News

Strategy preparations proceed to the finalising stage

Published: 25.9.2019

In October workshops, the strategic choices and emphasis points of identified development areas will be worked on. Participate – you can still make a difference!

People at Aalto University strategy bazaar, September 2019, photo Mikko Raskinen

Edited 26 Sept at 13:30: A video of the event added.

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Again, on 18 September, a large group of Aalto people gathered up at the School of Business to prepare the future strategy. President Ilkka Niemelä thanked members of the Aalto community for their active participation and reviewed the phases and milestones of the strategy work.

As a result of the work done in the spring, we have defined long-term directions and looked for possible answers to strategic questions. Our community is already strongly unanimous on the cornerstones of our university – our values, purpose and way of working. We have also identified areas that need to be developed and in which we want to reach the next level. During the finalising phase in October and November, we will focus on clarifying the strategic choices and emphasis points within these development areas and what they mean for the foundations of our university: people, management, finance, services and infrastructure.

‘The spring process clearly showed our community's strong commitment to creating a sustainable future. The key questions we identified together at an earlier stage provide a jointly considered foundation for finding the keys to our future success. The development priorities currently under preparation are an important place of reflection and I hope that our community will also participate actively in this phase of strategy preparation,’ says Ilkka Niemelä.

Aalto strategy, Focus of development slide at the community event 18 September 2019 — The October workshops will focus on clarifying the priorities and choices in the above development areas. See the full presentation of the community event on the Aalto University 3.0 website.

Share your views on emphasis points during October

It is now time to map the community's views on the proposed areas of development and the related strategic choices and emphasis points. There are several ways to participate:

In October, workshops will be organised at departments, programmes and services. Share your views by participating in the workshops.
Participate in the discussion in established discussion forums, such as management teams and steering groups, or in other meetings and informal gatherings.
Answer the key questions of particular interest to you in the strategy portal. Have a discussion with your team and respond together, or act independently: all views are appreciated. Please note that parts Q2–Q14 in the PowerPoint presentation of the community event from September 18 refer to the 14 questions in the strategy portal.
The latest strategy materials can always be found on the Aalto University 3.0 website.

The University Board will decide on the strategy in November, based on which we will prepare long-term plans for our operations during the following spring as part of the university's annual planning process. Operations in accordance with these plans will begin fully in 2021.

On 8 January 2020, we will celebrate Aalto University's 10th anniversary in Dipoli: mark the date in your calendar already now!

Take a moment to see the video of the event as well as photos and a mood video - all materials below! Note that you'll find the speech by student Tomi Luukkola and a video of Aalto Entrepreneurship Society (starting at 17:00).