Problems derived directly from practice form the starting points of innovative ideas that German and Finnish students worked out in teams of three to four members each. Initially a transfer project in the bachelor's programs of the Faculty of Health Management, the Innovation Project is now part of the master's program in Digital Health Management at HNU. The focus of the projects is broad: from a virtual training app for fire protection to applications for the mental health of healthcare workers to a mobile application with assistance for asylum seekers.
In workshops, the students finalized their final reports, which are to appear as articles in a KAMK publication. Both students and lecturers found the direct exchange to be conducive to creativity. A special element was a workshop in the Founders Space at HNU. Here, students were able to think through their innovations in terms of marketability and marketing in design sprints. Ideally, their ideas would result in marketable innovative applications.
The cooperation between Neu-Ulm University of Applied Sciences (HNU) and Kajaani University of Applied Sciences (KAMK) has existed since 2018 and was maintained virtually during the two-year Corona pandemic. In 2022, there was another opportunity to meet on site for the first time. "The special creative element of a collaboration in presence became clear and so did the absence in recent times," said Prof. Dr. Alexander Würfel about the "Smart Solutions for Wellbeing" project.
Before the pandemic, field trips of Finnish students to Neu-Ulm and HNU students to Kajaani were integral parts of the project. During the pandemic, it was possible to make the project purely virtual, with a few exceptions. Prof. Würfel describes this as a great challenge, which was only possible at all thanks to the great commitment of the students from Finland and Germany. A new start was planned for the winter semester 21/22, including participation in the International Week 2022 in Kajaani in February. Since this could also only take place virtually, the participants planned the week from May 16 to 20, 2022 as the conclusion of the project in Neu-Ulm at the HNU. Accompanied by their lecturers Rauni Leinonen and Kirsi Moisanen, the Finnish students were able to come to HNU.
