Aalto University and Espoo: toward a more sustainable future

Aalto University and Espoo strive to develop attractive environments for living, work, research, and teaching, as well as for culture and innovation. Another goal is to create a viable breeding ground for entrepreneurship and business and to promote the area as one that attracts and keeps international specialists.

Creativity and experimentation

Espoo and Aalto University want to inspire and encourage creativity and experimentation with new kinds of solutions within their communities. The purpose of the cooperation is to develop an inspiring, experimental, and entrepreneurial culture in Espoo. The strategic partnership of Aalto and Espoo promotes the implementation of Aalto University's Shaping a Sustainable Future strategy and the Espoo Story.

As part of the international leadership programme of pioneer cities, Espoo is committed to achieving the UN sustainable development goals by 2025. Aalto University is the first university in Finland to commit to advancing these goals. The cooperation is guided by the administrative bodies of the universities and the cities, and the schools and the different sectors of the cities also carry out a large part of the projects directly with each other. Cooperation is a vibrant and flexible search for shared solutions.

Key areas of cooperation in teaching, research, development, and innovation are the urban environment, services, communities, the university, national and international networks, and the utilisation of data.