Nokia donates 1.5 million euros to Aalto University and strengthens R&D collaboration

The telecommunications and network technology company Nokia is donating 1.5 million euros to Aalto University and further strengthening its collaboration with Aalto in research, product development, and the education of future experts. As part of the strengthened collaboration, Nokia commits to investing approximately 1.3 million euros annually in joint research projects with Aalto. 

At the heart of Nokia’s business are the development of future intelligent network solutions and enabling the new growth phase of artificial intelligence, both of which play a key role in safeguarding the competitiveness of Finnish and European technology. With this donation, Nokia aims to strengthen the Finnish technology ecosystem and research and development activities. 

Nokia’s significant investment opens up completely new opportunities for Aalto, says Professor Jussi Ryynänen, Dean of Aalto University School of Electrical Engineering. 

‘Thanks to the donation and expanded collaboration, we will be able to bring researchers from different fields together to think about big-picture solutions that are needed, for example, for building the intelligent and energy-efficient networks of the future and harnessing the opportunities of the AI era. On behalf of the entire Aalto community, warm thanks to Nokia for the donation and our long-term, excellent collaboration,’ Ryynänen says. 

Collaboration between firms and universities will only grown in importance for the educating new generations of technology talent and world-class research, says Nokia’s Chief Technology and AI Officer, Pallavi Mahajan. 

‘The next era of connectivity will be defined by the convergence of AI, communications and other breakthrough technologies. Turning that potential into real-world innovation requires deep collaboration between industry and academia. Aalto University has been an important partner to Nokia for decades, bringing together world-class research and exceptional talent. By strengthening our investment, we can accelerate work on intelligent, resilient and energy-efficient networks while developing the skills and technologies that will help shape the 6G era and beyond,’ Mahajan says. 

Optimisation is no longer enough 

Nokia and Aalto, as well as TKK, one of Aalto’s predecessors, have collaborated for over five decades. 

‘That’s basically as long as Nokia has worked in telecommunications,’ says Petri Mähönen, a professor in networked systems at Aalto. 

Aalto is Nokia’s long-term and active university research partner, with more than more than 400 joint research projects carried out since 2010, when Aalto was founded. Collaboration is currently focused on technology of strategic importance, such as AI, 6G, intelligent and reliable networks and semiconductors. Collaboration is done in research projects like Veturi, 6G Power, REINSs-6G, Hexa-XII, and AETHER, among others.  

Aalto plays an important role in building Nokia’s talent ecosystem in Finland. Through the expanded collaboration, Nokia and Aalto aim to strengthen the bridge between fundamental research, innovation and commercial technology development, and also support Finland’s position as a leading research hub in network technology. 

The technological transformation now underway is comparable in scale to building and commercialising the internet. For it to be happen sustainably from technological, environmental as well as societal perspectives, many things must be rethought from the ground up, Mähönen explains. 

‘The donation will allow us to approach the challenge comprehensively and from a clean slate, instead of trying to optimise existing solutions. Through network technology, semiconductors, new algorithms and hardware-software co-design, we can increase efficiency and radically reduce the energy consumption of AI—before energy demand becomes a bottleneck for development and society.’ 

Aalto University President Ilkka Niemelä emphasises that Aalto’s—and Finland’s—strength in advancing this transformation and creating new business lies in agility and in close cooperation among different actors. 

‘Good dialogue with industry and across disciplines ensures that we act quickly and focus on the right things. Warm thanks to Nokia for the collaboration and the trust,’ Niemelä says.