Practical experience
Landing a job takes more than talent, it takes action. Demola gives you the chance to tackle real challenges, collaborate with others, and build proof of what you can do even when things are uncertain. By actively participating in a Demola project, you can turn your skills into competencies and concrete experience.
Partnered with Innovative Companies
Our platform, created together with leading companies and professors, connects you to real-world innovation projects. You’ll work as part of a team on an innovation and development project, guided by Demola’s expert facilitators. Participating in a project will give you practical experience and the confidence to deal with complexity in any job.
At Demola, innovation projects are built around real-world project topics co-designed with companies and public-sector organisations. If selected, you'll join an innovation team working to develop meaningful solutions that respond to validated needs.
Our projects tackle complex, relevant problems grounded in industry and societal needs. You'll work in a team to design and demo solutions, benefiting from the insights and findings of previous Demola projects. Most Demola projects last around two months, but the exact duration depends on the programme they are part of.
Each team benefits from expert guidance through coaching sessions and facilitated community events. Demola's facilitators bring years of experience in innovation and adapt their support to match your ambition and commitment. You are expected to take an active role, both individually and as a team.
You'll co-create with other teams and Demola's experts, and validate and test your solutions with real stakeholders to continuously refine your approach. High-performing teams gain access to a network of professionals from Demola's industry partners for further input and exposure.
You'll build in-demand, career-ready skills in creative problem-solving, AI-assisted innovation, project management, international collaboration, and resilience - all while working in an environment that mirrors real innovation practices.
Your team owns the outcomes created during the project. Use them in job interviews, your portfolio, a Master's thesis, or even as the foundation of a startup. In some cases, your work may also earn you academic credit (ECTS) if you are a student.
The impact
Ready to turn your skills into competence? Our claims are backed by feedback from our community of participants and alumni.
Strongly agree (49.3%)
Agree (43.6%)
Neither agree or disagree (5.3%)
Disagree (1.3%)
Strongly disagree (0.5%)
2 272 people took part in the survey.
New skills
65.6%
Valuable work experience
63.9%
New friends
51.5%
Startup ideas
34.4%
International teamwork experience
30.5%
Industry contacts
23.9%
Self-esteem
23.9%
New motivation to study
22.8%
Confidence in career choices
20.3%
Researcher contacts
17.6%
Better position in the labor market
13.5%
Other
1.5%
Based on Q4/2022 survey
If you’re currently studying at or near one of our Demola locations or partner universities, you’re welcome to join a Demola project.
Finland:Tampere, Oulu, Vaasa, Turku, Jyväskylä
Japan:Tokyo, Sapporo
Czechia:Prague, Ostrava
Hungary:Budapest
United Kingdom:Glasgow
India:DelhiIn our partner cities, the projects are also open to graduates and professionals who are exploring new career paths or interested in co-creating and launching startups in the future.
Finland:Tampere, Oulu, Riihimäki
Many alumni have participated in more than one Demola project – the current record is seven. For active alumni, we facilitate further development in their academic studies or future careers:
Explore or fine-tune your Master’s thesis topic through a Demola project and find a potential industry collaborator for your Master’s thesis after the project.
Develop an expert profile that highlights your project contributions, as well as innovation and interpersonal skills. Top-performing participants will have their expert profiles shared and recommended within Demola’s partner network, verifying their skills and proactive mindset.
Build on your project results, connect with like-minded teammates, and use your entrepreneurial mindset to lay the groundwork for a startup.
Get onboarded with Demola
Create a Demola profile.
Browse project in your location and apply to those that interest you.
If you get selected, confirm your seat and start the teamwork.
Apply to one or more projects today!
Future Expert Program - Vantaa, Vaasa
Healing the Planet
In this project we want to focus on sustainable consumer decision-making. As a context we are interested in aviation industry. In aviation, by far most of the sustainability burden comes from the fuel used by the airplane. There are many options nowadays for different bio-based fuels and even electric aviation is being developed rapidly. Yet the change will take time and the main concern is that consumers are not willing to pay extra for the sustainable options. At the same time the airlines are doing very little to offer real, valuable options for customers when buying airline tickets. Most of the initiatives are based on carbon compensation or small details in the in-flight service. In this project we want to focus on designing new types of offerings for the sustainably-minded younger generations who want or need to fly for their work or vacation. What would be the sustainable airline ticket type for younger generation customers in the future? How should we visualize the sustainability information for the customer when they are buying the tickets? What kind of promises we should make and what kind of data could be useful for the customer? How might we verify the claims and build transparency for the customers? This project is for you, if you are interested in business models, sustainability, consumer behaviour, new technologies or aviation industry!
Apply by 02 Dec
Budapest, Oulu, Vaasa
Human Beings in the Modern World
Some individuals need support 24/7, while others believe they will never require it. In reality, we will all need additional support and services at some point in our lives. The question is not if, but when. The challenge often arises when people who are not accustomed to seeking support eventually find themselves needing it. This can lead to reluctance to ask for help or spend money – even when they can afford it – to make life more convenient at home. In the long run, this could even help people extend the time they can spend in their own homes as they age. How might we encourage the use of external, commercial services earlier in life? How could 30–50-year-olds be motivated to hire experts for daily tasks such as cleaning, renovations, or enhancing cultural experiences? Ideally, people would become accustomed to acquiring these services before they are physically or cognitively unable to manage tasks themselves, thereby greatly extending their independence and self-sufficiency. In this project, we look for concepts and tools to promote these services in a natural way for consumers in the future.
