The KAUTE Foundation has selected Juho Uzkurt Kaljunen, Founder and CEO of NPHarvest Oy, as Researcher Entrepreneur of the Year 2026. NPHarvest Oy develops and leases equipment that recovers nitrogen and phosphorus accumulated in wastewater.
Juho Uzkurt Kaljunen, Founder and CEO of NPHarvest, has been named Research Entrepreneur of the Year 2026. NPHarvest develops and rents equipment that captures nitrogen and phosphorus from wastewater and further refines them into clean nutrient products. Through this work, the company helps reduce eutrophication of waterways and improve the efficiency of wastewater treatment.
NPHarvest is a continuation of an Aalto University project of the same name funded by the Finnish Ministry of the Environment, within which Uzkurt Kaljunen began his doctoral research. While finalizing his PhD, he recognized the commercial potential of his research results.
“The value of my research is much greater when its results are commercialized. If my dissertation were to remain just a piece of academic knowledge, its societal impact would also be much smaller.”
According to Uzkurt Kaljunen, scientists are essential, as purely commercial innovation is exactly that—commercial.
“A great deal of innovation originates in academia. If we want to solve major challenges, we need an academic perspective. It helps us ask what kind of development is truly beneficial for society.”
For Uzkurt Kaljunen, startup entrepreneurship is a means to do meaningful work. While there are other similar technologies on the market, NPHarvest’s points of differentiation are clear.
“We focus on developing and delivering equipment that is easy to use and cost-efficient. Solutions like this are not really available yet,” Uzkurt Kaljunen explains.
“At the same time, we respond to the EU’s increasing focus on the circular economy.”
A demonstration unit leased to a customer is currently operating in Germany and has already produced promising results.
Juho Uzkurt Kaljunen, what would be the best possible thing that could happen to your company?
“Our goal is that nutrient recovery and recycling becomes the standard in the field, naturally with our technology. The best thing that can happen is that our equipment is in use in every biogas plant and wastewater treatment plant.”
Uzkurt Kaljunen believes that doing good leads to more good, and that scalable ideas have the power to change the world. “I’m not necessarily entrepreneurial by nature, but this company is deeply important to me.”
Recognition for unique work
In its statement, the jury highlighted the following reasons for its decision: “Juho Uzkurt Kaljunen has boldly developed his company based on the results of his doctoral research. His business idea brings together two strong trends of our time: the green transition through wastewater treatment and utilization, and security of supply through improved fertilizer self-sufficiency. The company has scaled rapidly to international markets, and its technology is internationally unique.”
The Researcher Entrepreneur of the Year Award is a €5,000 recognition granted annually by the KAUTE Foundation to a researcher who has created a business based on academic research.
