Research Entrepreneur of the Year 2026 Juho Uzkurt Kaljunen was selected among the top 25 in the highly competitive Falling Walls pitch competition. The final will be held in Berlin on 6-9 November as part of the Falling Walls Science Summit.
Uzkurt Kaljunen is competing in the Science Start-Ups category. His company, NPHarvest Oy, develops and leases equipment that recovers nitrogen and phosphorus accumulated in wastewater.
For Uzkurt Kaljunen, entrepreneurship is a means of creating meaningful impact. “We focus on developing and providing easy-to-use and cost-effective equipment. Solutions like these are not really available yet. At the same time, we are responding to the EU’s growing emphasis on the circular economy.”
Falling Walls is an international science and innovation competition that seeks breakthrough research across a range of categories. At its core is the question: “Which wall does your idea break?” Uzkurt Kaljunen and NPHarvest are competing in the Science Start-ups category, which features early-stage companies built on scientific research. NPHarvest was selected as one of 25 finalists invited to present in Berlin, chosen from 370 submissions from around the world.
Congratulations, Juho!