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More and more often, we are facing both expected and unexpected global challenges, where we need to find answers in a very short time. The pace is much faster than what we have traditionally been used to in the academic world.

On an organisational and personal level, balancing the utilisation of precious time resources to keep up with our increasing external workload is critical. We cannot simply continue without being more radical within our ways of working. Due to the Covid-19 pandemic, we have taken quite radical steps to adapt into new situations quickly, and I have learned a lot during the crisis.

We have great potential for radical creativity! Creativity is a requirement for scientific research and artistic activities. The selection of people on the tenure track and in many of the study programmes favours individuals that are creative.

Mixing people with different backgrounds is a nutrient for creativity and bringing the different scientific disciplines and arts/design together on the same campus is the most important single action that has hugely contributed to creativity in Aalto.

Communication with the outside world is equally important. Turning inside kills the creativity.

I can recognize the key steps in the development of my thinking: in each case, I encountered a new situation and got lots of responsibility but also resources, financial and otherwise.

Tapani Vuorinen
Professor
Bioproducts and Biosystems
CHEMARTS
School of Chemical Engineering