Product development strategies, resources, capabilities and experts are vital for corporate success, national futures as well as tackling global challenges. Product Development Path Makers, established in 2024, is a national award directing attention to how product development opens new pathways and opportunities. Aalto Design Factory, Academic Engineers and Architects in Finland (TEK), the City of Espoo, Technology Industries of Finland, Chemical Industry Federation of Finland, Finnish Forest Industries and TT-Säätiö have teamed up for 2025 to continue with the award. The call for nominations is open until 14.9.2025.
The award can be granted to a project team or community of people that has enacted the experiment or activity. The Path Makers considers product development broadly, as an interdisciplinary effort that can target physical or digital products, services or processes. The award winners in 2024 were:
Anyone can nominate an experiment, activity or project you have found inspiring as a candidate for the award. From the nominations, the award jury consisting of Aalto University, Espoo, TEK, City of Espoo, Technology Industries of Finland, Chemical Industry Federation of Finland and Finnish Forest Industries experts and leaders will select finalists, each receiving a 8000 euro prize. In addition, one of the finalists will win the Ekman award based on a public voting, worth a further 8000 euros.
“The Product Development Path Makers offers an opportunity to gain public recognition to the development work that often happens quietly behind the scenes. Our hope is that the award sparks conversations both within companies as well as on a national level on the efforts that are building the future of Finland as we speak,” explains prof. Tua Björklund, director of the Aalto University Design Factory and chairwoman of the award committee.
Nominations for the 2025 awards are open 4.8.-14.9.2025, via the .
The new national Product Development Path Maker awards were handed out at Aalto University Design Factory. The grand prize was awarded to KONE Veturi, a project that develops sustainable urban housing for the future.
Aalto Design Factory, supported by TEK, the City of Espoo, and Technology
Industries of Finland Centennial Foundation, has announced a new national award to recognize inspiring experiments and activities that have opened up new types of opportunities and/or impact in product development
Design Factory develops creative ways of working and enhanced interdisciplinary interaction to support world-class product design in educational, research and practical application contexts.
