Aalto University, Finnish innovation fund Sitra, and AI building tools company adorable has launched an AI summer program. The program places eight university students within Finnish public sector organizations. A.I..
The program will run from mid-June to mid-August 2026, and applications are open to all Aalto students until May 17th.
Each student is matched with a specific public sector organization and real-world service challenges. Participating institutions include the Finnish Heritage Agency, the Finnish Immigration Board, the Finnish National Education Agency, the Finnish National Police Commission, the Finnish Institute of Health and Welfare, the Finnish Social Insurance Agency, and the Transport and Communications Agency.
Aalto University runs the program and provides student support. Lovable provides AI building tools and hands-on training and product support. Sitra is funding this effort through its Public Sector Productivity Program and providing expertise on public sector needs.
Lovable’s Aino Bergius wrote on LinkedIn that the program represents the company’s first AI summer initiative, saying that learning how to use AI is “the single most valuable skill you can build right now.” She further added, “And the only way to really learn that is by building something that matters.”
Students work on real government service challenges
The challenges were developed based on issues that each partner organization is actively working on. Some projects involve using AI to streamline tasks that currently require significant manual effort, while others focus on improving existing customer-facing services or building entirely new services. Students conduct their own user research, build using Lovable’s tools, and evaluate the resulting services with real users.
Kirsi Hanhisaro from Sitra said, “The AI Summer Program brings student skills and private sector innovative solutions to bear on real-world challenges in the public sector. We believe the most impactful solutions come from collaboration between the public sector, private companies, and universities. At the same time, we support students’ access to summer jobs and strengthen the attractiveness of the public sector as a career path.”
This cohort is intentionally interdisciplinary. Students from Aalto’s School of Business, Arts and Engineering are encouraged to apply, and no technical background is required.
A handbook for public sector AI implementation
Although each student works in their own organization, the eight work as one group throughout the summer, sharing their progress and giving each other feedback. Together, they will create a handbook of recommendations on how public sector organizations can use AI tools to develop services.
Lovable’s Aino Bergius said: “Taking advantage of AI is becoming one of the most important skills of this generation, and the best way to learn it is by building something real. The goals of this program are bigger than eight projects, and if executed correctly, it has the potential to completely change the way Finland thinks about building public services.”
“Aalto University is proud to bring together education, technology and public impact through our collaboration with Sitra and Lovable,” said Jens Schmidt from Aalto University. “The AI Summer Program will enable students to co-create meaningful public sector solutions using AI, while building the skills and mindset needed to shape Finland’s digital future.”
Applications close May 17, and the program handbook will be published after the cohort concludes in August.
