International Summer School

Multidisciplinary Summer School by domain experts

The Summer School on Entrepreneuship and Venturing combines lectures, discussion sessions and workshops with practical activities lead by domain experts. The guest speakers of the programme include renowned academics as well as company representatives. Our instructors are experts in their fields and teach with enthusiasm and contemporary relevance. As it is a multidisciplinary course that invites students from different universities, you will get to work together with students from different fields and backgrounds.

The Summer School takes place in Vaasa, also known as the energy hub of the Nordic countries. Vaasa is the educational, cultural and tourist centre of Western Finland, located by the sea near the Kvarken Archipelago World Heritage area. Our unique maritime campus is a short walk away from Vaasa city centre. Each week of the Summer School, we will organise extra-curricular activities in the beautiful seaside city and its surroundings.

Who is the Summer School for?

The Summer School is for students in higher education institutions who are interested to build a global start-up or seeking to work at an established company with intrapreneurial competences sparking innovations that have the potential to address global market needs. We welcome students from different academic disciplines and levels. The programme is in English, so you need to have fluent English language skills to participate.

The Summer School is free of charge for degree students from the University of Vaasa, other higher education units located in Vaasa, degree students at partner universities of the University of Vaasa and of network partners in HERMES and GBSN. For other students, the tuition is 150 euros per ECTS (credit).

Please note that the first week is organised as a blended intensive programme (BIP) with Erasmus+ support. Students from participating sending institutions have priority.

Participants must be of the age of 18 or older. Please note that the University of Vaasa is not able to support with travel arrangements or visas, so make sure that you have sufficient time for these arrangements. Kindly note that the University of Vaasa doesn’t provide you with housing during the Summer School. If you come from a partner university abroad, please contact your local institution about the possibility to receive financial support to organise your stay at Vaasa.

Courses and Schedules

The University of Vaasa Summer School consists of three courses: International Entrepreneurship (5 ECTS), Ideation and Venture Creation (3 ECTS) and Start-up Scouting and Valuation (2 ECTS). You can sign up for all of the courses or select the ones you are most interested in. Some courses may include pre-learning activities.

Detailed schedule for each course / week can be found and downloaded below under each week's description before the course / week starts.

International Entrepreneurship (5 ECTS) 11–15 August 2025 (BIP – Blended Intensive Programme): The International Entrepreneurship course will help you understand the dynamics of entrepreneurship in an international context. You will learn how to discover, evaluate, and exploit of international venture opportunities. You will develop essential skills using various tools and frameworks during the entrepreneurial process with particular attention to applying brainstorming and simulation tools for sparking innovative ideas with the potential to address global market needs. In addition, you will learn how to set up an international business plan for the launch of a global start-up or a new international venture at an existing business.
The course will consist of lectures by academics, workshops/seminars, teamwork, pitching and presentations, individual work, and other collaborative learning activities to maximise learning outcomes.

Please note that the first week is organised as a blended intensive programme (BIP) with Erasmus+ support. Students from participating sending institutions have priority.
Number of students: Max. 50
Tuition: Free of charge for students from partner universities. Tuition for others: 750€.
Guest lecturers will be confirmed later
Course coordinator
Martin Meyer
Vice-Rector for International Affairs
University Services
Ideation and Venture Creation (3 ECTS) 18–22 August 2025: During this course, you will learn to understand the process of entrepreneurship from identification of problems, ideation and brainstorming to evaluation. After completing the course, you can apply different approaches for brainstorming and ideation, create early business models and know how to evaluate and pitch ideas. The course will include workshops, team work and individual work. 

Number of students: Max. 30
Tuition: Free of charge for students from partner universities. Tuition for others: 450€.

Guest lecturers will be confirmed later

Course coordinator
Mona Enell-Nilsson
Research Director
School of Marketing and Communication, Marketing
Start-up Scouting and Valuation (2 ECTS) 25–29 August 2025: By the end of the Start-up Scouting and Valuation course, you will have a more in-depth understanding of startups and their importance for disrupting businesses. You will be able to scout start-ups and analyse meaningful metrics that indicate successful performance and sustainable development of start-ups. You will learn how to identify and evaluate different start-ups and create rankings that can be used to predict company futures. The course supports the development of skills in the areas of analytical and critical thinking, collaboration in diverse teams and business research and analysis.
The course activities include lectures, investor and start-up company guest-speakers, workshops, individual and group assignments such as scouting and pre-evaluation of start-up companies.
Number of students: Max. 30
Tuition: Free of charge for students from partner universities. Tuition for others: 300€.
Guest lecturers will be confirmed later
Course coordinator
Khuram Shahzad
Assistant Professor (tenure track)
School of Technology and Innovations, Industrial Management

How to apply?

The application period for the Summer School Programme has ended on 15 May 2025. Selected students will receive a letter of confirmation via email latest by 6 June 2025.

The number of participants is limited. The selection of students is based on their applications and the agreements made with some partner universities. Students participating for the first time will be prioritized in the selection. ECTS credits for a specific course can be only granted once.

Prepare for your stay

To ensure a smooth Summer School experience, remember to book your travels and accommodation well in advance. Please contact your local institution about the possibility to receive financial support to organise your stay at Vaasa.

Travelling to Vaasa: There are many possible ways to travel to Vaasa depending on your departure location and travelling preferences. Usually the easiest way to reach Vaasa from aboard is to fly to the Helsinki airport and from there, continue with a flight to the Vaasa Airport or by train to the Vaasa train station. There are three daily flights from Helsinki to Vaasa and several daily train connections. Please visit the Finnish rail company VR’s website for more information about train connections.
Remember to make sure you have all your travel documents up-to-date. If you are not a citizen of a Schengen member state, you will need a visa for your stay. The accepted students will receive the invitation letter needed in the visa application from the University. Please make sure that you have all the documents for the visa application well in advance, such as your passport, travel insurance, hotel reservations, flight tickets etc. More information about the visa requirements in Finland.
Accommodation in Vaasa: You will receive more information about the prices and possible discounts with the confirmation letter. It is recommended to book your travels and accommodation as soon as you receive the confirmation.
Please note that the University of Vaasa doesn’t provide you with housing during the Summer School. If you come from a partner university abroad, please contact your local institution about the possibility to receive financial support to organise your stay at Vaasa.

Questions?

Course Coordinators will help you in matters related to course contents. In practical matters, please contact summerschool@uwasa.fi