VTT and Aalto University strengthening their collaboration

cience, research and expertise to the benefit of the whole society through strategic partnership.

Aalto University and VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland Ltd have renewed their strategic partnership agreement that strengthens their already extensive collaboration.

The university that combines science, arts, technology and business and the largest centre of applied research in the Nordic countries aim to provide a strong value chain in which expertise and top-level research are refined to the benefit of the Finnish society and companies, into products, services and innovations.

Work to develop the research environment in Otaniemi and the entire innovation environment into an even stronger national and international centre of expertise constitutes an important part of the collaboration. The City of Espoo is also an essential partner in achieving these goals.

It is stated in the agreement that collaboration will partly take place by participating jointly in national and international research networks. The focus areas of research collaboration are the future fields that are important from Finland’s point of view: micro- and nanotechnology, bioeconomy, ICT, digital services and energy.

– Aalto University and VTT both have a lot of expertise in fields that complement each other and we want to be able to use the expertise, new ideas and research activity for the benefit of all of Finland, says President of Aalto UniversityTuula Teeri.

– Right now our country needs strong collaboration between science communities and applied research.  Through the partnership and collaboration of Aalto University and VTT, expertise resources are used efficiently. It will create new value chains to increase the entire national competitiveness. Ultimately this will benefit the national economy and hence also individual citizens, believes President and CEO of VTT Antti Vasara

Many expertise and research areas are emphasised in the strategic collaboration between Aalto University and VTT. Aalto University and VTT already have many joint research projects and research environments in the field of bioeconomy. One of them is research conducted in Otaniemi in the centre of biotechnology and Micronova, which has been successful for example in repatriating EU funding.

Research environments have been collaborating for a long time

In micro- and nanotechnology, collaboration has long been established and it is enhanced by Micronova, the research environment of micro- and nanotechnology administered jointly by VTT and Aalto University. Aalto University and VTT are partners in EIT Digital, the EU’s innovation unit for information and communication technology, which has already produced about 40 start-up companies during its four years of operation.

In the field of energy, Aalto University and VTT collaborate not only in bioenergy but also in nuclear energy and nuclear safety. The VTT Center for Nuclear Safety, currently under construction on the Otaniemi campus, is one of the most important infrastructures that will also be invested in and developed in future.

Collaboration also visible in publications

Collaboration and results are created in teaching and publications. The fact that more than 5% of Aalto University’s publications (almost 600 articles in 2010–2015) were joint publications with VTT is one example of the extent of the collaboration.