22 August 2024
Summer consultants create valuable insights for innovation
During the summer, our students had the opportunity to work as consultants. Last week, the results of the students' work were presented.
The LTU Summer Consultants program offered a unique opportunity for students to put their academic knowledge into practice, while contributing to market validation of real cases. It gave students an insight into future career opportunities. This program not only creates value for the students involved, but also provides researchers and entrepreneurs with important decision-making tools to drive their projects forward.
Inspiring the next generation of students
The summer consultancy program has become an attractive opportunity for students who want to challenge themselves while building their professional skills. Through the program, students get the chance to work as consultants for nine intensive weeks. During this time, they attend a market validation course and receive continuous support from an experienced coach. The program culminates in a final presentation where students share their insights, findings and recommendations with the idea owners.
Creating value for researchers and idea owners
The program is not only a resource for students, but also an invaluable asset for researchers and idea owners. By using summer consultants, researchers can get qualified decision support for their ideas and concepts.
"The students' market analysis has been extremely valuable for my research on microalgae as novel food ingredients," says researcher Dr. Alok Kumar Patel. "This program is an excellent opportunity to bridge the gap between scientific innovation and market readiness. Working with students is a great way to foster new ideas and contribute to the growing field of research. I look forward to collaborating with more students in the future," he adds.
Funded projects and successes of the year
This year, several important projects have been funded through the VFT project, supported by VINNOVA and led by Luleå University of Technology, and Swedish Mining Innovation, a national program funded by VINNOVA. Through these projects, students have had the opportunity to deepen their knowledge in industries such as mining, sustainable food production and wellness.
Learning and collaboration
As part of the program, a short final presentation is also held between the teams where external stakeholders such as ABI participate. Here, insights and lessons learned are shared to create a broad exchange of experiences between the participants. This gives students the opportunity to learn from each other and build networks that can be valuable in their future careers.
We are already looking forward to next year's program and would like to encourage students to take the chance to participate and researchers to use this opportunity for their projects. Look out for the next call for applications in spring 2025.
Innovation support available through the university
For further information, please contact
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