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Aalto University's School of Engineering has received a donation to the amount of EUR 1 million from IoT Forge foundation, which was established to support Finnish innovation in the field of Internet of Things. Lappeenranta-Lahti University of Technology (LUT) and Turku University of Applied Sciences will also receive similar donations, marking an end to the foundation's current activities.

“We believe that our investment of nearly three million euros will strengthen domestic technology expertise both in the school curricula and in the business world, and at the same time be a significant investment in Finland's future competitiveness”, says IoT Forge’s CEO Matti Hellgrén.

Strengthening research and education in the field

The donation will support the establishment of a five-year Professor of Practice position at the School of Engineering. Part of the donation will be used to establish new courses and support research related to the Industrial Internet and digital twins.

"We are very grateful for the donation from IoT Forge. The Industrial Internet and its applications are developing at a rapid pace, and the donation will help us strengthen our expertise in this important area. At the same time, we can increase our teaching offering - there are many interested students," says Ilkka Niemelä, President of Aalto University.

Kari Tammi, Dean of the School of Engineering, believes that Finland has the potential to be a pioneer in Industrial Internet-related know-how and business.

"Finland has manufacturing industry that is digitalising at a rapid pace. We also have a strong telecoms sector, which has found the manufacturing industry as their customer. The industrial metaverse, an environment combining physical and virtual reality, is a real competitive factor for the future. It could create a new cutting edge for Finland, combining telecommunications, design and manufacturing," says Tammi.

Digital twins as an Industrial Internet application are being studied at the Aalto University Industrial Internet Campus. The Industrial Internet is building a world where all industrial objects and services are connected to the web. A digital twin refers to a digital counterpart of a physical entity. Digital twins offer the construction and real estate industry many opportunities in improving efficiency, sustainability and profitability.