Aalto University welcomes the first UN Technology Innovation Lab to A Grid

The establishment of the first United Nations Technology Innovation Lab (UNTIL) will be launched on Thursday 30 November in a Slush side event, co-organized by the Ministry for Foreign Affairs of Finland and the Office for Information and Communication and Technologies of the United Nations. The first lab will be housed at Aalto University's Otaniemi campus, in A Grid, the new centre for growth companies. Two more labs will be launched in 2017 in Asia and Africa, and the global network continues to grow in 2018.

The first lab location in Finland has been selected in partnership with the Government of Finland and it focuses on the thematic areas of circular economy, education, peace and security, and health. Each of the global UNTIL labs will focus on different thematic areas that are central to the need of each individual lab’s specific geolocation. UNTIL labs create a platform for problem-solving between the UN, private sector, academia and civil society, with the help of startups.

”Aalto University's strong research and innovation ecosystem attracts creative industries, new businesses and international players. I am delighted and proud that the UN's Innovation and Technology Laboratory UNTIL is willing to join our community. The lab will be housed at A Grid, which will be opened soon, ” says Aalto University's Vice President of Research and Innovation Tuija Pulkkinen.

The side event will debate the role of technology in advancing progress towards the UN’s 2030 Agenda. There will also be a panel discussion in which keynote speeches will be held by Kai Mykkänen, Minister of Trade and Development of Finland, and Ilona Lundström, Director General of Enterprise and Innovation Department at the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Employment. Vice President Eero Eloranta and Irena Bakic from Aalto Global Impact will represent Aalto University in the panel discussion.

This release was first published 29 November by Aalto University.