Societal Impact Linkage
Societal Impact Linkage
- learn who really decides and who pays, and how a new idea survives procurement, budgets and politics to reach citizens
- meet and work with decision-makers, experts and changemakers from ministries, municipalities and public agencies
- solve a real problem for a real public organisation, in a team of ambitious students from many different fields
About the Course
Overview & Eligibility
Societal Impact Linkage is a hands-on look at how the Finnish public sector works: how it is run, how it is renewed, and how it adopts innovation in partnership with the private sector.
The course is worth 10 ECTS (pass/fail) and we take around 20 students, which keeps the group small enough that everyone gets to know each other and the teachers. It is aimed at Master's and PhD students from any university, and the whole course runs in English.
The course is taught by teachers and guest speakers with years of practical and academic experience in innovation activities and in Finnish public administration and public-sector renewal.
Outcomes
Understand the sector: Build a clear picture of how the Finnish public sector is organised and how it changes. You'll know its main actors and roles (ministries and agencies, big cities and municipalities, the wellbeing services counties), how budgets and public procurement shape what actually gets built, the constraints that bind public organisations (legality, equal treatment, transparency, continuity of service), and the current challenges & opportunities: an ageing population, tightening public finances, and digital and AI-driven service renewal.
Get innovation skills: Build general innovation skills and apply them to public-sector challenges. Be able to provide viable, feasible and valuable solutions for problems and be able to defend the recommended solutions.
Build professional contacts: Get to know public organisations and the partner companies, along with their expert representatives. The sector deep-dive combined with frequent expert interactions gives you the vocabulary and confidence to engage with professionals in the future.
What the course covers
A sample of topics we'll cover:
- How the Finnish public sector is really put together: who makes policy, who runs the services, and who actually decides
- Leadership and renewal: how do you renew a public organisation while still delivering the mandates you're handed
- Public procurement and public-private partnership — how the public and private sides build big things together, from both sides of the table
- AI and automation in public administration, and how using it in the public sector is different from anywhere else
- How public value is created and measured when there is no profit line
- Influencing decision-making: lobbying, the grey areas, and where it tips into corruption
- Citizen involvement, democracy and trust in institutions
Learning experience
The course runs every Wednesday from 13:15 to 17:00, from mid-January to the end of April. Attendance is in person and mandatory, with only a couple of absences allowed. The classroom culture is safe, communal, and ambitious — we aim for interactive sessions, and while you can learn by listening, you're encouraged to participate in discussion. Between Wednesdays, you'll work in teams on innovation challenges and prepare for (and reflect on) the guest lectures. Thanks to the staff's networks, our guests are experienced practitioners and decision-makers from the sector, not just generic company speakers.
Projects & Milestones
The course is organized around weekly lectures led mainly by experts from the sector, complemented by excursions. Throughout the course, you will also work in teams on three project-based assignments:
- A hackathon at the beginning of the course
- A two-week challenge that allows you to be creative
- A six-week challenge where you solve a problem and innovate for a public organisation
The course culminates in a community event where you present your solution to the six-week challenge to a panel and an audience from the sector.
The course will be a demanding but rewarding experience!Important dates
Practicalities Summary
- Credits: 10 ECTS (pass/fail) Cohort: ~20 students
- Eligibility: Master's & PhD students from any university
- Schedule: Wednesdays 13:15-17:00, mid-Jan → end-Apr
- Format: Lectures by staff and guests, reflections, hands-on group-work
- Attendance: mandatory in-person (limited absences allowed)
- Workload: weekly sessions + team work between Wednesdays
- Application deadline: End of the day November 15th 2026
Apply early - places are limited.
Questions about the course?
Should you have questions about the course, drop us an email to societal-impact-linkage [at] aalto.fi. We are happy to help you with any questions you might have!
Participants are selected
based on the following criteria:
Experience
Please submit your study transcripts and CV, more details below.
Motivation
Tell us why you want to take part in the course. Please submit a motivation letter, see below.
Diversity
We want to have a good mix of students from different backgrounds, all sharing an interest in how the public sector works.
Your application should consist of the following:
1. Copies of your Bachelor's and Master's transcripts, and a copy of your CV
We ask for these documents in order to undestand your academic background well, and we are equally, if not more, interested in what you have done and achieved outside of your studies too. Therefore we ask you to make sure that relevant prior experiences are visible from your CV.
2. A short letter explaining your motivation to attend this course
- What is the unique experience or insight you bring to the course?
- Describe any previous experiences that have inspired you to pursue this course. How did these experiences shape your interest in the field?
- What are your career goals, and how will this course help you achieve them?
Write a motivation letter of max. 250 words that answers the above questions. We are interested to get to know you as a person from your motivation letter (so using ChatGPT to write the letter or parts of it might not be a good idea).
societal-impact-linkage [at] aalto.fi
The Concept
Societal Impact Linkage is the newest addition to the Linkage courses
The very popular HealthTech and Cleantech Linkage courses have been running for several years now, joined by Defence Linkage in 2025. Societal Impact Linkage is based on the same successful course concept, changing the focus and content from health, energy or defence to the public sector.
Linkage courses have always been diverse. So far the Linkage courses have attracted participants from over 30 different majors at Aalto University and the University of Helsinki. We welcome students from all disciplines with an interest in the sector!
Across Linkage courses, the teaching staff has brought in experts, who have shared insights from the following organisations: Apple, Oura, Orion, Terveystalo, Bayer, Fingrid, Helen, Neste, Intergrid, the Defence Forces, ICEYE, Accenture Cybersecurity, City of Helsinki Civil Protection, FiBAN, 17tech and dozens more!
We are keen on making Societal Impact Linkage as big of a success story as its sister courses!
Don't just take our word for it, read what alumni of our sister courses had to say!
The best university course I have been enrolled in. I recommend it to anyone slightly interested in the topic.
Valtteri Pitkänen, Master's Programme in Machine Learning, Data Science and AI — Defence Linkage alumni
Course Staff and Contacts
Jens Schmidt is a strategy professor at Aalto University and head of the Department of Industrial Engineering and Management.
Jukka Mäkelä served as the Mayor of Espoo from 2011 to 2025 and as a Member of Parliament from 2007 to 2010. He brings first-hand experience on how the public sector is run, from budgets and services to steering long-term change through political cycles. He is also an alumnus of Aalto (TKK).
Valentin is a student at Aalto University, currently finishing his Master's program in Information Networks. He has a strong interest in the societal impacts of emerging technologies.
societal-impact-linkage [at] aalto.fi
More Linkage Courses
An ever growing amount of courses are organized with the same engaging linkage concept. Check out the other courses too!
Cleantech Linkage
Learn how the clean transition gets built across energy, industry, mobility, water, materials and the built environment. Explore decarbonisation, electrification and the circular economy, taking into account the business models and innovations that make them work.
HealthTech Linkage
Take the opportunity to deepen your knowledge about innovation and the commercialization of new technologies and business models in the HealthTech field. Learn about the health care system, medical device technologies, digital medicine and health & well-being services.
Defence Linkage
Explore how the military integrates new technologies to enhance operational efficiency and strategic advantage. Discover innovations in autonomous systems, AI, and cyber defense, reshaping the modern militaries across all domains. Learn about dual-use applications and their constraints. And much more!
