ÄűĂʵĽş˝

A! Sign of Change

Donation causes ÄűĂʵĽş˝ now
A collage of variously styled and coloured letter 'A's in both upper and lower case.

Campaign status

1 500 800 Halfway First 100 A full thousand! 1 500
Updated 14.10.2025 9:19
30 000 000&˛Ô˛ú˛ő±č;€ 14 307 464 Halfway Good start 30 000 000&˛Ô˛ú˛ő±č;€
Updated 14.10.2025 9:15

    Time for us all to step up for our shared future

    The world is in the midst of a sustainability crisis and a technological revolution. We are faced with ever-fiercer competition, rapid advances in artificial intelligence and pressure for funding cuts. We need action from institutions and business, but individuals can also make a difference. You, too, can be A! Sign of Change for the future. 

    Aalto University's public core funding from the Ministry of Education and Culture has decreased in real terms by more than one-third compared to 2010, when the university began its operations. 

    Our aim is to activate at least 1500 individuals to donate and to reach 30 million euros by the end of 2026. 

    Aalto is the home of makers and doers; a place that encourages students and researchers to experiment, play and prosper, to collaborate and create. It is in this environment where impact is being made and contributed euros are best spent.

    Believe in a more hopeful and international Finland with us. Make A! donation.

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    A! Sign of Change

    The world needs bold thinkers and brave doers, and that is why at Aalto, we educate and foster change-makers. This fundraising campaign, A! Sign of Change, is promoting and celebrating Aalto's impact on society.

    Our students and researchers are building the world’s smallest radar satellites, redefining the boundaries of possibilities for biomaterials, revolutionising sustainable fashion, developing health-promoting technology, and finding ways to feed more people with fewer resources.

    Companies founded by our alumni already employ over 30.000 people. This number is sure to grow in the future, as an increasing number of our students see entrepreneurship as an attractive career option – and as a way to build a better world. 

    Community is at the heart of both Aalto’s and Finnish society’s success. That is why we now invite everyone to join the effort, join the next chapter of our shared success story, to support tomorrow’s experts and to safeguard our collective well-being.

    Your donation ÄűĂʵĽş˝ University is a contribution to the society.

    Make your hope yield results: Invest in the future 

    A donation is not only a form of charity but also an investment in the future.

    Many invest in shares and funds, but have you ever thought that you could invest in the future – in education, research and the promotion of science and art?  What if you were to invest in future experts, in those who are making the hard decisions in 10, 50 or 100 years from now, and in innovations that enable things we cannot even imagine yet?

    When you donate to the university, the profitability of your investment will not be measured in monetary terms. Instead, your investment in higher education and research will yield results over the long term and come to fruition in Finland’s competitiveness, technological development, solutions to the skills shortage, an optimally running society, and enhanced well-being for our youth.

    To ensure groundbreaking research and bold, persistent innovators in the future, we must invest in both long-term fundamental research and targeted innovation efforts. 

    ÄűĂʵĽş˝ and you’ll invest in a future you can be proud of.

    Bubbles with benefits material
    Bubble wrap from wood. At the time Bachelor's students Satu Paavonsalo (Design) and Valentine Schwarz (Fashion, Clothing and Textiles) came up with a cellulose-based solution to plastic problem in a CHEMARTS course.

    A hopeful and international Finland

    Global crises and the domestic skills shortage are a reality, but at the same time, there are plenty of reasons to be hopeful and to believe in a better future. 

    At Aalto, we are answering the call by educating, year by year, more talent, by instilling in students an entrepreneurial mindset, and by producing innovations. We encourage our different fields of study to commingle and to collaborate. We inspire creativity.

    Reading textbooks teaches the standard models of things, but when more is needed, that is where creativity and collaboration come in. Creative thinking and operation models push us to progress even through the occasional stalemates: because there is no single specific goal, there are always multiple directions to move in. 

    However, change doesn’t happen alone through multidisciplinary collaboration. More and more often, breakthroughs are driven by international teams. Aalto students currently represent 117 nationalities, and half of our research and teaching staff have come ÄűĂʵĽş˝ from outside Finland. Our alumni are working and making an impact in over 100 countries around the world. Aalto has quickly become Finland’s most international university.

    Diversity is an opportunity and a resource. At Aalto, we celebrate voices from different academic fields and cultural backgrounds coming together with unique ideas and creative solutions. We truly believe Finland’s long-term success relies on research and innovation – and integrating international talent.

    Half of Aalto’s international graduates are employed in Finland one year after graduation. This is a testament ÄűĂʵĽş˝â€™s role in internationalising Finland. While we are happy about the progress, we still have work to do – and we need your help.

