Savonia actively participates in the EU4DUAL alliance, among other things, to promote student entrepreneurship and innovation. Savonia and ESTIA, conducted the first entrepreneurship mobility pilot in the winter of 2024, aiming also to test an international entrepreneurship learning model to be implemented at Savonia.

French student Romane Forment spent two months on an entrepreneurship mobility at Savonia, receiving various forms of support and assistance in developing her business idea. A second-year engineering student, Romane is also a former elite handball player. Her business idea arose from her own experiences.

“During my sports career, I suffered from several shoulder injuries requiring surgeries. During my recovery, I searched for an orthosis to support and protect my shoulder when returning to physical activity. However, I noticed that the products were designed for men and did not take into account the differences in male and female bodies and various shapes.”

A shoulder orthosis like the one designed by Romane is currently not available on the market. It allows the user to safely return to sports after injuries and surgeries.

At Savonia, Romane received various forms of assistance in developing her product.

“We have crystallized the idea, conducted market research, and developed various potential target groups for the product.”

Utilizing Savonia’s expertise in design and physiotherapy

Matti Laitinen and Harri Holopainen from the Savonia Business Center have been supportive guides and business coaching partners. Savonia’s multidisciplinary expertise has also demonstrated its potential in further developing Romane’s product. Lecturer Sirpa Ryynänen from the Savonia School of Design assisted in planning the support, and a prototype was prepared in collaboration with a design student.

Salla Lommi from the Savonia Wellness Center, along with physiotherapy students Sara Kemppainen and Heta Kanerva, provided information on shoulder anatomy, common injuries, injury mechanisms, and various uses of shoulder orthoses. During discussions, Romane’s idea of usage expanded, and she also received new ideas for development.

The entrepreneurship pathway model tested now is strongly based on multidisciplinary learning and support, coaching, and presenting the business idea at the Tahko Ski Lift Pitch event on April 3, 2024.

In Tahko Ski Lift Pitch Romane won the Student Track. The jury described her performance as follows:

“Romane’s performance was really well put together and presented. The problem identified was genuine and the solution was new.”

“The alliance aims to build various entrepreneurship pathway models that enable students to develop business ideas and entrepreneurship skills in various international learning environments. In the future, the goal is also to promote opportunities for early-stage – and even more advanced – entrepreneurs to participate in various entrepreneurship incubators and learning and innovation environments within the international network,” project manager Pia Viklund explains.

Shared learning

Harri Holopainen and Matti Laitinen explain that the focus of the collaboration has been on shared learning.

“We’ve created a roadmap and followed it step by step. Whenever Romane has progressed the idea, we’ve gone through things together and considered the next steps. A coaching approach and continuous feedback greatly help the entrepreneur. If something isn’t working, you get feedback quickly, and no time is wasted.”

Romane agrees:

“When you think about things alone, there’s a lot going on in your head, lots of thoughts and questions. It’s good to discuss with others. The feedback has been very helpful in developing the business plan.”

Matti and Harri see a lot of potential in EU4DUAL. Romane’s visit has been a learning experience for Savonia as well and a good way to test how multidisciplinary assistance with business ideas can be provided here. Collaboration with different fields has been going smoothly. As the alliance evolves, local start-up entrepreneurs can receive assistance from partner countries.

“If it’s a very specific topic, we can find expertise and assistance from the alliance’s universities. Likewise, we can receive valuable feedback on developed products and services from different countries.”

EU4DUAL is an alliance formed by nine European colleges and universities, aiming to develop strongly industry-oriented education and research and promote entrepreneurship.