Demola challenges companies to develop their activities and products in cooperation with students. A company presents an idea or challenge, and a team of students takes it on for a few months, testing and seeking solutions with the company.

Developed in Finland, the Demola innovation platform already operates in 15 countries. The Demola network includes 56 higher education institutes and 1,000 partner companies.

University of Lapland and Lapland UAS are joining forces for Demola Lapland. Their joint multidisciplinary innovation platform offers a brand new way to collaborate with companies and organisations. Projects are implemented with an emphasis on co-creation, and the client’s representative can also participate in refining the idea.

A Demola project can develop, for example, a wellness service, a technology application, digital media or a game, a social innovation or a business or company concept. The first Demola projects in Lapland will start in March.

"I am very excited that our universities are adopting the Demola platform. Demola is a new and realistic tool for us. It allows us to carry out multidisciplinary and multicultural projects in cooperation with companies. It is great to be able to carry out innovation and trials for the future with experts from the two universities and companies", says Demola Coordinator Elisa Lahti from Lapland University of Applied Sciences.

Innovations mature in multidisciplinary teams

Each project lasts for two months. Students apply to join projects that interest them, and teams are assembled to include students from different fields. The work of the student teams is steered by Demola facilitators and university teachers. A representative from the company or organisation participates in the team’s work on a weekly basis as an expert in his/her field.

The students receive credits for their studies and the ownership to their product’s right of use. If the company wants, it can buy the team’s product; in fact, this is the case in approximately 75 per cent of Demola projects.

For students, Demola is an excellent opportunity to develop their working-life and problem-solving skills. It also opens a unique window into working life and international project work.

Demola is an international learning environment

Elsewhere in Finland, many companies have found their way to Demola. A company can submit one project or up to 3–5 Demola projects at a time.

Student teams do not just work locally; an assignment can be submitted to any of the Demolas operating around the globe.

The first Demola project in Rovaniemi is set to launch in March 2018. Projects starting in autumn 2018 will also be available to students in Kemi and Tornio.

More information:
Elisa Lahti, Coordinator, Lapland UAS, firstname.lastname (at) lapinamk.fi , tel. +358 40 710 6426
Merija Timonen, University of Lapland, Service Director, firstname.lastname (at) ulapland.fi, tel. +358 40 777 7352
Demola

LaplandUAS/Communications/HL