Outokumpu donates million euros to Aalto University - multidisciplinary approach raises design alongside materials research

Outokumpu supports higher education and research by donating million euros to Aalto University. Cooperation with Aalto University offers Outokumpu the chance to harness top-level know-how and a multidisciplinary approach. Aalto’s core research fields - materials research and design - will round out Outokumpu’s in-house R&D, offering new opportunities for innovation and exchanging know-how.



Outokumpu’s cooperation with higher education seeks to safeguard top-level research and education in areas that are important to the company, to create a sufficient competence base, and to recruit new experts. Traditionally, Outokumpu has engaged in cooperation in fields such as economic sciences, metallurgy, and material, automation and process technologies. Cooperation with Aalto has now raised an artist perspective and profound design competence alongside these more technical aspects.



CEO Juha Rantanen: "Industry and commerce need to engage in close cooperation with universities and invest in enhancing top-level know-how. In order to generate fresh business concepts, our globally networked corporate world requires new kinds of leadership models, communal thinking, and knowledge sharing. Aalto University’s multidisciplinary approach is appealing when considering stainless steel’s potential as a building block of a sustainable future"



The donation was decided upon at Outokumpu’s Annual General Meeting in the spring of 2010. Cooperation was launched on 10 September 2010 at Aalto University’s Design Factory, which was held in Espoo. President of Aalto University Tuula Teeri and Outokumpu’s CEO Juha Rantanen both made speeches at the event. Professor Panu Nykänen gave an overview of research cooperation and Kaisa Luukkanen presented her thesis, "The Essence of Kitchen" - stainless steel as a material for furniture design. There was also a chance to hear what else stainless steel is capable of, as Design Factory students presented their ideas on new ways of using stainless steel.

Outokumpu is a global leader in stainless steel with the vision to be the undisputed number one. Customers in a wide range of industries use our stainless steel and services worldwide. Being fully recyclable, maintenance-free, as well as very strong and durable material, stainless steel is one of the key building blocks for sustainable future. Outokumpu employs some 7 500 people in more than 30 countries. The Group’s head office is located in Espoo, Finland. Outokumpu is listed on the NASDAQ OMX Helsinki.
www.outokumpu.com



Aalto University is a new multidisciplinary science and art community in the fields of science, economics, and art and design. The new University is founded on Finnish strengths, and its goal is to develop as a unique entity to become one of the world’s top universities. Aalto University’s cornerstones are its strengths in education and research.
At the new University, there are 20,000 basic degree and graduate students as well as a staff of 4,500 of which 300 are professors. The total budget for 2009 was close to EUR 368 million. In 2009, a total of 1,567 Master’s Degrees and 180 Doctorates were completed at the three Schools. The number of alumni totals 75,000.
www.aalto.fi/en/