The Center for Sustainability welcomed Aalto’s Bioinnovation Center delegation.

This week, the Center of Sustainability (Prof. Aart van Bezooijen and Prof. Elisabeth Gsottbauer) welcomed guests from the Aalto University Bioinnovation Center (Finland): Dr. Susanna Ahola and Greta Isola, who presented their work at the intersection of bio-based materials, design, and societal impact. The visit focused on how interdisciplinary research can not only generate new materials but also trigger concrete educational and transformation processes.

A key element was the visit to unibz, including the Material Library, the MA Eco-Social Design program, and the Design Friction Lab, where discussions deepened around the links between material research and design practice. The two-day program also took the delegation to NOI Techpark, the terraXcube – Europe’s center for extreme climate simulation – and the Competence Center of Food Fermentation Lab (ICOFF). The visit concluded with a public talk at the BITZ unibz fablab.

The exchange focused on discussions on how Center coordinators and impact managers can strategically advance research centers, for example, through interdisciplinary doctoral schools, experimental learning formats, and innovative approaches to knowledge transfer. Examples from the CHEMARTS minor program and the Marvelous Materials book project illustrated how bio-innovation can achieve broad impact through books, exhibitions, and teacher training.

Overall, the visit underscored that interdisciplinary work requires not only academic excellence but also educational engagement and strong institutional support.

Further links:

Aalto University Bioinnovation Center: https://www.aalto.fi/en/bioinnovation-center

CHEMARTS: https://chemarts.aalto.fi

Marvellous Materials: https://www.aalto.fi/marvelous-materials