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Aalto Inventors turns one: A year of bridging research and real-world impact

One year ago, the very first Aalto Inventors pilot kicked off — and what started as a single cohort has grown into a thriving programme that has reached nearly 200 researchers in Aalto and beyond. Today, we're excited to celebrate everything that's been built, learned, and set in motion.
Collage of workshops, group photos and presentations from the first year of the Aalto Inventors programme.

Since its first session in April 2025, Aalto Inventors has completed six cohorts, bringing together 190 researchers from fields spanning biomaterials, AI, quantum, microelectronics, and hydrogen. The programme has earned an overall rating of 4.3 out of 5 and a Net Promoter Score of 49 — a strong signal that participants are finding real value in the experience.

At the heart of Aalto Inventors is a community of people who believe that scientific discoveries shouldn't stay in the lab. Over the past year, 93 speakers, visiting experts, and mentors from organisations such as IQM Quantum Computers, Solar Foods, Neste, AMD Silo AI, Vaisala, Maki.vc, and Aalto University itself have generously shared their time and insights with the next generation of inventor-entrepreneurs.

The feedback from participants reflects something deeper than skills gained. "I learned that the journey is a possible one and just needs to be followed step by step," shared one researcher. Another noted: "I can now see better the real-world motivation behind my research as well." Speakers have been equally moved with many highlighting how great the energy in the room has been, full of appetite to go beyond the paper.

This is the right program at the right moment. Too many scientific discoveries stay in the lab. The ones that don't are the ones that transform industries, create thousands of jobs, and solve problems that matter.

Paavo Räisänen, General Partner at Maki.vc

With the spring almost over, the team is already looking ahead: new cohorts are in the works for the next academic year, with fresh fields and topics on the horizon.

Ready to be part of it? Visit the Aalto Inventors website to learn more about the programme and sign up for the waitlist to be among the first to hear about upcoming cohorts. If you'd be interested in supporting the program, please reach out to program manager Myungji Suh.

As we end every one of our sessions, we leave you now also with our mantra: Research deserves more than a paper. It deserves to change the world. Not because paper isn't important. But because someone out there is waiting for your invention to change their reality.

Five people sit around a café table with laptops, working together in a bright room with plants and chandeliers.

Aalto Inventors

The first step on your innovation journey: Field-specific innovation training designed for researchers to discover the impact potential of your work and build relevant networks.

Aalto Innovation
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