When Vice President Tuija Pulkkinen arrives at work in Otaniemi, there is no sign of bleak and stagnant Finland described in news reports.
'Here we see only the competence, ideas and inspiration that will turn Finland around,' she says enthusiastically at the Aalto Industrial Internet Campus opening event held on 25 August.
'AIIC brings together competence that is essential to both Aalto and all of Finland.'
AIIC (Aalto Industrial Internet Campus) is a joint strategic initiative of Aalto University and its schools. Its aim is to combine industrial internet research, teaching and innovation activities into a concept that operates in close cooperation with industry. In his opening speech, Martti Mäntylä, who leads the initiative, emphasised the importance of encounters.
'The industrial internet is a matter of how bytes and hardware can find each other in the best possible way,' he explained.
'The idea of a campus is to bring experts from different fields together to solve multidisciplinary problems. Pekka Lundmark has often talked about Finland being the Silicon Valley of the industrial internet, and we believe that its birthplace can be right here in the Puumiehenkuja block, near the future metro station. Today is the first milestone in the AIIC calendar – it all starts here!'
Teaching and corporate collaboration
Students play an important role in AICC – rapidly changing industry cannot manage without talented experts.
'We have to prepare students for change, and above all we have to teach them how to learn,' summed up Mäntylä.
Many projects and theses are completed in collaboration with companies. For them, the establishment of the Industrial Internet Campus is welcome news.
'In a way, the industrial internet is the fourth industrial revolution. This is why the launch of AICC is such a great thing,' said Matti Kauhanen, Technology Manager at ABB.
'Clustering companies in Otaniemi is a natural step, as the industrial internet is not a closed system and we need cooperation,' he emphasised.
Otaniemi will undergo a lot of change and construction in the next few years. Aalto University's Director, Real Estate Antti Tuomela explained that the university will invest some 300 million euros in properties during 2012–2020. Half of this sum will be spent on new construction, such as the School of Arts, Design and Architecture's Väre building. The other half will be used to renovate the existing red-brick buildings to meet the needs of modern Aalto activities. AIIC Innovation Lab is a good example of this work.
'A lot of international politicians and company representatives visit Aalto, and they are inspired by these places and a different way of doing things. There's a special kind of magic here.'
Further information about development of Aalto Industrial Internet Campus:
Professor Martti Mäntylä
martti.mantyla@aalto.fi
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