In Summary

  • The Deputy Prime Minister of Finland visited Design Factory Melbourne at Swinburne's Hawthorn campus
  • During his visit he spoke about the importance of innovation

The importance of innovation was a major focus for Mr Timo Soini, Deputy Prime Minister of Finland, as he visited Design Factory Melbourne at Swinburne’s Hawthorn campus on Friday 4 March.

Accompanied by a business delegation from Finland, Mr Soini spoke to an audience of industry partners and members of the Swinburne community about Finland’s connection to Australia. 

“Finland places high importance on higher education, encouraging students to explore the possibilities and opportunities that are out there waiting for them,” Mr Soini says. 

“Hubs like Finland’s Aalto Design Factory are a great example of that. It is great to have the Design Factory Melbourne as part of this network, encouraging cross-cultural collaboration and innovation between the two countries.”

Anita Kocsis gives a speech to a crowd

 Anita Kocsis, Director of Design Factory Melbourne, reiterated how important it was for Swinburne to be working closely with industry on mutually beneficial partnerships. 

“At Design Factory Melbourne, our interdisciplinary methods and mindset facilitate a culture of innovation that inspires industry to consider new models of working with students and researchers,” Ms Kocsis says. 

“The workshop at the innovation breakfast connected diverse industries to think about how knowledge from other fields are transferable to ones own business important in a time of the Internet of Things, shifting economies, ageing population and digitalisation." 

Design Factory Global Network (DFGN) is a network of innovation hubs in universities and research organisations in five continents across the globe. Design Factory Melbourne was the first university in the Southern Hemisphere to formally become part of the network in 2011.