approach focused more on understanding the broader context and the business potential — and that may have made all the difference.
– Maybe we won because we took a holistic approach. We understood why the idea could be interesting from a market perspective.
Later, the team members moved in different directions. Completing their studies and entering working life demanded their full attention, and there was no longer time for further innovation work. Especially the time required for lab testing, trials, and commercialization eventually felt like an investment that was too big to make at the time, considering that graduation and new careers were happening in parallel.
– Participating in the competition, and winning, made us truly understand for the first time what innovation development really requires. It’s not just about ideas; it’s a long process that takes time, experimentation, and commitment. Many things, like the realities of testing or the steps toward commercialization, only became clear through experience.
Although the development work did not continue into a final product, the journey was far from wasted. The experience stayed with them.
Simon now works in the field of metal recycling and says the competition helped him better understand how an idea can evolve into something concrete.
Although the project’s development eventually paused as other stages of life took precedence, the connection with Tapojärvi never faded. After their win, the team members and Tapojärvi’s RDI team held regular meetings on the topic, and the exchange of ideas continued for a long time, until the limits of time and resources were reached.
Even after the development work was put on hold, the connection with Tapojärvi remained alive, and in 2025, Simon returns to the competition in a new role. He will host the Tapojärvi Innovation Challenge final.
As part of the competition preparations, Simon has already had the opportunity to meet several members of this year’s finalist teams. Some of the participants study, or have studied, at the same university that Simon and his team once represented. This has made it natural for him to share his experiences and offer encouragement to the new participants ahead of the final.
– I’m impressed by how well they’ve prepared. Their ideas are clearly further along than ours were back then.
The Tapojärvi Innovation Challenge is not just a competition, it’s an opportunity where meaningful encounters happen, insights are born, and sometimes, even new careers or innovations begin.
– Young innovators like these are an important part of our network. You never know which idea might turn into something impactful and sustainability-driven, says a representative from Tapojärvi.
The Tapojärvi Innovation Challenge 2025 Final Will Be Held on October 27
The final will be organized as an invite-only event at the SnowCastle in Kemi and streamed live on our YouTube channel for everyone to watch.
Follow Tapojärvi and EIT RawMaterials channels to stay updated on future solutions.
Read more about the competition here.
