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!
.png&w=750&q=75 "Modular Healthcare Centre")
Future Expert Program - Riihimaki, Oulu, Tampere, Vaasa
Value Creators of Tomorrow
With varying student numbers, declining budgets, and uncertain future projections, modular (or container) schools have long provided dynamic, cost-efficient, and flexible learning environments. Healthcare is now facing similar challenges – so what if we started applying modular solutions to healthcare as well? Urbanisation continues to draw people to cities, and smaller municipalities are shrinking. This means that there is not a valid enough reason to keep all the healthcare centres running across Finland. How might a small, modular healthcare centre operate? What services could it provide, and how would it feel from the citizens’ perspective? Imagine a future with a few larger hospitals supported by a network of small, agile, modular healthcare centres distributed across healthcare districts. How would this change access to care and the way people receive treatment? We aim to develop a holistic concept for modular healthcare centres, exploring what they could offer citizens. We are looking for talents interested in healthcare, architecture, design, service design, and digitalisation to envision the future possibilities of modular healthcare centres.
Apply by 02 Oct
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 02 Oct
Glasgow
Human Beings in the Modern World
Student events are a cornerstone of campus life, but they often struggle to balance inclusivity, engagement, and sustainability. Traditional formats don’t always connect with today’s diverse student communities, and many student unions are rethinking how events can play a bigger role in identity, wellbeing, and campus culture. A live example is our Student Union, which is currently rebuilding its bar area and exploring new ways to use this space to bring students together. How might we redesign student events to be more impactful, accessible, and meaningful? Could innovative event management approaches — from co-creation with students to hybrid digital/physical models — help shape a new generation of student events? What role could redesigned spaces (like the SU bar) play in fostering stronger student engagement? This project challenges you to imagine how events can go beyond entertainment to become platforms for skill-building, inclusion, and community impact — with potential to influence how student events are run across campuses worldwide.
Apply by 08 Oct
Glasgow
Human Beings in the Modern World
Sport has the power to bring people together, improve wellbeing, and create community. Yet many students still face barriers to participation — whether due to disability, cultural perceptions, financial constraints, or a lack of representation. As a result, opportunities to benefit from sport are not equally accessible, and student communities often miss out on the connections sport can create. How can we make sport at all levels — from grassroots clubs to campus societies — more inclusive and welcoming? Could new participation models, digital engagement tools, or community initiatives break down barriers and open up sport to everyone? This project asks students to design solutions that not only widen access but also redefine what sport can mean in a student context, setting an example for how inclusivity in sport can ripple into the wider community.
Apply by 08 Oct
Glasgow
Human Beings in the Modern World
Film and creative media are powerful tools for storytelling, but students often face barriers in turning their ideas into reality — from limited resources and access to platforms, to finding audiences that value their work. At the same time, media consumption habits are shifting rapidly, with short-form video and grassroots digital content becoming central to how young people share culture and connect with one another. How might we reimagine film-making as a space where students can experiment, collaborate, and showcase their stories? Could we design new models — such as student-led festivals, collaborative production hubs, or innovative digital distribution — that empower young creators to shape cultural conversations? This project invites students to explore how film and media can become more inclusive, accessible, and impactful for the next generation of storytellers.
Apply by 08 Oct
.png&w=750&q=75 "Pixel to Profit")
Glasgow, Oulu, Tampere
Human Beings in the Modern World
In today's hybrid world of remote work, online learning, and virtual social connections, the laptop camera has evolved from a mere accessory into a critical component of the user experience. Yet, for many years, laptop camera quality has often been an afterthought, rarely a key differentiator or a driver of purchasing decisions. This challenge asks teams to investigate and quantify the impact of superior camera quality on the value of laptops. How might investing in advanced camera hardware, sophisticated image-processing software, and intelligent AI enhancements contribute to tangible benefits for users? What are the undiscovered opportunities where laptop cameras could be leveraged? Can a truly exceptional camera become a compelling reason for consumers to choose one laptop over another? What specific innovations in camera technology genuinely resonate with different user segments, and how can their value be effectively communicated and measured in the market?
Apply by 08 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.”
Get the information you need with our comprehensive list of FAQs below:
Is it free to join Demola projects?
I already graduated / taking a gap year / unemployed / worked for many years…, can I still apply?
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.
