LUT Blossom is a growth event, during which our Lahti campus will become an arena for fresh ideas, networking, and new partnerships.
Companies are operating in a business landscape that is evolving at breakneck speed. To keep pace with this change, organisations must understand where markets are heading and recognise the risks and opportunities that follow. At the same time, it is essential to make sure that the people within the organisation have an up-to-date skillset.
“It’s vital for any organisation to pause from time to time and consider more strategic questions. Collaboration with universities offers several low-threshold ways to do just that,” says Susanne Vesala, director of OP Kaakkois-Suomi.
Vesala speaks from experience: the Etelä-Karjalan Osuuspankki bank – which later merged to become OP Kaakkois-Suomi – has worked with LUT for more than 20 years. The collaboration has included targeted training for bank staff and participation in LUT’s programmes and courses. The bank has also supported research and development through donations and maintains an active dialogue on the skills the region will need.
“New research and fresh perspectives constantly add to our understanding. Research related to artificial intelligence, consumer behaviour or strategic marketing, for example, can be directly applied to our everyday work,” Vesala says.
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Building long-term capability through collaboration
Kempower, a manufacturer of fast charging equipment for electric vehicles, began working with LUT in the company’s early days in 2018, particularly in electrical engineering. Positive experiences from the first projects led to deeper cooperation, and about three years ago, the idea of a joint research centre took shape. The centre was designed in close cooperation with LUT’s administration and professors.
Focusing on e-mobility and the services it requires, the centre enables researchers to tackle practical challenges and carry out quick technology assessments. So far, projects have covered topics such as cooling technologies, connector technologies for electrical equipment, and emissions modelling.
The work is interdisciplinary: alongside electrical and mechanical engineering and energy technology, business studies, chemical engineering, and social sciences are all involved.
“The best ideas rarely emerge within a single discipline but happen when different kinds of expertise meet. A multiskilled team spots challenges and opportunities that a specialist working alone might miss,” says Mikko Veikkolainen, vice president of research and innovation at Kempower.
Beyond research outcomes, a major benefit of university collaboration is access to potential future employees early in their studies. Both Kempower and OP actively offer internships and opportunities for thesis projects.
Vesala encourages companies to approach university collaboration with an open mind – especially when the aim is to reach young people and other future talents. As an example, she highlights a free software and AI training programme organised by LUT for lower and upper secondary students in South Karelia and Kymenlaakso. Funded by OP Kaakkois-Suomi, the goal was to spark young people’s interest in technology and strengthen the region’s skills pipeline.
“Supporting local youth is important to us. Artificial intelligence is transforming many industries, and soon it will be a part of everyday life in almost every job. That’s why it’s been great to be involved in developing training that equips young people for the future.”
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Tips for companies to start cooperation with LUT University:
- Book a conversation with LUT's experts. Even a short discussion gives a clear picture of what collaboration could offer.
- Identify where your organisation’s skills need updating and what kinds of challenges you would like to tackle together with experts.
- Aim high. Start the collaboration with enough ambition to achieve meaningful, measurable results.
- You don’t need a fully formed vision. What matters most is trust in trying things; visions usually sharpen along the way as you see what works.
- Come to the LUT Blossom event on April 10, where you can see practical examples of business collaboration and have the opportunity to create new partner networks.
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Agility and open-mindedness make LUT a valuable partner
Vesala especially appreciates LUT’s active, flexible, and approachable way of working. The university invites companies into the conversation and provides platforms for joint projects. An active alumni network also helps build new connections.
“Open-mindedness and readiness to try new approaches are strongly present at LUT, which makes collaboration genuinely inspiring.”
Veikkolainen agrees:
“The collaboration has been surprisingly agile and straightforward. Although Kempower has grown rapidly from a start-up into a larger player, we’ve wanted to keep a start-up mindset in our innovation work. LUT shares that openness and pace, which makes working together feel natural.”
Veikkolainen emphasises that university partnership gives companies access to a breadth of expertise no single Finnish company could match.
“Innovation always involves uncertainty, so experimentation needs room to breathe. Working with a university makes that process less risky, as ideas can be tested on a lighter scale before committing significant resources.”
“Local companies should absolutely make use of having a university with world-class expertise on their doorstep. Combining local know-how with top-level research provides a strong competitive advantage and can open up new opportunities also for the whole region,”
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