    ÄűĂʵĽş˝ and receive a lapel pin symbolising collaboration

    At Aalto, when people from different fields come together, share their knowledge and ask questions, we get ideas for disruptive innovation, thrilling beginnings, and unprecedented ways to apply existing technology. 

    This lapel pin embodies such collaboration. This play around structural colour demonstrates creative thinking, sustainability ambitions and entrepreneurial mindset; a project that combines design and bioproduct technology. It is an idea brought to life by a designer fascinated with shine, and a material scientists who is glad he didn't make it as technical physicist.

    The strength and uniqueness of Aalto is reflected in a beautiful wooden lapel pin that we offer to donors.

      Noora Yau and Konrad Klockars

      Many of nature’s most impressive colours are created without pigments. A peacock’s feathers and the shell of a beetle are covered by a special nanostructure that gives them iridescent hues and makes them glisten in the sun. When light hits these structures, our eyes perceive their intense and vivid colours. 

      Noora Yau and Konrad Klockars started collaborating in 2017 with their own wood-based version of this nanostructure. Now, there's nothing new about human-made structural colours, but instead of being made of plastics and metals, or containing lead and other toxic substances, Noora and Konrad's version is environment-friendly.

      Shimmering pieces of wood in different colours

      Noora and Konrad make their structural colour out of nanocellulose, which is created by splitting the cellulose contained in wood into nanoscale lengths. One nanometre is equal to one millionth of a millimetre.  

      Nanocellulose is non-toxic and renewable. It is used in, for example, medical applications and composite materials. It can also form a nanostructure that yields structural colour – if you know how to process it.

      Close-up of a iridescent, round campaign pin reflecting on a shiny surface with a blurred colourful background.

      What makes this pin so special is that it is a luminous sign of your support for our students and researchers; a concrete embodiment of your values and efforts for our shared future. 

      An idea inspired by nature, brought to life by Aalto students from different fields, created from biodegradable nanocellulose in a 3D-printer, and worn by our donors such as You.

      ÄűĂʵĽş˝ and get your very own Shimmering Wood lapel pin in recognition.

      Supporters who have contributed in the campaign

      List of donors, individuals and organisations, who have given a permission to publish their names.

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      Contact: For donations over 10.000 euros
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      Learn: Why invest in teaching & research
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      Celebrate: Set up an anniversary fundraiser

      Making difference

      Take a look at how your donation could be put in good use. 

      A collage: red brick building with irregular windows, a bright atrium with tall walls, white ridged surfaces reflecting light.

      Will future experts be educated with fewer euros?

      Universities struggle with shrinking funding while expectations continue to rise. New revenue streams and broad societal support are more critical than ever.

      News
      Blue, pink and transparent colour bubble material

      Donation is a consumption choice

      A donation to the university is a consumption choice, just like buying a new shirt.

      Give for the future
      Ukrainalainen opiskelija kurssikavereidensa kanssa

      Donations make a difference

      Donations have a significant impact on Ukrainian students receiving scholarships at Aalto University.

      Give for the future
      Opiskelijoita kävelemässä vihreiden puiden alla

      Donations make it possible for all the students to participate in student exchanges

      International student exchange is an essential part of the studies of many students at the School of Business

      News
      Liikuteltavan magneettikuvauslaitteen prototyyppi.

      Accessible MRI could revolutionise the diagnosis of brain disorders

      A research team at Aalto is developing an accessible magnetic resonance imaging machine

      News
      Wooden crystals on black surface

      Natural luxury – Wooden crystals make fashion shine

      Biomaterials and 3D-printing conjure a sparkle out of wood without harming people or the environment

      News
      Tekstiiliperhonen, jonka siipiin on punottu valoon reagoivia säikeitä.

      The butterfly effect – bending and turning artificial muscles with light

      In the future, the innovation could be used in for example the development of smart textiles, soft robotics and medicine.

      News
      Selluloosapohjainen, biohajoava kuplamuovin korvaajainnovaatio Bubbles with Benefits. Kuvassa vaalea ohut materiaali ympäröi kahta juomalasia

      Biodegradable bubble wrap replacement Bubbles with Benefits wins innovation competition

      The innovation of Aalto University’s design students was awarded by the Finnish Forest Industries and the Finnish Forest Products Engineers' Association.

      News
      Kolmannen-vuosikurssin arkkitehtiopiskelijoita vuonna 1921

      Architect Annikki Paasikivi legacy gift has a significant impact on numerous student generations

      Architect Annikki Paasikivi Scholarship Fund operates actively at Aalto University. Every year, dozens of scholarships are awarded to students of architecture from the fund established in the 1950s.

      Give for the future
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