Three-time winner (2022, 2023, and 2025) Bjørn Mikladal, Principal Scientist at Canatu, is one of the company’s most outstanding employees. According to the company, he has been an integral part of the team for over a decade and has played a key role in adapting Canatu’s patented CNT technology for next-generation EUV applications, enabling the next step in semiconductor efficiency. The Innovator of the Year Award 2025 was presented for the sixth time this year.
“My approach has been to innovate by doing. Being present and involved in the experimentation and development will allow you to spot innovations that might otherwise be missed,” says Bjørn Mikladal.
“A materials and IPR company at its core”
Ilkka Varjos, CTO of Canatu comments: “Canatu is, at its core, a materials and IPR company. As we’ve become a public company and begun selling and licensing our technology, IPR has become more important than ever. Patents are the fortress that protects our technology — and inventors are the heroes who build that fortress.”
In his interview, Bjørn shares reflections on his journey at Canatu and offers words of wisdom for fellow innovators.
Congratulations on your win! How do you feel?
Bjørn Mikladal: I had not given much thought, so it came as a positive surprise that my innovations won me the award.
Please could you introduce yourself and tell us about your current position and innovation activities?
B. Mikladal: I’m from the Faroe Islands, took a M.Sc. degree in nanoscience in Denmark and upon completion, I moved to Finland and landed a job as a chemist at Canatu back in 2009. In my current position as Principal Scientist, I mostly work with demanding customer cases where I try to leverage my experience to meet the delivery requirements in a timely manner.
What led you to work in carbon nanotech?
B. Mikladal: My education brought me on the nanotech path, and from other,e the novelty of working with carbon nanomaterials and being able to introduce them into real-world applications has motivated me to stay in this specific field.
What would you say has been your greatest accomplishment to date?
B. Mikladal: Most accomplishments are only noticed in retrospect, as the process has been iterative over a longer period. The most noticeable accomplishment has been to play a key role in the development of free-standing CNT films (pellicles) from being a laboratory curiosity to becoming a commercial product.
Do you have any words of wisdom for future innovators? What are the skills that matter most for innovation?
B. Mikladal: My approach has been to innovate by doing. Being present and involved in the experimentation and development will allow you to spot innovations that might otherwise be missed.
What’s next for Canatu & carbon nanotech? What developments do you believe carbon nanotech will bring in the future?
B. Mikladal: Carbon, with its multitude of forms and superior intrinsic qualities, will continue to find new applications far into the future, and Canatu will play a key part in realising these applications. I think CNT films will be an integral part of thin membranes for advanced optical systems and also in chemical and medical sensing applications.
What made you decide to work in a scale-up?
B. Mikladal: I enjoy the versatility of working in a scale-up. Canatu has managed to renew and improve itself many times since I joined.
Caption: CTO Ilkka Varjos presenting the Innovator of the Year 2025 Award to Bjørn Mikladal