Following the Aalto strategy, especially the plans for driving excellence and its actions new collaboration across fields and attracting and fostering talent, the Aalto Networking Platform’s mission is to facilitate matchmaking and networking of joint multidisciplinary activities leading to bigger research initiatives and solutions for grand challenges.

Aalto Networking Platform has all the three cross-cutting themes Sustainability, Radical Creativity and Entrepreneurial Mindset visible in its activities. 

Cooperation and fostering talent

1. Arrange events to enhance the internal and external networking of Aalto's researchers, as well as spontaneous research collaboration between Aalto's Schools and Departments. 
2. Foster talent by helping newcomer researchers to get to know Aalto colleagues. Facilitate the onboarding and mentoring of newcomers.  
3. Facilitate the discussions between Schools and Departments to set up joint study programmes, research infrastructures and other joint initiatives. 

Communication 

1. Enhance the visibility of Aalto key research areas within Aalto and towards stakeholders. Act as a contact point internally and externally.
2. Support large research consortia in the communication and visibility aspects of top-level funding applications and projects. 
3. Maintain versatile interaction with Aalto's stakeholders. 
4. When relevant, showcase student activities as part of multidisciplinary networking events.

Platform Impact

The support granted by the Platform initiative has helped Aalto University researchers join together and start such great collaboration projects as

• Aalto Industrial Internet Campus,
• FinnCERES  materials research flagship, and the
• European Microkelvin Platform.

 Key research areas in numbers (in 2018)

* Organized by Aalto Networking Platform and its predecessors, the seven multidisciplinary Platforms 

Organisation

Aalto Networking Platform managers come from research backgrounds and have proven track records in promoting cross-disciplinarity. They are broadly knowledgeable about ongoing research projects and programmes at both national and European levels and are well connected to Aalto University faculty and research ecosystems in their fields.

A task force consisting of both academic and administrative stakeholders supports the platform. The academic task force members are appointed from all Schools of the University, assuring a fair representation of research conducted at the University.

Aalto Networking Platform reports to the Research Steering Group (ReSG), chaired by Vice President for Research.