Unite! Seed Fund 2026 – Aalto involved in eight projects

In total, 77 applications were received, and 22 were selected for funding. Aalto is involved in eight of these projects and coordinates one. Read on to learn more about each of the projects involving Aalto.

Research and PhD Projects (Exploring)

A Smart Glasses Platform for Context- Aware Human- Environment Interaction (REVEAL)

Four partners will collaborate to develop a smart-glasses prototype that combines wearable movement data with audio-visual information about the user’s surroundings. By linking movement patterns to their real-world context – such as changes in walking speed while crossing a crowded street – the project aims to improve the ability to distinguish early neuromotor decline from normal changes in movement caused by different environments. The goal is to establish a new class of contextualised digital biomarkers that could support earlier diagnosis, more personalised treatment and monitoring of disease progression in everyday life, while ensuring privacy through on-device processing. The project will also strengthen the careers of MSc and PhD students through co-supervision, research mobility and in-person collaboration. Led by early-career researchers, the consortium aims to build a long-term research network, develop a roadmap for future European funding calls, and share its results through scientific conferences, publications and a public demonstration.

Unite! Partners: PoliTo, UPC, Wroclaw, and Aalto
Overall coordinator: Marco Caruso, Politecnico di Torino – Department of Electronics and Telecommunications
Aalto Local Coordinator: Udayanto Atmojo, School of Electrical Engineering, Dept. of Electrical Engineering and Automation https://www.aalto.fi/en/people/udayanto-atmojo

 

ElectRAmmonia – Electrode and Reactor co-design for high-rate electrochemical green Ammonia production

Three Unite! universities will partner to develop more efficient approaches to ammonia production using the lithium-mediated nitrogen reduction reaction (LiNRR), a promising alternative to the energy-intensive Haber–Bosch process. Ammonia is essential for fertiliser production and is also emerging as a carbon-free energy carrier, but LiNRR currently faces challenges including low ammonia production rates, slow reaction kinetics and poor system stability at high current densities. The researchers will jointly design electrode interfaces and flow cell configurations, combining expertise in electrochemistry, surface characterisation and flow cell modelling to identify a stable, high-surface-area cathode capable of operating at high current densities. The project will establish a foundation for future collaborative research on scalable green ammonia production through coordinated work on electrode development and flow field modelling. It will also generate preliminary data and define a shared research roadmap to support the preparation of future funding proposals focused on sustainable ammonia electrosynthesis.

Unite! Partners: PoliTo, TUGraz, and Aalto
Overall Coordinator: Anna Mangini, Politecnico di Torino
Aalto Local Coordinator: Yaolin Xu, School of Science https://www.aalto.fi/en/people/yaolin-xu

Research and PhD Projects (Developing)

Digitalisation and accessibility - towards a Unite! Doctoral Network

Four Unite! partner universities will develop a competitive MSCA Doctoral Network proposal exploring the emerging relationship between accessibility, spatial interaction and digitalisation. While traditional approaches to accessibility have largely focused on physical proximity, the project will develop a broader perspective that considers how digital technologies are transforming how people, places, and services interact. Through three workshops – two in person and one online – alongside regular meetings, the partners will develop the research theme, define individual doctoral research topics and identify potential additional partners. The collaboration will also align the proposed network with relevant European initiatives and provide targeted training and feedback from experts and national contact points. The project aims to produce a high-quality MSCA Doctoral Network proposal while establishing a sustainable international research collaboration and creating opportunities to train the next generation of researchers in the emerging field of accessibility and digitalisation.

Unite! Partners: TUGraz, ULisboa, UPC, Aalto
Overall coordinator: Anna Sui Moreno Tsui, TUGraz
Aalto Local Coordinator: Hannah Hook, School of Engineering https://www.aalto.fi/en/news/meet-hannah-hook-assistant-professor-of-sustainable-land-use-and-transport-planning

 

Structured Cooperative Optical Platforms for Education and Research (SCOPE)

The SCOPE project will bring together researchers to strengthen collaboration in cooperative optical materials research. The partners combine expertise in spin-crossover molecular design, advanced materials fabrication, surface science and thin-film integration, and photonic and optical characterisation. The project will address the lack of harmonised inter-laboratory protocols and shared datasets, which currently limits the reproducible comparison of functional optical materials across research groups. Through the Seed Fund, the partners will establish common experimental workflows, conduct inter-laboratory pilot validation, coordinate doctoral training through Metacampus, and develop joint European funding proposals. A workshop in Lisbon and regular virtual meetings will help consolidate the collaboration and lay the foundation for future Horizon Europe and MSCA Doctoral Network proposals, as well as a long-term platform for joint research and PhD collaboration.

