Skip to main content
EU Science Hub
News announcement2 May 2017

JRC strengthens scientific links with Finland's Aalto University

Aalto University and the Joint Research Centre (JRC), the European Commission's science and knowledge service, signed a Memorandum of Understanding that will boost scientific cooperation in a number of fields.

Mikko Raskinen / Vladimir Šucha / Aalto University
© EU 2017

Aalto University and the Joint Research Centre (JRC), the European Commission's science and knowledge service, signed a Memorandum of Understanding that will boost scientific cooperation in a number of fields.

The Memorandum lays the foundations for enhanced scientific exchange and synergies in areas of common interest for both parties such as advanced energy solutions, regional innovation ecosystems and entrepreneurship. It opens new avenues for collaboration in the fields of sustainable use of natural resources, biomaterials, text and data mining, cyber security, quantum technologies, wireless communications and 5G networks, urban agenda, and design for policy.

Vladimír Šucha, Director-General of JRC said:

"If you have smart people and do the right things, you can change things. Aalto University has made a remarkable cultural change and has achieved great results".

The Memorandum was signed by Director-General Vladimir Šucha and Aalto University Provost Ilkka Niemelä. At the signing event the university faculty presented some of their research.

Report: Aalto is an orchestrating innovation actor

The Joint Research Centre has recently published a Science for Policy Report on the innovation ecosystems of Aalto University and Espoo Innovation Garden. The report presents a case study that aims to identify key success factors of the ecosystems, with particular attention to the role of Aalto University as an example of an entrepreneurial university. The report finds that Aalto University is a strong orchestrating actor who has stimulated the synergistic activities of others. One of the reasons for this success is the multi-disciplinary thinking at Aalto.

The Science for Policy report seeks to inform policies aimed at supporting the strengthening and emergence of existing or new place-based innovation ecosystems and entrepreneurial universities in other EU regions and cities.

Aalto University

Aalto University has six schools with nearly 20 000 students and 4 000 employees, 386 of whom are Professors. It is a community where science and art meet technology and business.

Aalto University was founded in 2010 as Helsinki University of Technology, the Helsinki School of Economics and the University of Art and Design Helsinki were merged. The main campus is located in Otaniemi in Espoo, Finland. The other campuses are in Töölö and Arabia in Helsinki.

More information

Place-Based Innovation Ecosystems Report by JRC

Read More about Smart Specialisation

Details

Publication date
2 May 2017