Thank you for building the future with us!

We are living in the midst of considerable forces for change. The challenges of sustainable development require immediate action, while technological disruptions are affecting companies, working life and societies at a fundamental level. The landscape of higher education is changing too, as demand and competition increase, digitalisation becomes more deeply entrenched and university funding is under increasing pressure. The coronavirus pandemic is also changing the operational environment and accelerating the pace of change. Research and education now need all the support they can get, so making a donation to a university is an investment in a better world.

At Aalto, we are helping to build a sustainable future for Finland and for all humanity. This means renewing society with research-based knowledge, creativity and entrepreneurial thinking. We are engaged in high-quality research aimed at achieving breakthroughs in and across science, art, technology, and business. We are developing strong competence clusters in the key areas of our research, and we are bringing together versatile skills and knowledge to help solve some of the greatest challenges the world faces. We inspire and support the change makers of the future on their learning paths. In part, this means taking on greater societal responsibility in degree education and lifewide learning in and across our key areas.

The coronavirus pandemic has underscored the flexibility of our community when urgent action is required. People at Aalto have shown a strong desire to help and search for solutions to new and difficult problems. Many research and development projects are now underway that were launched quickly to help solve the challenges brought on by the pandemic.

An internationally prominent ecosystem that encourages innovations, creativity and entrepreneurship has taken shape around us. This is an environment where new future experts and game changers grow, and where innovations are turning into actions, services, and products that strengthen society and the economy. In 2020, Aalto University was the fourth-largest source of patents in Finland, and in 2019 the Aalto Startup Center was placed among the world’s top five university-based business accelerators. Each year around 100 new companies emerge from the ecosystem formed around the university.

Our campus is the beating heart of the Aalto community, where we aim to offer a sustainable and inspiring environment for personal encounters and collaboration. I hope that soon I will be able to extend a warm welcome to our donors to visit our campus again. As a donor, you have an important role as a member of our community and as an enabler of our operations. A very warm thank you for your participation and contributions!

Ilkka Niemelä
President of Aalto University

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