Aalto University, Sitra, and Lovable launch AI summer program pairing students with Finnish public sector

Eight university students will spend eight weeks building real digital services for government agencies using AI tools, with the aim of producing a playbook that could reshape how Finland approaches public sector development.

Aalto University, Sitra, and Lovable have launched an AI Summer Program pairing students with Finnish public sector organizations

Aalto University, the Finnish Innovation Fund Sitra, and AI building tool company Lovable have launched an AI Summer Program that will place eight university students inside Finnish public sector organizations to design, prototype, and build digital services using AI.

The program runs from mid-June to mid-August 2026, with applications open to all Aalto students until May 17.

Each student will be matched with a specific public sector organization and a real service challenge. Participating agencies include the Finnish Heritage Agency, the Finnish Immigration Service, the Finnish National Agency for Education, the National Police Board of Finland, the Finnish Institute for Health and Welfare, the Social Insurance Institution of Finland, and the Transport and Communications Agency.

Aalto University runs the program and provides student support. Lovable supplies the AI building tools along with hands-on training and product support. Sitra funds the initiative through its Public Sector Productivity program and contributes expertise on public sector needs.

Aino Bergius of Lovable wrote on LinkedIn that the program represents the company's first AI summer initiative and described learning to use AI as "the single most valuable skill you can build right now." She added: "And the only way to really learn it is by building something that matters."

Students tackle real government service challenges

The challenges have been formulated by each partner organization around problems they are 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 ones. Students will conduct their own user research, build with Lovable's tools, and evaluate the resulting service with real users.

Kirsi Hanhisalo of Sitra says: "In the AI Summer Program, students' skills and innovative solutions from the private sector meet real challenges in the public sector. We believe the most impactful solutions are created through 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."

The cohort is intentionally interdisciplinary. Students from across Aalto's business, arts, and engineering schools are encouraged to apply, and no technical background is required.

A playbook for public sector AI adoption

Although each student works with their own organization, the eight operate as a cohort throughout the summer, sharing progress and giving each other feedback. Together they will produce a playbook of recommendations on how public sector organizations can use AI tools to develop services.

Aino Bergius of Lovable says: "Using AI well is becoming one of the most important skills of this generation, and the best way to learn it is to build something real. The goal for this program is bigger than eight projects, if done right, this could change how Finland thinks about building public services altogether."

Jens Schmidt of Aalto University says: "Aalto University is proud to bring together education, technology, and public impact through the collaboration with Sitra and Lovable. The AI Summer Program empowers our students to co-create meaningful public sector solutions with AI while building the skills and mindset needed to shape Finland's digital future."

Applications close on May 17, with the program's playbook expected to be published after the cohort finishes in August.