The MAKE AI Buildathon 2026 will bring together Finnish industry professionals and doctoral researchers to explore how artificial intelligence can help solve real manufacturing challenges.
Taking place on 28 April 2026 in Otaniemi, Espoo, the event will focus on practical experimentation. Rather than discussing AI at a conceptual level, participants will work hands-on in interdisciplinary teams to tackle concrete industrial cases submitted by companies. Within a single day, the teams will develop solution concepts or early prototypes that demonstrate how AI could be applied to the challenge.
The goal of the Buildathon is to accelerate AI capability within the Finnish manufacturing industry and its value chain, while strengthening collaboration between companies and research communities.
A Company-Driven Event
The Buildathon will feature 20 real-life challenges submitted by MAKE partner companies, reflecting current development needs across manufacturing and industrial operations.
The cases cover a wide range of industrial AI themes, including knowledge extraction, document intelligence, production analytics, operations optimisation, product configuration, industrial data infrastructure, predictive modelling, and computer vision.
These topics represent practical challenges that manufacturing companies face today. By focusing on real cases, the Buildathon aims to generate ideas and solution concepts that can create tangible industrial value and open pathways for further development.
Industry and Academia Working Together
A key element of the Buildathon is the close collaboration between industry and academia.
Approximately 70 industry professionals from MAKE partner companies will work together with 30 PhD candidates from two doctoral education pilots:
Intelligent Work Machines (IWM)
This programme focuses on the future of intelligent machinery through research in robotics, autonomy, machine learning, control systems, and sustainable engineering. In the program there are 31 positions in five Finnish universities: Aalto University, Lappeenranta-Lahti University of Technology, Tampere University, University of Oulu and University of Turku.
DREAM – Mathematics of Sensing, Imaging and Modelling
DREAM advances industrial sensing, imaging, data processing, and applied mathematical modelling for real-world industrial applications. The programme will train 100 doctors in seven Finnish universities: University of Eastern Finland (coordinating university), Aalto University, University of Helsinki, University of Jyväskylä, LUT University, University of Oulu and Tampere University.
By combining industrial expertise with cutting-edge research, the Buildathon creates a unique environment for exploring practical AI solutions for manufacturing.
Participation
The MAKE AI Buildathon is open exclusively to:
MAKE partner organisations
PhD candidates from the Intelligent Work Machines (IWM) and DREAM doctoral pilot programmes
Registration is open in March 2026. Participating teams will also take part in a preparatory Bootcamp in April, designed to help teams understand the challenges and prepare for the Buildathon day.
The event is organised by the MAKE in Finland ecosystem, together with the doctoral programmes Intelligent Work Machines (IWM) and DREAM – Mathematics of Sensing, Imaging and Modelling, and Technology Industries of Finland, with the valuable support of Brillian and Wärtsilä.
