Study Guide

Objectives (course unit)

Sprint Innovation Festival is an intensive course during which you will work as a team with your student-colleagues of different fields to create solutions to real life challenges given by a company or an organization. The over-arching theme of the festival is sustainability. Coaches, professionals and company representatives guide you during the innovation project with variety of methods and tools. At the end of the course every team presents their solution to judge panel who selects the best ideas. Winners are awarded in a gala.

After the Sprint Innovation Festival student can:
• take a creative and user-centric approach (design thinking)
• initiate and advance the innovation process within a limited time
• present the idea to the customers and stakeholders in a concise and sales-like manner (pitching)
• act as a member of a multidisciplinary and cross-cultural team
• productively combine knowledge and skills from different fields

Content (course unit)

Session 1: Team up and Data
• Kick off for the team work: roles and introductions
• Orientation to the program and innovation process
• Understanding the problem

Online Team Work and ideation
• Independent team work on an online platform
• Key note videos, coaching sessions and tools provided to support the ideation
• Teams summarize the ideation phase with list of top ideas

Session 2: Working on the Top Ideas
• Feedback from the working life partners
• Keynotes speches to inspire the innovation
• Expert clinics to help solving the bottle necks

Session 3: Working on the idea & Building the Pitch
• Finalizing the idea
• Working on the final presentation
• Check point with coaches

Day 4: Presenting the outcomes
• Presenting to the judges
• Receive feedback: reflect and learn from both success and failure
• Awards gala and ceremony

Assessment criteria, pass/fail (course unit)

Approved when you have demonstrated to be involved and committed to each Sprint Innovation Festival-day in an active manner; e.g. you can study independently and as a member of the team the assignment, ask additional questions. You are capable of providing ideas, seek for solutions, present your own suggestions and give/ receive feedback. You can independently describe the completed innovation process, its phases and outcome.

Failed if you have missed more than one day out of five without replacing the hours with agreed manner (e.g. covering the work by independent working hours). Fail may occur if you cannot describe what you and your team accomplished during the innovation process, its phases, methods and outcome.

Location and time

5.3.2025 Kick off: Online, Zoom and Howspace

6.-10.3.2025 Independent teamwork, Online, Howspace

11.-14.3.2025 SPRINT Innovation Festival on Campus @TAMK

27.3.2024 After SPRINT, Online

Exam schedules

No exam

Assessment methods and criteria

Approved when you have demonstrated to be involved and committed to each Sprint Innovation Festival-day in an active manner; e.g. you can study independently and as a member of the team the assignment, ask additional questions. You are capable of providing ideas, seek for solutions, present your own suggestions and give/ receive feedback. You can independently describe the completed innovation process, its phases and outcome.

Failed if you are absent during the event without having contributed to the team’s work in a way separately agreed with the coach and the team. A fail may occur if you have not actively participated in the team’s work and the different stages of the innovation process.

Assessment scale

Pass/Fail

Teaching methods

Contact, virtual.

Student workload

3 cr = approximately 81 h of students' work. Participating in the event days, both online and in person, is an absolute prerequisite for participating in the Sprint Innovation Festival.

Completion alternatives

There is no optional method of completion. The student must participate in all sections according to the schedule.

Practical training and working life cooperation

Sprint Innovation Festival involves work-life partners, companies, and organizations from various fields to support and spar students in understanding phenomena and problems. The partners are involved throughout the process and evaluate the team’s solutions on the last day of the event.

International connections

In addition to students from Tampere Universities, there are participants from 2-3 international partner universities.

Further information

https://hubs.fi/sprint-innovation-festival/