Chemical Recycling : Neste donates EUR 1 million to universities in Finland

Neste will donate a total of EUR 1 million to universities in Finland to support the research and education in the chemical industry and to further strengthen the collaboration between the industry and the scientific community. The donation will be targeted to Aalto University and Åbo Akademi University, with whom Neste has established long-term strategic cooperation. In addition to the extent of collaboration (number of strategic projects and magnitude), the share of graduates from these universities of all Neste recruits in the field of innovation was considered as criteria for selecting the donation recipients.

The donations are targeted to the field of Technology at Aalto University and to the field of Engineering at Åbo Akademi University. The collaboration with Aalto University and Åbo Akademi University supports strengthening sustainability-driven growth areas that are also central to Neste’s strategy, such as renewable products, low-carbon solutions and circular economy.

“Neste’s success is deeply built on innovativeness, boldness and long-term systematic research and development. Our extensive collaboration with universities combines leading industrial expertise and high-level research to discover solutions to global challenges, benefiting societies in the long term. With our donation, we also want to show our appreciation for the universities in providing high-quality education which is accessible to everyone, and hence ensuring the diversity and quality of talent and expertise also in the generations to come,” says Lars Peter Lindfors, Senior Vice President, Innovation, Neste.

The impact of Neste’s donation will be further amplified by the Finnish state's campaign for matched funding for universities 2020-2022.

Neste has a long history of supporting and collaborating with the education sector on various levels. Neste annually offers summer internships for approximately 350 young people in Finland. In addition, the company is engaged in cooperation with universities and higher education institutions in a variety of research projects, and offers degree thesis opportunities for students.