The Industry Project course is at the heart of the IDBM Master's program

The International Design Business Management (IDBM) master's programme is celebrating its 30th anniversary this year. The English-language programme is unique in Finland and is available at all six Aalto schools. IDBM can be completed as a Master of Science in Economics and Business Administration, a Master of Arts, or a Master of Science in Technology.

The core of the IDBM master's programme is the seven-month-long Industry Project course. The course's teaching objective is to develop creative problem-solving and interdisciplinary teamwork skills and to tackle complex, real business challenges based on research. In the course, teams composed of students of arts, engineering, and business develop solutions to real projects of partner companies and communities. 

This academic year, the projects address, among other things, circular economy, ecosystem development, service design, and internal innovations within organisations. Many projects also explore the opportunities brought by generative AI. Traditionally, there is also the Aalto Global Impact (AGI) project, which is always related to promoting sustainable development globally, and this year the project is directed towards Kenya.

A very special experience for students

Anastasia Bratter was part of the Aalto Global Impact (AGI) team in the Industry Project course. She says the experience was truly special, particularly because of the team and the freedom given to it. 'We were encouraged to explore, question and even get a bit lost before finding our direction, and that made the learning experience really valuable. I appreciated most the support and guidance from our mentors. They trusted us and gave us responsibility but were still present to challenge our thinking and help us move forward whenever needed. So far, the Industry Project has been one of the most memorable parts of my studies.'

Karim Kanji agrees with Anastasia. According to him, the IDBM Industry Project course was a life-changing experience. 'I was part of a fantastic team and we utilised our expertise comprehensively to provide ABB with a novel and innovative solution. During the project, I got to use all the tools we learned in IDBM courses and apply them in practice in ABB's industrial environment. Additionally, thanks to the great work of the team and our instructors, we got the opportunity to continue working at ABB, and now I am doing my master's thesis for the company. The project was a wonderful experience and the trip to Singapore included was a very nice bonus.'

Thanks from partners for excellent collaboration

The city of Porvoo is one of the recent clients of the Industry project course. The project addressed the city's role as a supporter and enabler of the leisure activities of young people in Porvoo. 'The students made a study trip to a destination of their choice and gathered material for their project during it. The partners from Porvoo were so interested in the students' travel plans that they decided to join them and were very pleased with the experience. By participating in this benchmarking trip, we gained a broader scope from the project than how the assignment was originally defined,' says project partner Minna Särelä, representing Porvoo.

Last year, one project was offered by If Insurance. According to the client, insurance and the insurance industry are not the easiest subjects to grasp in a few months.

'I am really impressed by how much knowledge and understanding the team managed to gather in this time through both interviewing people at If and others, and familiarising themselves with If's materials and especially conducting their own research. The students asked excellent questions and made good observations throughout the project and knew how to challenge If in a positive way. The collaboration with myself and other people at If was excellent and the project proceeded very smoothly. I am also satisfied with the final concept as it gave us a lot to think about at If, which was exactly our goal for the IDBM project,' says Laura Nilsson, Digital Development Manager, If Insurance.

IDBM's 30th anniversary project manager, doctoral researcher Hanne Savolainen explains that the course culminates in a festive gala at the end of May, where the teams present the results of their project work to their partner companies and the audience. 'Over its 30-year history, IDBM has collaborated with more than 200 different partner companies including Kone, Nordea, Posti, Harvia, ABB, Kemira and Fortum. Applications for next year's partner companies are now open, so you can contact IDBM Programme Director Ville Eloranta if the collaboration might interest you.'

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IDBM program in a nutshellApply to master’s programmes by 2 January 2026