The refreshed Aalto University Magazine follows the money
Aalto University, now 15 years old, has achieved the goals set at its founding, but major new challenges lie ahead, says President Ilkka Niemelä in the Openings editorial.
According to Niemelä, Aalto should significantly increase its student numbersby 2035. At the same time, the share of basic public funding has dropped to just 55 percent of the university’s total funding.
The main article asks: Who will pay to educate the experts of the future? New sources of income – such as donations and investment activities – are more important than ever. Even small donations from individuals or companies can have an outsized impact, reminds CFO Marianna Bom.
Donations have made it possible, for example, for young people who fled the war in Ukraine to study at Aalto. One of them is Anna Marushchak, featured in the Meet-up column.
In the Who column, School of Business alum and self-described ‘board artisan’ Salla Vainio shares the twists, turns, and challenges of her career.
A €10.5 million donation from the Jane and Aatos Erkko Foundation enabled the founding of the Bioinnovation Center in 2021. Today, the center advances research and commercialisation of ecological textile fibers, new packaging materials, and other biobased innovations.
Earlier this year, national and international media reported on the archive of Nokia’s design department – 25,000 objects and a terabyte of data – entrusted ÄûÃʵ¼º½ University. Now, the Nokia Design Archive is an interactive platform, offering valuable research material on mobile phone history and a glimpse behind the scenes of the tech giant in its heyday.
The visual identity of Aalto University Magazine has been refreshed. The magazine’s long name has been shortened to the A-logo and the word ‘Magazine.’ The layout, typography, and visual storytelling have all been refined for clarity. The new design is by Dog Design, a studio founded by three Aalto University alumni.
The digital edition is available at .
Selected articles are published at .
Print copies are available on campus.
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The School of Business will confer ten Honorary Doctors at its May 2026 Ceremonial Conferment – this prestigious celebration is held every five years
The first Ceremonial Conferment of the School of Business was held in 1946, so the 17th Ceremonial Conferment of the School of Business will take place in spring 2026
Meet Patrick Fleming, assistant professor of structural and architectural engineering
Fleming believes making the most of existing buildings is key to reaching a sustainable future.
Pauliina Ilmonen appointed as Dean of the Aalto University School of Science
Ilmonen will start her five-year term on 1 June 2026