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Finland has pledged to be carbon neutral by 2035. Helsinki’s pledge is set for 2030. Most organizations and states have made pledges that materialize decades away. Finland is therefore leading the way in these important commitments, crucial to fight the existential threat of climate change. Constant innovation, coupled with rapid commercialization, are key to the success of these ambitious goals. Great challenges abound, and these are coupled with numerous opportunities for profitable business outcomes for Finnish companies – opportunities that are not limited to Finland but applicable around the globe.

The MIT Industrial Liaison Program and the MIT Startup Exchange, in collaboration with Aalto University, are conducting a one-day symposium at the Dipoli center in the heart of the university campus. MIT and Aalto University faculty and startups, as well as representatives from Finnish industry, will discuss the business and technology challenges needed to further accelerate sustainable innovation.  Launching and commercializing these innovations quickly will ensure that Finnish companies and institutions establish a leadership role in the crucial decades ahead.

As our keynote presentation, Prof. Carlo Ratti will discuss his team’s project, Helsinki’s Hot Heart, award winner of the 2021 Helsinki Energy Challenge. The project is an innovative and transformative energy storage system to provide district heating to the city. The MIT-Aalto Symposium will be an opportunity for the Finnish business community to interact directly with Prof. Ratti on this venture, intimately linked to life in Helsinki. Participants from the business community will also be able to engage with other faculty presenters, startups and with each other, an unusual occurrence in the past two years.

MIT Professional Education and Aalto Executive Education will also offer opportunities for continued engagement and learning for the Finnish corporate community.

Join to hear from MIT faculty and MIT Startup Exchange entrepreneurs to learn how to navigate this new era with management best practices.

Sustainability is a broad and popular topic. Renewable energy; energy transition; recycling and the circular economy; climate and environment; water and food – these topics are quickly maturing into fields of their own. But what is next for sustainability? What lies beyond what we now consider sustainable technologies and business practices, and how will they affect your industry? What does emerging government policy suggest will be the hot sustainability topics of the future? Join MIT faculty, researchers, and startups as we review core topics like energy and climate, but also explore new ones, like digital sustainability, sustainability for the built environment, and how we teach sustainability – both to the workforce of the present and the workforce of the future.

As the imperative for sustainable development intensifies, Thailand and Southeast Asia stand at the crossroads of challenges and opportunities in fostering effective industry-academic collaboration.  The region's diverse ecosystems and economies necessitate a nuanced understanding of the interplay between sectors, urging stakeholders to navigate obstacles, capitalize on synergies, and develop effective policies.

MIT faculty will be joined by MIT-connected startups to facilitate conversations with senior executives from Thailand to foster dialogue, share insights, and cultivate a roadmap for effective collaboration. Through a multifaceted exploration of challenges and opportunities, participants will contribute to shaping a future where industry and academia work together with local government to address pressing sustainability issues, with a focus on how MIT-industry collaboration can accelerate substantial results.