Practice Future : A platform for international cooperation and cross-border entrepreneurship learning

Abstract

Practice Future is a cross-border innovation project in the Barents Region connecting higher education and business. The project targets undergraduates from universities in three different countries; Finland, Norway and Russia. It’s a multi-layer experiment in distance learning and cross-cultural communication, involving public institutions like municipalities and local business associations.

The project made it possible to develop the innovation skills of students in a way that is real-life and practical. A beneficial network was created among the interest groups: regional enterprises, municipalities, higher education institutions and participating students. Such networking has significant importance in the sparsely populated High North region and the project made it possible for various interest groups to be involved.

This publication introduces to the reader an overall view of the Practice Future project implementation. Emphasis is laid on the practical execution of the project’s core activity, Business Innovation Workshops, and of course on the students’ feedback and experiences.