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On 5 April 2019, Ilkka Niemelä, President of Aalto University, and Pekka Lundmark, CEO of Fortum, signed a memorandum of understanding on cooperation that will open up new opportunities to promote resource-efficiency and the sustainable use of natural resources.

Research and teaching related to climate change and new solutions for environmental issues play a central role in Aalto University. Aalto has multidisciplinary expertise and world-class research infrastructure for solving research challenges touching renewable biomass as well as inorganic materials and minerals.

"We already cooperate with Fortum in field of bioeconomy and circular economy", says Kristiina Kruus, Dean of the Aalto University School of Chemical Engineering. "Fortum is involved in, for example, the BATCircle consortium led by Aalto, which is a joint project of research organisations and companies and financed by Business Finland. It aims to increase the efficiency in recycling of lithium-ion batteries, improve manufacturing processes of mining and battery industry, and create new business worth at least 5 billion euros in Finland in industrial sectors that produce battery metals and related chemicals", Kruus continues.

Aalto University has committed to promoting sustainable development as part of its research and teaching activities. Solving the grand challenges of sustainable development calls for pioneering multidisciplinary research. To this end, researchers at Aalto are studying new energy solutions and wood-based biomass and products. This includes ecological textiles made by Ioncell technology, microcrystalline cellulose suitable for feed, food and pharmaceutical applications, and various nanocellulose products. Another research topic is the utilisation of digitalisation for improving energy efficiency.

Aalto University sees cooperation with industry as essential. Closer cooperation with Fortum promotes the development of energy-efficient technologies and concepts. It also furthers the quest to find solutions for the recovery, recycling and development of materials, thus decreasing dependency on fossil raw materials. Cooperation can also open new opportunities for students in the form of thesis projects.

"We need to find quick solutions for climate and environmental challenges. Multidisciplinary cooperation is best equipped for that", says Kristiina Kruus.

Further information:

Anne Kosola, Manager, Corporate Relations
Aalto University
anne.kosola@aalto.fi
Tel. +358 50 596 9395