History – Since 1961

1960s 

• The first annual association meeting took place on 27 November 1961. A total of 39 founding members were recorded in the register of associations, and The Finnish Association for Mathematicians and Physicists (SMFL) was thereby established. It was a member association of AKAVA, the Confederation of Unions for Academic Professionals in Finland.

1970s

• The need for IT skills and knowledge increased among members.
• Traditionally employed by the public sector, an increasing number of members found employment in the private sector in research, product development and expert roles.

1980s

• SMFL began to offer IT-focused employment courses with employment authorities.
• On 15 December 1983, SMFL decided to join KAL, The Finnish Association of Architects and Engineers (today known as TEK). The AKAVA membership of SMFL ceased at the start of 1984.

1990s

• The association organised courses in subjects such as English, presentation skills and IT to support the members’ professional competence.
• In 1999, the association was renamed as the Finnish Association for Mathematicians, Physicists and Computer Scientists (SMFL), and the rules of the association were also updated.
• The association launched its website.

2000s

• The association began to grant an annual award for a Master's Thesis. The first award was handed out in 2000.

2010s

• The association acquired its current name, the Academic Association for Mathematics and Natural Sciences (MAL), as the name and articles of association were changed again in 2010.
• The association’s website got a new look.