The Centre for Radical Creativity is launching a new corporate collaboration pilot with support from the TT Foundation

The operating environment is changing rapidly, but transformation does not always stem solely from new technologies or innovations. Increasingly, entirely new ways of thinking, collaborating and solving problems are needed.

In a new collaborative pilot project at Aalto University’s Centre for Radical Creativity, companies can work together with the university’s researchers, students and experts. The launch of the pilot is made possible by a 100,000 euro grant from the Foundation of the Confederation of Finnish Industry and Employers (TT).

The goal of the pilot is to create an environment where companies can examine their challenges in unconventional ways, test new operating models and discover new perspectives. Societal partners and companies integrate into the university ecosystem without immediate commercial pressure.

Transformation requires new ways of thinking and doing

In this era of rapid change, many companies need to innovate and develop new ways of operating, as well as new products and services to increase their competitiveness. According to Riikka Mäkikoskela, Head of Aalto Centre for Radical Creativity, the pilot program addresses a growing need emerging from companies and the business community to reform organizational structures, operating models and leadership.

“Our partners are eager to innovate, but bringing about significant change also requires changes to established ways of working”, she notes.

In the pilot, companies’ needs are examined in collaboration with experts from various fields. Aalto’s strength lies in combining different academic disciplines; the arts, technology, and business. The Centre for Radical Creativity brings research-based methods and experiments in radical creativity to this collaboration.

“When we break away from established ways and rhythm of working, creative collaboration gains momentum. We provide tools for organizations that want to invest in radical renewal, strengthen their creative culture and use these to build a competitive advantage in a sustainable way”, Mäkikoskela continues.

Creativity as a resource

The need for a new kind of collaboration is also supported by research conducted at Aalto University. The Creative Leap project, funded by Business Finland, investigated how creativity can be measured, promoted and managed within organizations.

The project’s results revealed a link between an organization’s creativity and its financial performance: in companies where individual creativity and an organizational culture that supports creativity were above average, financial performance also exceeded the industry average.

The study also showed that individual creativity does not automatically translate into an organizational asset. Organizational culture and leadership can either support or hinder the development of new ideas into practices, products and services. The study also developed practical tools for strengthening organizations’ creative capacity.

Companies and the university solve problems together

The purpose of the pilot is not to provide companies with ready-made answers, but to create a space and an operating model where those answers can be sought together.

Jouni Hakala, Representative at the TT Foundation, views this initiative as a strategic investment in industrial renewal. 

“We want to accelerate innovation and competitiveness in industry through creative expertise – and Aalto offers an excellent platform for this”, he says.

“At the heart of radical creativity is the idea that the most interesting and creative solutions often emerge only when we dare to challenge our assumptions. Aalto’s mission is to create environments where people from different fields can meet, experiment, and think together. We now want to make this opportunity even more accessible to companies and other societal organizations”, says Tuomas Auvinen, Dean of the School of Arts, Design and Architecture.

Preparations for the pilot project will begin in the fall of 2026, and the first pilot companies will begin their collaboration in late spring 2027. A separate call for applications for pilot companies will be issued later. Companies interested in the collaboration can already contact Riikka Mäkikoskela, Head of Aalto Centre for Radical Creativity.

For more information:

Riikka Mäkikoskela 
Head of Aalto Centre for Radical Creativity
Aalto University
riikka.makikoskela@aalto.fi 
+358451313562 

Raila Tapio 
Donor Engagement Manager
Aalto University School of Arts, Design and Architecture
raila.tapio@aalto.fi 
+358504759978