Apply by 02 Dec
Budapest, Delhi, Future Expert Program - Riihimaki, Future Expert Program - Vantaa, Glasgow, Oulu, Prague, Tampere, Turku, Vaasa
Byte-powered Future
Fast car chargers are great – until they finish before you do. Many electric vehicle (EV) drivers face the awkward “lunch break” problem: your car is charged, but you’re still eating, risking idle fees and blocking others. In this project, the goal is to design concepts and service demos that address this and similar challenges by using data to create a more human-centric charging experience. How might we develop a more seamless and intuitive EV “smart charging” service that understands the driver’s current situation or overall trip? The team will have access to an extensive real-world database of charging-related data points and can combine this with other data sources to make the service more intelligent. We are seeking innovative concepts and prototypes that demonstrate how data can be used to build a more intelligent and user-friendly EV charging ecosystem. The ideal solution will not only solve the "lunch break" problem but also open up new possibilities for context-aware services that make owning and operating an EV more enjoyable and stress-free.
Apply by 02 Dec
Tokyo
Future of Work
Do you have an idea for innovation project or a new business opportunity? Got a project group ready? Apply to this project! When applying, please describe your project idea in the application. Also, mention the names of your teammates and advice them to apply as well. Our Demola experts will support your team's development work and ensure best possible start for your passion project!
Apply by 28 Oct
Budapest, Future Expert Program - Riihimaki, Future Expert Program - Vantaa, Oulu, Prague, Tampere, Tokyo
Byte-powered Future
Our smartphones and laptops are equipped with powerful cameras that are constantly present in our daily lives. While these cameras excel at capturing photos and videos, their full potential as real-time “eyes” for AI-driven applications remains largely untapped. This challenge focuses on using the built-in cameras of smartphones and laptops as primary inputs for AI, to create innovative, user-centred solutions. In this project, we aim to envision, design, and prototype solutions in which AI interprets what these devices see through the lens – providing intelligent assistance, enhancing productivity, improving well-being, or enabling novel interactive experiences – while carefully considering the unique constraints and opportunities of personal devices, such as privacy, on-device processing, and power consumption. Join this project to identify promising, value-adding use cases and develop them into practical demonstrations. These should be tangible technical demos or proof-of-concepts that visually illustrate your chosen application, clearly showing the AI’s real-time interpretation of the camera feed and its practical benefit to the user on a smartphone or laptop.
Apply by 28 Oct
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Budapest, Future Expert Program - Riihimaki, Oulu, Prague, Tokyo
Byte-powered Future
Imagine having a comprehensive digital record of every renovation, project, and repair carried out on your home. Similar to how a full service history increases the value of a car, this record could be invaluable when selling a house, providing prospective buyers with complete transparency. It could also serve as a practical tool for planning future maintenance and upgrade projects. Our goal is to create an AI-powered tool that can scan project reports (for example, a roof renovation) and automatically produce a clear, concise summary detailing the work completed, the materials used, and any warranties provided. We envision a mobile-first design that is simple, intuitive, and focused on only the most essential features. What would the ideal user experience for such a tool look like? How can AI be best applied in this context? Which pieces of information from each project would provide the most value to homeowners? How should the catalogue of projects be presented to ensure it is both easily shareable and straightforward to understand? The main users of this information would be professionals responsible for home maintenance or upgrades, as well as future home buyers who need to trust the accuracy of the records for what is likely the largest investment of their lives.
Apply by 28 Oct
See how Demola has helped students around the world succeed in their careers and personal lives.
Master’s Degree student in Research and Innovation in Higher Education
Excellent
20/04/2023
“I enjoy connecting with other people who are not from the same area and field, and creating new things. I think Demola is a very great platform and, since I’m interested in education, I think this is a great idea to help students and other people to learn in a different way and to be closer to the work life.”
Master’s Student in Public and Global Health
Excellent
20/04/2023
“I joined Demola for the third time already, since I enjoy how my personal skills are developing here and I love the feeling of freedom of thoughts, to be able to think, feel and express anything.”
Master’s Student in Sustainable Digitalisation
Excellent
20/04/2023
“I wanted more experience in interdisciplinary project work and real-life, tangible development of solutions with external stakeholders. I also wanted to practice what the design process is like in the real world and how to present novel ideas in an attractive, business- oriented way. And Demola delivered!”
Master’s Degree Student in Engineering and Technology
Excellent
10/06/2022
“In Demola we focused on creating solutions that can and should be applicable and should happen in real life, concrete and implementable solutions that can have an impact. Those type of solutions that go way beyond than just making a new website or a nice social media page.”
Master of Business
Excellent
17/04/2023
“If you have successfully completed the Demola project, it is proof of your passion and that your mindset is inevitably customer-oriented. Demola is definitely an experience I can recommend to all students.”
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