Call for early-career academics interested in expanding their international network
Unite! (University Network for Innovation, Technology, and Engineering) is a European University Alliance initiated by the European Commission and one of Aalto University’s strategic networks. The alliance fosters student and staff mobility, educational activities, and research collaboration. The Unite! Dialogue is a bi-annual community event, gathering approximately 350 participants. The October 2025 Dialogue will be hosted by Aalto.
Aalto is part of Unite! alongside eight other European technical universities:
- Kungliga Tekniska Högskolan (KTH), Sweden
- Technische Universität Darmstadt (TUDarmstadt), Germany
- Politecnico di Torino (PoliTo), Italy
- Graz University of Technology, Austria
- Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya (UPC), Spain
- Universidade de Lisboa (ULisboa), Portugal
- Wroclaw University of Science and Technology, Poland
- Institut Polytechnique de Grenoble and Université Grenoble Alpes (Grenoble INP-UGA), France
Learn more:
What Does Being a Host Involve?
We are looking for hosts to organize a three-day program (7–9 Oct, 2025) for early-career academics visiting from Unite! partner universities. Each host will engage with 5–10 participants from their own field of research and/or teaching. You are free to build the program as you best see fit.
What’s provided for hosts and participants?
- Lunches and coffee (7–9 Oct)
- Dinner (8 Oct)
- Participation in the Opening session (8 Oct) and Closing Session (9 Oct), which includes an early-career academic host panel discussion on matchmaking outcomes.
Who can be a host?
We are looking for early-career academics with an employment relationship with Aalto University in October 2025, who we define as:
- Post-doctoral researchers
- Lecturers
- First-tenure-track faculty
To encourage new engagement, this call is open to those who have not previously received Unite! seed funding.
Unite! Focus Areas
We encourage hosts from the following focus areas, though other fields are also welcome:
- Sustainable Energy
- Artificial Intelligence
- Industry 4.0
- Entrepreneurship
- Sustainable Cities and Water
- Engineering Biology
- Space
- Cybersecurity
Next steps
Apply by February 3, 2025
1. Send an email to minna-kaarina.forssen@aalto.fi including:
- Your areas of interest and field
- The kind of network you are looking for
- Your goals for the matchmaking
- The name of your deputy host (having a deputy is mandatory)
2. Selection of Hosts by February 10, 2025
Applicants will be informed of the selection results.
3. Confirmation by February 15, 2025
Selected hosts must confirm their participation.
4. Invitations to Unite! partners by February 28, 2025
We will invite academics from partner universities based on the interests and goals defined by our hosts.
5. Host Onboarding in June 2025
A session will be held to prepare hosts for the event.
More info
Minna-Kaarina Forssén, Unite! Key Liaison Officer, Aalto
minna-kaarina.forssen@aalto.fi
tel. 050-911 5262
Unite! University Alliance
Aalto University is a member of Unite! alliance together with eight other European universities.
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