Six Proof of Concept Initiatives Awarded Funding at JYU in 2026!
What is JYU’s Proof of Concept (PoC) Funding?
Many promising research results never reach practical application because the path from research to real-world impact requires additional validation, testing, and assessment of market potential. JYU’s Proof of Concept (PoC) funding is designed specifically for this critical stage. It enables researchers to reduce the risks associated with their ideas, gather evidence of their impact, and prepare the next steps toward commercial or societal utilization. The University of Jyväskylä supports business opportunities emerging from research through its PoC funding scheme. Funding is awarded to research-based innovations that aim to progress toward Business Finland’s Research to Business (R2B) funding. Through the programme, the university also seeks to generate new startup opportunities for investment by UniFund. In this article, we present projects from researchers who received PoC funding in the previous funding round and, through that support, were able to advance their research ideas closer to real-world impact and utilization.
What kinds of projects have been supported through JYU’s PoC funding?
Laura Karavirta: Innovation Platform for Wearable Consumer Device Data
We are developing a research and innovation platform to connect real-world data from consumer wearables with high-quality biobank and register data. The aim is to explore how these complementary data sources can be brought together to support new data-driven solutions and create a scalable foundation for research, development, and innovation. In the initial phase, the work focuses on assessing data availability, technical feasibility, and the requirements for responsible and scalable data integration. We invite companies working with wearable or lifestyle data to collaborate in shaping this emerging ecosystem and exploring new opportunities for data-driven products and services.
Heikki Takala: Optogenetic near-infrared tools
Optogenetics is a field of science that aims to precisely control target cells with light. In this project, we will refine the commercial applicability of our recent optogenetic tools that sense red and near-infrared (NIR) light and control expression of target genes. These tools provide novel option for cellular gene expression, and they are based on bacterial protein components that have not been applied in the field of optogenetics before. The tools could be applied to, for example, red light-controlled biomolecule production or patient-friendly cancer therapy in the future. The University of Jyväskylä has filed a patent application for the technology.
Jarmo Piirainen: Coach4Health – Towards Better Functional Capacity and Wellbeing
Physical inactivity creates significant health and economic challenges both in Finland and globally. At the same time, many people lack an understanding of how their daily energy balance is shaped through the interaction of nutrition and physical activity. Coach4Health (C4H) addresses this need by providing a research-based tool with substantial potential in the rapidly growing wellness market. The demand for scientifically validated, motivating, and easy-to-understand tools is increasing, creating strong opportunities for innovative solutions such as C4H.
Ville Bogdanoff: Development and Field Testing of a Handheld Multipurpose Radiation Detector
Radiation survey and reconnaissance operations often require public safety and military personnel to carry several specialized handheld instruments, increasing their equipment burden and complicating field logistics. To address this problem, the University of Jyväskylä has developed PROTEUS, a handheld multipurpose radiation detector that combines gamma-ray spectroscopy and directional source localization, alpha/beta contamination monitoring, and neutron detection in one instrument. PROTEUS is just one application of our phoswich scintillator technology platform, which enables the development of various compact, directionally sensitive and/or multipurpose radiation detectors. While the prototype has been demonstrated under laboratory conditions, it requires improvements to enable operational use outside the laboratory. In this PoC project, we will develop the prototype for field use. Relevant Finnish authorities will then conduct field tests in real-world scenarios to provide proof of concept for operational use. Project outcomes will inform further improvements and support future commercialization efforts.
Taija Juutinen: Achilles subtendon validation; Faculty of Sport and Health Sciences
This funding enabled cadaver-based validation of our newly developed USTIM method, which characterizes the complex subtendon architecture of the Achilles tendon. USTIM combines electrical stimulation and ultrasonography to estimate the locations of the three subtendons and the global Achilles tendon twist (Finni et al. 2025 https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/sms.70042 and Lin et al. 2026 https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0021929026003568?via%3Dihub). In cadaver specimens, we simulated muscle-specific contraction by applying brief pulls to each muscle head, producing visible displacement in the tendon. We combined anatomical dissections with three-dimensional motion capture to have quantification of subtendon locations and twist. These measurements provided the reference data for validating the corresponding USTIM estimates.
Anna Rönkä: Let’s team-parent: Gamifying the journey to coparenthood
Expectant parents are faced with many new challenges. They are eager to seek information and support to parenthood from various sources but are often confused by information overload and anecdotal evidence not based on research. There is a clear need for a trustworthy preventive learning tool that prepares parents for supportive and gender-equal parenthood in a motivating and time-efficient way. In this project we prepared and revised a RtB-application for the Business Finland to propose and commercialize a preventive coparenting tool, the Let’s Team-Parent gamified app, based on the findings of our international ‘Learning to coparent’ (CopaGloba). As part of the POC-funding we formed and engaged a team (e.g., commercial champions, researchers, game designer, application developer) and the streering group, mapped parents’ needs, mapped and analysed competitors, identified and assessed potential users and markets; and designed the scientific, evidence-based framework for the game. Furthermore, we prepared a PitchDeck of the proposal which we presented in a few events.
How to apply for PoC -funding?
Are you a JYU researcher willing to explore whether your research could achieve greater commercial or societal impact? JYU’s Proof of Concept (PoC) funding call offers an opportunity to develop a promising research idea to a stage where its potential can be assessed more concretely. The funding can be used, for example, to investigate market and user needs, validate the feasibility of a solution, or explore business opportunities. At the same time, PoC funding can serve as an important stepping stone towards external follow-on funding, such as Business Finland’s Research to Business (R2B) programme, or other pathways that support the commercialization of research and the creation of societal impact. The application deadline for the next funding period is 25 November 2026. Read more here (open in JYU intranet only for JYU researchers)
