The Summer Academy is an immersion programme organized in collaboration with Proakatemia, an entrepreneurship unit at Tampere University of Applied Sciences (TAMK), renowned for its expertise in innovation. This programme provides students with the opportunity to explore the societal and economic challenges of Northern Europe, while fostering interactions between Finnish and Swiss students who participated in the event. Students were divided into interdisciplinary and intercultural groups to tackle challenges assigned by local organizations, using methodologies they studied during their first year of training.
In addition to practical projects, students visited innovation ecosystems at the Tampere and Rovaniemi centers and participated in conferences on entrepreneurship. They also conducted a workshop on innovation processes with TAMK Bachelor students. Cultural activities included visits to nature reserves around Lake Vesijärvi and a tour of Arktikum, the museum of Lapland history.
Students also experienced Finnish student life and culture through interactions with their peers, particularly by sharing meals during their stay.
Full-time students attend the Summer Academy between semesters 2 and 3. For part-time students, the Summer Academy takes place between semesters 4 and 5.
The aims of the Summer Academy are to:
- Develop critical thinking skills and the ability to reflect on complex situations in a rapidly changing, internationalized world.
- Understand how innovation functions within the socio-cultural and economic context of Northern Europe.
- Enhance students' theoretical knowledge by introducing them to new working methods and refining their practical skills.
- Encourage student mobility by fostering reflection on cultural differences and preparing them to become global citizens.
- Increase the international visibility of the Innokick Master's program and, in turn, enhance the quality of teaching at HES-SO Master's.
- Promote the Innokick innovation process.
