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The seed funding is designed to help Schools and Departments at Aalto University develop projects with a focus on lifewide learning. Each development project can receive up to 100k€ for a funding period of one year, creating an opportunity for Aalto University to pursue innovative and impactful initiatives in the lifewide learning field. Calls for applications will occur twice a year, during the spring and autumn seasons. The projects should strive to create new tools and methodologies that enhance development of lifewide learning and support learning product development.

The projects should aim to develop new products, models, tools, and methodologies that encourage a culture of lifewide learning and bring feasible lifewide learning products to fruition. Proposals must demonstrate how the project aligns with the lifewide learning approach and promotes innovative methods in this field.

'There is a need in the market for lifewide learning in new formats. Upskilling and reskilling needs are huge in Finland alone. We need to look at our educational offering through lifewide learning lenses to see what is useful for upskilling and reskilling purposes and develop learning formats that are both scalable and impactful,' says Laura Sivula Business Area Director for Lifewide Learning.

The goal of this application round is to find actionable and impactful projects for developing financially viable lifewide learning products. For example, the ideas can be based on central or emerging themes in your field or well-liked degree content, for which there is a need for in the market for continuous education.

'We want to deepen our collaboration with each School at Aalto University. Our teachers have focused extensively on building a common understanding of how people from different disciplines can come together to invent new and intriguing learning environments and experiences. Now we need to make sure that lifewide learning is readily available for both individual learners and organizations,' says Tom Lindholm Head of Lifewide Learning and Managing Director of Aalto EE.

To apply for funding, Schools and Departments must submit proposals outlining their lifewide learning initiatives. Proposals should detail how the project aligns with the lifewide learning approach and how it fosters innovative teaching and learning methods. Support is available throughout the process, with proposals being workshopped alongside lifewide learning and commercialization specialists prior to submission. Proposals will be evaluated based on commercial potential, impact, feasibility, and sustainability.