Gitte Heikonen-Väänänen

I have diverse experience in industrial property rights both from the perspective of a patent attorney and from the industry, and a deep understanding of how companies can leverage their IP rights to support their business.

My activities mainly relate to the patenting of chemical inventions and their exploitation. I am M.Sc. (Engineering) and a Licentiate of Technology from the Helsinki University of Technology (Aalto University), in the fields of physical chemistry, electrochemistry, inorganic and analytical chemistry. I’ve been engaged with various inventions and patenting in the roles of a researcher, an inventor, an industrial patent engineer and a patent attorney for several years. 

It has always been equally interesting to turn a new technical solution into a legally usable patented form and to promote its industrial exploitation. The technological background of the solutions can be from very diverse fields involving chemical processes and materials science, such as oil refining, wood processing, mining industry, basic chemistry, fertilizer chemistry, water purification, electrochemical applications, thin film technology or even catalysts. Chemistry is sometimes present in very unexpected places. It is essential to collaborate closely with the client to create a comprehensive and precise scope for the desired subject area and to provide the ability to control the obtained technological assets, which helps to guide and implement the chosen business strategy.