AIMday is an opportunity for academics and organisations to make contacts and exchange knowledge. It is simply the idea that a broad mix of academics can provide different perspectives and surprising new avenues to solving real-world problems – and to create favourable conditions for continued cooperation between academia and non-academic organisations. Developed by Uppsala University in 2008, the AIMday concept has been embraced by several leading universities in Sweden and other parts of the world.
Accelerating innovation
Working together
Accelerating innovation
Tackling challenges
Accelerating innovation
Exploring solutions
01
Working together
02
Tackling challenges
03
Exploring solutions
This is AIMday
How AIMday works
AIMday stands for Academic Industry Meeting Day. As the name suggests, it’s a day where a university’s academic experts meet representatives from external organisations. But what makes AIMday special – many would say unique – is the format of that meeting.
01Questions are submitted by organisations
Specific questions raised by organisations kickstart the whole process and form the meeting day agenda. To take part, interested organisations must submit at least one question. Each question addresses an organisational challenge that they want academic researchers to discuss with them.
02Academics sign up for questions
Academics self-select questions, and prioritize, based on their specific competence and research interest. Since the idea is to bring different perspectives to each question a broad academic participation is encouraged.
03Matchmaking
Finding a perfect match for each question put forward by organisations is a main priority of the AIMday organiser. Based on researchers’ priorities and availability, the organiser does the logistics for an all-day-schedule that ensures efficiency and involvement of all attendees.
04Meeting day
Have your sights set on a day filled with a series of ‘one question, one hour’ workshops with teams on each side of the table candidly discussing each question. It’s an exchange of knowledge and ideas focused on finding novel pathways to solutions. What is more, there are ample opportunities to network and develop new and rewarding contacts.
Why AIMday?
Universities
Academic-Industry knowledge exchange that really works. Take on real-world challenges and deliver fresh understanding and perspectives that may help solve them.
Organisations
Your need for new knowledge is matched with academic expertise. Benefit from direct, highly-qualified feedback on your actual challenges, while developing key academic contacts.
Academics
Take part in multi-disciplinary discussions on questions from external organisations and gain new insights into their challenges and need for new knowledge in your area of expertise.
AIMday is truly an easy and effortless way for academic experts and organisations to meet and discuss important issues.
Just how successful is AIMday? – average survey responses
Gained new knowledge about the topics discussed
94 %
Made new contacts
.
83 %
The discussions were relevant for work
90 %
Uppsala University
Uppsala University aspires to be a force for good in society. We teach, pursue research and contribute knowledge that moves the world forward. Collaboration with external actors is a natural dimension of the university’s operations and we constantly seek novel ways to drive this cooperation forward. AIMday is one example. Pioneered by Uppsala University in 2008, AIMday also enjoys a strong reputation among leading universities in other parts of the world. By making AIMday available to other academic institutions, and supporting implementation of the concept locally, Uppsala University not only is true to its mission to contribute to a better world. What is more, we continue to build bridges across the academic world.
Current AIMday partners
