Our humanities students in technology companies, Part 3: collaboration through companies’ eyes

In the first two parts of this blog series, we described the innovation process carries out within the climate Engine project from the perspectives of project staff and students. In this final part of the series, we focus on the companies’ experiences of the collaboration.

The foundations of the collaboration

One of the statutory missions of universities of applied sciences is to maintain strong links with working life and to develop education based on labour-market needs. In practice, this takes many forms, including joint projects where companies and students work together. These aims guided our thinking and formed an encouraging basis for company collaboration.

After sending marketing messages via email, three Finnish companies expressed interest in joining the process and working with the students:

• Alleco Oy, a specialist company focusing on underwater environments, studying the impacts of human activities on aquatic ecosystems.
• EPSE Oy, which specializes in the treatment of heavy-metal-rich industrial process and wastewater, supporting climate change mitigation through recycling and reducing pollution.
• Loopshore Oy, whose products provide high-quality, fact-based environmental data, contributing to societal well-being.

All three companies entered the process with a positive attitude, which was reflected in smooth and fruitful collaboration. Below, we share their experiences.

Companies initial expectations

We wanted to understand why the companies saw collaboration between higher education and industry as valuable and how our process met their expectations.

“We wanted to take part because the process allowed us to explore our solutions and business ideas from new perspectives and refine them with a multidisciplinary group of students. In addition, the climate and impact themes of the Climate Engine project align well with our own work.”

Loopshore Oy

“In our company, we mostly work with engineers, natural scientists (such as chemists and metallurgists) and other technical professionals. We wanted to receive perspectives on our operations and technologies from outside these fields. Personally, education, institutional collaboration and interaction with students are very close to my heart.”

Anni Honkonen, EPSE Oy

“I was curious to receive new ideas for my business. I also consider climate change mitigation extremely important, so including that perspectives felt engaging.”

Jouni Leinikki, Alleco Oy

In general, companies view collaboration with students positively – it brings fresh perspectives, supports societal impact and challenges conventional thinking. The success of the process lay in this meeting of different ways of thinking and new forms of cooperation.

The process and the experiences

The companies expected the process to offer fresh perspectives and challenge their assumptions. They also saw the potential to clarify and further develop existing ideas. At the same time, concerns emerged regarding the state of Finnish education, particularly the rise of individualism, insufficient resources and the effects of broader societal shifts.

However, the implementation – especially the students’ active engagement – exceeded expectations.

“We were positively surprised by the students’ dedication, their ability to grasp the bigger picture and how quickly they understood our company’s context. The practicality of the discussions were also delightful.”

Loopshore Oy

“I was pleasantly surprised by how clear both the process and communication were.”

Anni Honkonen, EPSE Oy

“Everything and nothing! I joined with an open mind, so all new ideas were welcome.”

Jouni Leinikki, Alleco Oy

Looking ahead

The companies praised the overall collaboration, showing that the value and mutual benefit of cooperation between academic institutions and industry is widely recognised. Therefore, it is important that close ties with companies not only continue, but also evolve, deepen and renew themselves. This ensures the continuous development of knowledge, sustained multidisciplinary collaboration and the creation of entirely new processes, solutions and products – building a more sustainable and impactful future.

The blog series Our humanities students in technology companies is based on an innovation process carries out within the Climate Engine project (2025-2027). Students from Humak’s innovation course worked together with engineering-sector companies. The series consists of three parts: the first explains how it all began, the second presents the students’ experiences and the third explores the companies’ perspectives.

Climate Engine is a two-year international project aiming to develop higher education students’ and staff’s climate competence, while promoting multidisciplinary collaboration between companies, higher education institutions and international partners.

Authors:

Ella Salokorpi

Milla Holmberg