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!
Delhi
Future of Work
Digital twins have become common across many industries. They allow facility managers and maintenance teams to anticipate service needs and manage the lifecycle of machines more effectively. Yet these systems have so much data that identifying meaningful insights from noise is a challenge. Systems are often designed by professionals for professionals—with interfaces full of cold numbers and charts. What if a digital twin became a Tamagotchi‑style digital pet? Could a machine’s “pet” express moods, thank you for attention, or seem sad when its filter needs changing? How would it feel if you cared for a single machine whose avatar smiles when everything is fine and turns reddish when something wears out? And if you manage a fleet of equipment—could a “pack” of digital pets convey the overall maintenance health at a glance? This project investigates how digital twins could be humanised with a pet‑like interface. We aim to explore how 3D avatars, AR and gamified elements might make lifecycle management intuitive, predictive and even fun—whether you’re looking after one machine or an entire fleet.
Apply by 14 Sept
Delhi
Value Creators of Tomorrow
Worksites with heavy machinery—especially those involving cranes—are often associated with ruggedness, functionality, and minimal focus on comfort or digital sophistication. However, the workforce is evolving. As younger generations step into crane operator roles, their expectations for work environments are shifting. They value smart, seamless, and user-friendly digital experiences—what might be called “digital luxury.” This shift presents an opportunity to transform heavy machinery operation from purely functional to a modern, engaging, and even enjoyable experience. What does “luxury” mean to the next generation of crane operators in a digital context? How can heavy machinery cabins and systems be upgraded with intuitive, connected, and human-centered digital tools? How can these changes improve both productivity and operator satisfaction, while still meeting safety and operational requirements? This project explores what comfort, convenience, and prestige mean in the context of industrial operations, identifies digital features that resonate the most, and develop concepts that get the job done.
Apply by 14 Sept
Delhi
Healing the Planet
Cargo handling is a critical link in the manufacturing value chain. While operational efficiency and safety are well-recognized priorities, sustainability often remains an invisible factor in daily cargo handling activities. Yet, choices such as using energy-efficient, low-emission lifting equipment can significantly reduce the environmental impact across the value chain. The challenge lies in making sustainability tangible —not just in corporate reports, but in the hands and minds of cargo handlers on the ground. How can sustainability become a visible, valued, and motivating part of everyday cargo handling work? Can advanced, eco-friendly lifting technologies not only improve environmental performance but also create a stronger sense of purpose and pride among operators? What practical tools, visual cues, or work practices could make the difference clear between sustainable and less sustainable equipment choices? In this project we aim at Identifying how to integrate sustainability awareness into cargo handling tasks without slowing down operations and develop concepts or solutions that make sustainability visible and personally relevant for cargo handlers.
Apply by 14 Sept
Tampere
Human Beings in the Modern World
Social innovations are created to address deep-rooted issues such as inequality and environmental degradation. Their real value lies in long-term, systemic change – matters like improving community resilience, strengthening social cohesion, and fostering ecological regeneration. Yet, the language of funding is still tied to traditional economic ROI. This creates a disconnect: funders often ask for financial projections, while innovators speak in terms of human and ecological well-being. This gap presents an opportunity to reimagine how we measure and communicate impact, enabling mission-driven projects to secure the investment they need to thrive. How can we bridge the gap between social innovation and traditional funding by making non-monetary impact tangible, credible, and financially compelling? The goal is to design a framework or communication tool that helps social innovators narrate and visualise their value in a way that resonates with funders, demonstrating returns that extend beyond economic profit. How to identify and translate intangible outcomes (e.g., empowerment, community trust) into visible, credible, and fundable metrics. What forms of visual storytelling or data representation can best convey this value? How might such a framework support better funding decisions and policy goals? In this project, we will design a tool, framework, or model that quantifies and visualises the often-intangible outcomes of social innovation. The solution should help innovators map their impact, translate it into a credible narrative, and justify investments based on long-term, non-monetary benefits.
Apply by 14 Sept
Delhi, Vaasa
Future of Work
Electric vehicles are changing the way we see cars. They are not anymore just for transporting people and goods, but could potentially be used for so much more. In this project we want to explore the use of your personal electric vehicle as an office! People spend lots of time working at a desk at the office or at home. People are also increasingly finding out that cars are pretty handy environments to have meetings in, but the current cars have not been designed for working, but for driving. In this project we want create the extreme concepts of cars that support expert, white collar jobs. In addition to the actual interior design, we specifically want to explore the potential connectivity and think of car as a software platform. How might we create an environment inside the car that is convenient and purposeful for having meetings, working on a smart device (laptop, phone, tablet, etc.) or even having a face-to-face meetings with other in the car? How might we utilize the technology that already exists in the cars? What could be added to create even more value for consumers? You will get to re-imagine the design of cars in this project. We want to aim for disruptive concepts and demos to show how our cars could become more than just vehicles.
Apply by 14 Sept
Tampere, Vaasa
Human Beings in the Modern World
Finnish healthcare services are state-of-the-art in global comparison (https://www.statista.com/statistics/1376344/care-systems-ranking-of-countries-worldwide/). Basic services are available to everyone living in Finland, and the specialised healthcare services are of extremely high quality. However, the general opinion and media stories often paint a bleak picture. Newspapers are filled with mostly negative stories about the healthcare sector, there are significant cost-cuts being implemented, and healthcare professionals are under immense pressure. Yet, hundreds of thousands of people receive treatment and help every day. Finns are also the happiest taxpayers in the world, partly thanks to the healthcare services we receive in return. Because of this, we want to explore different ways for the public healthcare sector to show and tell how they are helping us each and every day. How would you, as a university student, want the public healthcare sector to communicate in an authentic, honest, and transparent way in the future? How should a public healthcare service provider communicate and brand themselves as authentic and trustworthy? How can they respond to the never-ending bad publicity by showing and highlighting the daily small wins and their integral role in our welfare state? What could be some of the more innovative ways to communicate about daily operations in the public healthcare sector? There are some great examples of authentic branding and communication, such as the reality TV show "Elossa 24H" and the Finnish tax administration’s social media presence (https://www.instagram.com/verohallinto/). Join the project to design new approaches and attitudes towards communicating success stories, mistakes, and the daily life of the public healthcare sector transparently!
Apply by 14 Sept
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.”
Get the information you need with our comprehensive list of FAQs below:
Is it free to join Demola projects?
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How many projects can I apply to at once? Will you send me more than one offer?
After finishing a project, can I take part again?
What if my university is not on the list of "Home institution" choices? Does it mean I am not eligible to apply?
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Join Demola and work on career-relevant projects with global impact.
