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Market leader shows direction

The key to Vaisala's success is its diverse research and development activity. Customers can trust that Vaisala's products represent leading edge technology.

All of Vaisala's business areas actively invest in R&D, and the combined input in technology development is substantial. In 2007 the Group's R&D expenses totaled EUR 23.5 million, which is 10.5 % of its net sales.

Vaisala's R&D resources are the best in the field. The Group's R&D activities are located in Finland, the USA, the UK and Germany. Approximately 21 % of Vaisala's personnel work in R&D.

In addition to conducting its own R&D, Vaisala works closely with customers, research institutes and universities. The forms of cooperation include partnership projects, support for meteorological training programs, grants and the funding of scholarships and internships.

Partnership projects and active cooperation

Vaisala participates in many projects together with leading research organizations in the field. Key partners include the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and the National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR), both in the USA, the Finnish Meteorological Institute and the VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland.

Vaisala is involved in sponsoring the global THORPEX program (The Observing System Research and Predictability Experiment), which is being implemented together with the World Meteorological Organization (WMO). The THORPEX research program, which was launched in 2003, will last for 10 years. Its purpose is to study and improve the effectiveness of both earth-based and space-based atmospheric observing systems.

Helsinki Testbed project continues

The precision weather research project, Helsinki Testbed, will continue until the end of 2009. A continuation project was established in 2007 to develop short-term weather forecasting methods and various customer applications for air quality and road weather, among others. These services are being developed for the use of private citizens, businesses and the authorities.

As a result of the Helsinki Testbed project launched in 2005, a denser-than-usual weather observation network has been created for the Greater Helsinki area. The Helsinki Testbed works as an open innovation platform for the testing of new weather and environmental information services and systems in an authentic environment. Vaisala and the Finnish Meteorological Institute have participated in the project since the outset, with the main provider of funds being Tekes, the Finnish Funding Agency for Technology and Innovation.

Additional information:
• Press release 27.8.2007
• Helsinki Testbed

Support for universities and research

The universities are also part of Vaisala's partnership network. Vaisala funds selected meteorological research projects, supports meteorological studies and training programs and provides grants, scholarships and internships. Over many years, Vaisala has partially sponsored meteorology students selected by the American Meteorological Society. In Finland, Vaisala annually sponsors the theses of ten university students.

Meteorological research at the University of Helsinki

Acting jointly with the Finnish Meteorological Institute and the University of Helsinki, Vaisala funds a five-year professorship in meteorology research. The incumbent, Professor David Schultz of the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), was selected for the chair at the end of 2006. Professor Schultz is studying extreme weather phenomena and is developing mid-term weather forecasts. He also teaches in the University of Helsinki's Physics Faculty. Read more about David Schultz >> 

Vaisala also provides funds for radar meteorology research and teaching at the University of Helsinki's Physics Faculty. Dr. Dmitri Moisseev from the Colorado State University in the USA took up his post as a researcher in the field of Radar Meteorology at the end of 2007. The research contract is for five years.

University cooperation in the USA

The company has a long history of cooperation with the University of Oklahoma in the USA. One of the main focus areas is the development of an observation and forecasting system for small-scale weather phenomena. In lightning detection, Vaisala has R&D cooperation with the University of Arizona.

Vaisala is continuing cooperation with the Universities of Massachusetts, Oklahoma, Colorado and Puerto Rico-Mayaguez by supporting their joint CASA program. CASA is a 10-year research program whose goal is to develop a remote sensing system based on low-power, low-cost, dual-polarization Doppler weather radars. Learn more about the CASA program