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International competition for talent is fiercer than ever. Finland recently eighth in the world for talent competitiveness, with Helsinki coming in at number 13 among cities. Aalto University is the most international university in Finland, attracting students from over 100 countries and professors from more than 40. It is regularly ranked among the top universities in the world.

The same rankings show that Aalto’s Department of Computer Science is the leading department in the Nordics, continuing the rich legacy of Finnish expertise in the field. The department hosts (HAIC), which is a joint initiative between Aalto and the .

‘Our mission is to harness world-class talent in research and education to push the boundaries of information security, in close cooperation with our industry partners,’ says Janne Lindqvist, associate professor, director of HAIC and head of the Department of Computer Science. ‘Aalto has the international gravitas to attract top international talent. With our industry collaboration, we want to make sure that Finland is also a place that our graduates want to stay and work at.’

Cybersecurity companies â„¢ (formerly F-Secure Business) and are perhaps two of the most emblematic drivers of the Finnish information security legacy. Both companies compete on the global markets and in a borderless environment. To navigate a more complex world, international expertise is of utmost importance.

‘Today’s threat landscape is considerably more dynamic and challenging than what organizations faced in previous years,’ says Juhani Hintikka, president and CEO of WithSecure. ‘However, defenders are also more capable. Ensuring organizations have the resources they need to get positive security outcomes is vital for navigating the road ahead.’

The companies have made donations to HAIC’s student scholarships, which will be used to cover the living expenses of the best international applicants for the duration of their master’s degree studies in the Security and Cloud Computing master’s programme. Aalto University will cover the tuition fees for the selected students.

‘Right now, there’s not enough security professionals to meet the demand for their services. And this is an industry-wide challenge that needs to be addressed. One of the most important ways we’re dealing with this challenge is by supporting students and educators to ensure high-quality training is available for people trying to build careers in the cyber security industry,’ explains Hintikka.

Building trust with students from the get-go is also a priority for SSH.

"SSH builds defensive cybersecurity solutions with a future-proof approach. By supporting HAIC, we ensure that we future-proof our talent pool and get to know students from the start of their journey in the field. As an international company, we see HAIC as a valuable channel for reaching out to the international talent of the future," says Tanja Hyöky, human resources manager at SSH.

‘Through our cooperation, we have gained a lot of thesis writers and summer workers, some of whom have continued to work part-time after the summer while studying. The cooperation is a win-win for all parties, so we are happy to continue our support for HAIC talents,’ concludes Hyöky.

The application period for Aalto University's master's programmes has begun and will last until January 2nd 2023. Check out how to apply here.