About us

Helsinki Institute for Information Technology HIIT is a joint research institute of Aalto University and the University of Helsinki for basic and applied research on information technology.

HIIT's mission is to conduct top-level research, seamlessly moving between fundamental methods and technologies to novel applications and their impact on people and society. HIIT is a strategic partnership of the two universities to take Helsinki IT to the world class and keep it there. HIIT's research is interdisciplinary, operating across departments and with industry. The current foci of research are computational modelling and data analysis, and ubiquitous ICT in the modern networked world.

HIIT groups belong to several national Centers of Excellence and co-operate with the information industry and with sciences applying information technology. HIIT works in a multidisciplinary way, with scientists from computer, natural, behavioural and social sciences, as well as from humanities and design. HIIT partners with several international and Finnish companies as well as with universities and research institutions in Europe, North America and Asia.

HIIT was founded in 1999 and now has a budget of about 10 million euros, realising in total about 134 person-years of work by almost 300 researchers. HIIT is located in two different sites in the Helsinki Metropolitan area: at Aalto University's Otaniemi campus and University of Helsinki's Kumpula campus, co-located with several departments at both places. HIIT's operating principle is that it adds to other departments' activities, instead of competing with them. The institute is led by Professor Petri Myllymäki. HIIT's research is funded by Aalto University, the University of Helsinki, Tekes, the Academy of Finland, the European Union, private companies, and foundations financing Finnish hi-tech research. The research by HIIT has been assessed and deemed excellent by its Scientific Advisory Board in 2008 and 2012; in the Aalto University Research Assessment Exercise in 2009; and in the Evaluation of Research and Doctoral Training at the University of Helsinki in 2011.

See more about HIIT's research programmes and research groups here.

HIIT also coordinates the Aalto Digi Platform, linking it to University of Helsinki. Digi Platform is a collaboration body to bring together and facilitate all digitalization related research.

HIIT in figures 2015

Funding: € 9 million, of which 80% external/competitive
Person-years: 138
Refereed international publications: 257
For more information, please see our Annual Reports

Suomeksi (In Finnish)

Tietotekniikan tutkimuslaitos HIIT on Aalto- yliopiston ja Helsingin yliopiston yhteinen laitos. HIITin tutkimusalat ulottuvat tietojenkäsittelytieteen perusmenetelmistä ja -tekniikoista uusiin sovelluksiin ja niiden vaikutukseen ihmisiin ja yhteiskuntaan. HIITin tämänhetkiset painopistealueet ovat laskennallinen mallinnus ja suurten tietomassojen analysointi (tutkimusohjelmat Algorithmic Data Analysis ja Computational Inference) sekä hajautettu ja läsnäoleva tietojenkäsittely nykypäivän verkottuneessa maailmassa (tutkimusohjelmat Distributed and Mobile Cloud Systems ja Network Society). HIITin tutkimusohjelmien yhteinen keihäänkärkihanke "Augmented Research" kehittää uusia digitaalisen tieteen menetelmiä. HIIT osallistuu usean Suomen Akatemian huippuyksikön toimintaan.

HIIT's administration

The Board, nominated by the mother universities, decides on HIIT's overall research strategy and research programmes. The Scientific Advisory Board provides scientific guidance and criticism for the Board a few times per decade. The Director, Vice-Director and the Programme Directors constitute the Steering Group responsible for inter-programme coordination and planning.

To join HIIT, please contact one of our research groups shown in the Organisation chart and listed in the Research Groups page. The procedure of adding new research groups is spelled out in this page. HIIT operates at those Departments of Aalto University and University of Helsinki where HIIT's group leaders are located.

HIIT was founded in 1999. The present HIIT regulations define the way HIIT works today: HIIT regulations in Finnish (PDF), HIIT regulations in English (PDF)