Majakka is our 5-year project that focuses on co-creating practices, mechanisms and culture to improve doctoral education and water research, aiming to educate top-notch game changers and to strengthen our international research excellence.

The project was recently awarded with Aalto Pioneering Excellence Award! ‘High-quality doctoral education is one of the tenets of the research activities of universities. The Majakka project has developed a strategy to make doctoral education more systematic, while making the guidance and supervision of doctoral dissertation projects more sustainable. The activities of the Majakka project team have brought innovation to doctoral education for example, by encouraging experts and international partners to collaborate with researchers at Aalto University. Majakka is also pioneering the development of a thriving and successful academic community’, says Professor Risto Rajala on behalf of the Award committee. Read the full news here.

‘Matti Sundberg Quality Foundation was founded in 1982. The new Aalto Pioneering Excellence Award is now being given to teams that are developing excellence at Aalto University’, says Elisa CEO Veli-Matti Mattila, the Chairman of the Award committee. Based on an endowment to Aalto University, the Foundation has awarded quality grants since 2002, while the updated Aalto Pioneering Excellence Award further emphasises the importance of activity that advances excellence in research, education and all university operations.

Majakka project was awarded with Aalto Excellence recognition in 2018 for its innovative work that has impact beyond the academia. Read more here.

The project is fully funded by Maa- ja vesitekniikan tuki ry, and the grant is directed to co-develop doctoral education, water research excellence, and the water-related entrepreneurship and business in Finland. More information about the project here.