One hour. One question. Countless new perspectives.
AIMday (Academic Industry Meeting Day) is a unique collaboration format that brings together researchers, companies, and students around the same table to tackle real, timely, and often highly complex challenges. It is not a traditional seminar, presentation, or conference, but an interactive working session where discussions are built around challenges and questions posed by participating organizations. At its core lies the idea that complex challenges cannot be solved from a single perspective; in fact, solving the problem is not always the main goal. The discussion itself is valuable, offering the problem owner a wide range of fresh insights and new ways of thinking.
The core idea of AIMday is simple yet exceptionally effective: organizations bring forward concrete development questions or challenges, and researchers and experts gather in small groups to discuss them. Each session focuses on one question at a time, allowing for in-depth exploration without haste or distraction.
AIMday® is a registered trademark of Uppsala University.
Rethinking challenges in a new way
Complex challenges require taking the time to pause and think before rushing to solutions. AIMday enables problems to be explored and structured together with experts.
Honest conversations about challenges
Even difficult and unfinished questions are given space in open expert discussions. This helps identify real challenges and build sustainable solutions.
Boldly across boundaries
Perspectives from different fields and organizations are brought together around the same question. The aim of the event is to broaden thinking around the topic and move the discussion beyond individual operational contexts.
From ideas to shared action
The ideas and potential solutions that emerge in the discussions can be further developed through collaboration. AIMday often serves as a starting point for new projects and ongoing cooperation.
AIMday is built for structured dialogue – effective interaction in groups
AIMday is a clearly structured yet intensive working day, where every element is designed to support highly effective interaction. The process begins well before the event itself, when organizations submit their own challenges or questions. These are not broad themes, but concrete situations that companies or organizations genuinely face in their operations. This ensures that the discussions are relevant and practical from the very beginning.
On the day of the event, small groups are formed, each bringing together representatives from the organization that submitted the challenge as well as researchers and experts relevant to the topic. The groups are not random; they are carefully composed so that expertise and perspectives complement each other as effectively as possible.
The actual work takes place in one-hour discussions focused on a single question at a time. The conversations are open and interactive: the aim is not to deliver presentations, but to think together. This allows for a deep dive into the topic without distractions or time pressure.
In many groups, new research needs, development areas, or even entirely new opportunities for collaboration are identified—often extending well beyond the event itself. The real value of AIMday frequently emerges afterward, as discussions continue between organizations and researchers.
Who is AIMday for?
AIMday is designed for all actors who want to develop their own operations and gain a deeper understanding of their environment through interaction based on research and expertise. It does not require ready-made solutions or fully developed projects, but above all genuine questions and a willingness to look at issues from new perspectives.
Companies
AIMday is designed for companies that have concrete development needs or questions related to their operations. The event offers an opportunity to examine challenges through interaction grounded in research and expertise.
Researchers and experts
Participants include researchers from universities and research institutes, as well as other experts who bring scientific perspectives, methods, and a deeper understanding of phenomena into the discussions.
Students
AIMday offers students the opportunity to observe and take part in expert discussions where theory meets real-world challenges. Participation supports employability skills and professional development.
Towards stronger competitiveness
Vaasa University of Applied Sciences (VAMK) organizes AIMday events to strengthen the competitiveness of the region and Finland as a whole. The goal is to bring together research, education, and working life in a way that generates tangible benefits for companies, organizations, and society at large. VAMK’s role is not limited to the present. AIMday also helps anticipate future skills needs. Dialogue with companies provides direct insight into what kind of expertise working life requires now and in the future. Based on this, VAMK continuously develops its education to ensure that graduating professionals meet the evolving needs of working life as closely as possible.
AIMday is part of VAMK’s mission to act as an active contributor within the regional innovation ecosystem. Vaasa University of Applied Sciences (VAMK) integrates education, research, development and innovation activities, as well as regional development, into a cohesive whole where knowledge flows and is transformed into practical solutions. The event provides a platform where companies’ current challenges meet research and expertise.
At the same time, AIMday supports companies’ competitiveness and growth. The discussions generate new perspectives, ideas, and opportunities for collaboration that can lead to development projects, innovations, and new business opportunities. In this way, the region’s overall knowledge base and vitality are strengthened.
Vaasa University of Applied Sciences’s role is not limited to the present. AIMday also helps anticipate future skills needs. Dialogue with companies provides direct insight into the kinds of competences working life requires now and in the future. Based on this, VAMK continuously develops its education to ensure that graduating professionals match the evolving needs of working life as closely as possible.
