Make waves.

Make a difference.

Invest in a future 

to be proud of.

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Make Waves Fundraising Campaign

Campaign status today

1 500 306 Halfway First 100 A full thousand! 1 500
Updated 20.12.2024 15:31
30 000 000 € 6 939 665 Halfway Good start 30 000 000 €
Updated 20.12.2024 15:31

Time for all of us 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 digitalisation and pressure for funding cuts. 

We need actions from institutions, businesses and individuals alike. We cannot afford to wait for that 'someone else' to make their move first. 

We have high expectations. And how could we not? Aalto students and researchers are striving both in Finland and globally, so we need to keep up to enable the progress. The aim is to bring abroad 1500 donors and to reach 30 million euros by the end of 2026. 

Join the ride in celebrating science and its makers – join the campaign!

Biobased material bubble wrap by Satu Paavonsalo and Valentin Schwarz photo Bryan Saragosa
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.

Make waves

Aaltonians are inherently active thinkers, doers and makers. We don’t just go about our lives passively with the flow. Instead, we dare to question, step outside our comfort zones, stop and pivot if needed. We make waves with our actions.

Not all waves are massive and disruptive changing the landscape: some are barely visible ripples, yet important in the big picture. The world needs both innovations and incremental progress. 

You might not have thought of it before, but since you found yourself here, there is a high likelihood you too are a wavemaker. You belong to the Aalto community, regardless where you've studied.

Some of us can contribute by a way of world-class academic research, some by enabling and administrating that work; some of us can afford to donate a little, some a lot. We all have a role in taking care of our shared future. 

Make a difference

At Aalto, the magic happens when our students and researchers look for the right questions before jumping into, inevitably insufficient, answers. Meaningful difference is made where two, or more, seemingly separate worlds or academic fields come together. That is what Aalto is in its heart: enabling the multidisciplinary way of working and thinking, fostering creative outcomes in science, art and business. 

The university enables the makers and doers to prosper, to experiment and play, to collaborate and create. It is all about identifying, initiating, and celebrating these cruxes. It is in this environment where impact is being made; where contributed euros are best spent.

We all can make a difference in our everyday lives. Pay forward a compliment, a smile, a favor. Give your time, volunteer, mentor, donate.

Invest in a future to be proud of

While making a donation is always a form of charity, why not think of your donation as an investment? 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 make the hard decisions in 10, 50, 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 to higher education and research will yield results on the long term and come to fruition, for instance, as Finland’s competitiveness, technological development, solutions to skills shortage, optimally running society, and enhanced well-being of the youth.

We all have roles in the progress, on our way to the future we can be proud of. 

Long-term research is the key to success

Since Aalto's operations started 15 years ago in 2010, together with our students, alumni, researchers, partners, donors and other stakeholders, we have already made remarkable progress from accelerating the quantum revolution to building a prominent startup-ecosystem, and so much more. 

We're striving for innovations, but transformative ideas and products don't emerge from thin air and they don't come to fruition daily, not even yearly. Breakthroughs are built on several years, if not decades, of basic research. It is a game of long-term commitment.  

To safeguard our collective well-being and to build more sustainable future, we invite our community, our alumni and other stakeholders, You, to show your support in numbers: let's show our students and researchers the community stands with them. 

When you donate, let's say 50 €, today it will grow to 90 € in 20 years, and in hundred years the value of that 50 € is already approximately 1.000 €*. 

Every euro counts. 

*Estimate based on an expected long-term real return (exceeding the inflation rate).

Creative & entrepreneurial approach 

We need bold thinkers and brave doers, and that is why at Aalto, we educate and foster change-makers. At the same time, our wider community, our alumni and other stakeholders, are invited to support the pursuit in order to safeguard our collective well-being.

While for some, just the idea of leaving one's comfort zone feels oppressive, some, in fact, thrive in ambiguity. To proceed without knowing the end results and to withstand uncertainty are skills we need our decision-makers to have. 

Reading textbooks teaches standard models of things, but when more is needed, enter creativity and collaboration. Creative thinking and operation models push us to progress even in an occasionally inevitable stalemate: because there is no single specific goal, there are always multiple directions to move in. Often times when first research questions are asked, not even the askers can imagine the outcomes down the line.

For example, the entirety of today's quantum technology ecosystem at Otaniemi, originated in 1970 when Professor Olli Lounasmaa led the construction of the cryostat, that – for the fist time in world history – was able to refrigerate samples to sub-millikelvin temperatures. 

Another great example of long-term results yielding is the collaboration of Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) and Artificial Intelligence (AI). AI from 2020s transforms the 80s imaging technology to be useful, yet again.  

Strong magnetic field, translates to detailed imaging but also requires a big machine that is usually found only in big hospitals. An accessible MRI, one that fits to an ambulance, uses weaker magnetic fields. Until now weaker signal meant inoperative imaging, but with the help of AI and its "amplifier" effect via improved algorithms, the researchers are now able to push the bounds of readable image. 

With your support, together we will continue this journey!

A gold-plated cryostat sits half open with many cables coming out from the bottom.
Aalto's pioneering quantum research started already in the 60s. Today, Aalto-spinoff Bluefors is one of the world’s leading manufacturers of cryostat: a refrigeration device used to cool the quantum circuits of a quantum computer close to absolute zero.

Shimmering Wood - Pin

When people from different fields come together, share their knowledge and ask questions, we get disruptive ideas, thrilling beginnings, and unprecedented applications. 

One of these collaborations is the embodiment of this campaign. A project that demonstrates creative thinking, sustainability ambitions and entrepreneurial mindset; a project that combines design and bioproduct technology; an idea brought to life by a designer fascinated whine shine and a material scientists who is glad he didn't make it as technical physicist.

The strength and uniqueness of Aalto is condensed in a beautiful wooden pin.

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    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, and containing lead and other toxic substances, Noora and Konrad's version is environment-friendly.

    Konrad Klockars

    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.

    Shimmering wood -pin

    What makes this pin so special is that it is a glistening sign of 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 of different fields, created from biodegradable nanocellulose in a 3D-printer, and worn by our donors such as You: A Shimmering Wood Pin.

    Donate and get your very own pin.

    Donors who have contributed in the campaign

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    Making difference

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

    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
    Stack of wood. Photographer: Eeva Suorlahti.

    What if the world’s cattle munched on Finnish wood?

    A new manufacturing method will open entirely new markets for microcrystalline cellulose. It could be used, for example, to enrich animal fodder.

    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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