Program Overview

International Summer School

The University of Vaasa Summer School on Entrepreneurship and Venturing will take place in August 2026. The three-week academic programme helps students gain essential entrepreneurial knowledge and skills in an international context.

Multidisciplinary Summer School by Domain Experts

The Summer School combines lectures, discussion sessions, and workshops with practical activities led by domain experts. Guest speakers include renowned academics and company representatives. Instructors are experts in their fields and teach with enthusiasm and contemporary relevance.

Who is the Summer School for?

The Summer School is for students in higher education institutions interested in building a global start-up or seeking to work at an established company with intrapreneurial competences. Students from different academic disciplines and levels are welcome. The programme is in English, so students need to have fluent English language skills to participate.

Courses and Schedules

The University of Vaasa Summer School consists of three courses:

• International Entrepreneurship (6 ECTS)
• Ideation and Venture Creation (3 ECTS)
• Start-up Scouting and Valuation (2 ECTS)

International Entrepreneurship (6 ECTS)

This course helps students understand the dynamics of entrepreneurship in an international context. Students learn how to discover, evaluate, and exploit international venture opportunities. The course includes lectures, workshops, teamwork, pitching, and presentations.

Ideation and Venture Creation (3 ECTS)

During this course, students learn to understand the process of entrepreneurship from identification of problems, ideation, and brainstorming to evaluation. Students apply different approaches for brainstorming and ideation, create early business models, and learn how to evaluate and pitch ideas.

Start-up Scouting and Valuation (2 ECTS)

By the end of this course, students have a more in-depth understanding of start-ups and their importance for disrupting businesses. Students learn how to scout start-ups, analyze meaningful metrics, and identify and evaluate different start-ups.

How to Apply

Only partner institutions of the University of Vaasa can nominate students for the International Summer School on Entrepreneurship and Venturing. Interested students should contact their home institution to learn more about available opportunities.

Prepare for Your Stay

To ensure a smooth Summer School experience, students should book their travels and accommodation well in advance. The University of Vaasa does not provide housing during the Summer School.

Travelling to Vaasa

There are many possible ways to travel to Vaasa, depending on the departure location and travelling preferences. The easiest way to reach Vaasa from abroad is to fly to Helsinki and then continue with a flight to Vaasa or by train to the Vaasa train station.

Accommodation in Vaasa

Students can find hotels in the Vaasa region on Visit Vaasa's website. The University of Vaasa does not provide housing during the Summer School.

Getting Around in Vaasa

Getting to the Palosaari campus is a 20-minute walk from the city center. Students can also use public transportation buses. There is an online journey planner for the joint regional public transport network of the City of Vaasa and Municipality of Mustasaari.