Unite! Partners: ULisboa, PoliTo, Wroclaw, and Aalto
Overall Coordinator: Paulo N. Martinho, ULisboa
Aalto Local Coordinator: Caterina Soldano, School of Electrical Engineering
https://www.aalto.fi/en/people/caterina-soldano

Teaching and Learning Projects

MineXR-nXT: Virtual Mines, Real Safety: Building Inclusive International Collaborative Learning for Next-Generation Engineering

The project will address the continued importance of safety in mining engineering education, where practical training can involve risks of injury. Real-world mining also requires seamless team coordination, yet graduates often have limited exposure to these dynamics before entering the workforce. Building on successfully developed and tested extended reality environments for individual safety training, MineXR-nXT will transform these single-user prototypes into an innovative teaching format: a multi-user extended reality mine where students at Unite! can train collaboratively in real time. The project will integrate advanced gamification, robust academic content and COIL methodologies to deliver ECTS-bearing modules that combine technical and intercultural competencies. The initiative brings together eight Unite! departments offering mining engineering degrees, establishing a clear pathway towards a joint Master's programme. 

Unite! Partners: UPC, PoliTo, TUGraz, TUDarmstadt, ULisboa, Wroclaw, KTH and Aalto
Overall coordinator: Marc Vallbé Mumbrú, UPC
Aalto Local Coordinator: ​Lauri Uotinen, School of Engineering https://www.aalto.fi/en/people/lauri-uotinen
Aalto Participant: Sven Bossuyt, sven.bossuyt@aalto.fi

Student Projects

Towards a Doctoral Associations Alliance: Establishing and Supporting Doctoral Associations across Unite!

The project will strengthen doctoral researcher representation across Unite! by building on the experience of doctoral associations at KTH and Aalto. It will support the launch of at least two new associations and strengthen two existing groups at Unite! universities. The project will also create an “Association Starter Kit” with practical guidance on governance, representation, funding, events and advocacy, alongside hands-on workshops to help doctoral researchers establish and develop associations in their local contexts. A Unite!-wide network will connect doctoral associations to share experiences, materials and activities and support continued collaboration beyond the project. The project aims to create a stronger, more connected doctoral researcher community across Unite! and give doctoral researchers a stronger European voice.

Unite! Partners: Aalto + KTH
Overall coordinator and Aalto Contact: Bagheri Marzieh marzieh.bagheri@aalto.fi



Chemistry Without Borders: An Academic and Industrial Exploration of Europe

The project will connect chemical engineering students from Aalto University and TU Darmstadt through a joint programme of student and industry activities. As part of an eight-day European excursion, Aalto’s Kemistikilta and Darmstadt’s Fachschaft Chemie will organise a two-day programme featuring a Nordic student culture event, a joint visit to a chemical industry company and a further networking event for students. The initiative aims to create new connections between Nordic and German engineering students, strengthen student collaboration across Unite!, and support TU Darmstadt’s student community in developing its international collaboration activities. It will also help restart and expand Kemistikilta’s international excursion tradition following the quieter years during and after the pandemic.

Unite! Partners: TUDa + Aalto
Local Aalto Coordinators: Aino Hellqvist aino.hellqvist@aalto.fi and Tran Ngoc Bao Lan ngoc.m.tran@aalto.fi

Unite! Textile Architecture Lab 

The Unite! Textile Architecture Lab will bring together architecture, design and fashion students for an intensive seven-day workshop exploring more sustainable approaches to construction. The students will work together to develop textile-based alternatives to high-carbon materials such as glass and investigate ways of reusing fibres. Through hands-on experimentation with bio-inspired and regenerative materials, the project will develop and test large-scale functional prototypes of innovative textile systems. The results will be documented in a digital Knowledge Booklet, sharing the students’ findings with the wider Unite! community and helping build new expertise for sustainable design and construction.

Unite! Partners: ULisboa, Aalto and UPC
Overall Coordinator: Beatriz Viais, ULisboa
Aalto Contacts: Natalia Chernova nataliia.chernova@aalto.fi and Kinga Mucha kinga.mucha@aalto.fi