The 3AMK project ‘Networking and International Partnerships for Companies’ (ERDF 2024-27) focuses on cooperation between 3AMK and companies in RDI projects in three sectors: food value chain, food tourism and construction activities. The project showcases advantages that companies can gain from international RDI funds, such as piloting, benchmarking, networking and expertise.

3AMK is a coalition of three universities of applied sciences – Haaga-Helia, Laurea and Metropolia – offering its students jointly developed services including studies, library services and for instance an AI-based CareerBot service. Within 3AMK, as well as in other higher education institutions, RDI projects have established themselves as an important channel of acquiring external funding and producing new initiatives.

RDI funding lends itself to initiating new expertise or to deepening special expertise that comprehensively increases the scope and quality of the higher education institution’s operations. Depending on the funding source, domestic and international RDI project funding can be obtained for research, innovation and development work.

The role of SMEs and other companies in R&D project activities of higher education institutions has long been considered important. There are, however, jointly identified challenges on how to implement this.

An RDI development project in its entire life cycle – including the preparation of the application, waiting period for decision-making, implementation of the actual project and reporting – is a long process. In contrast to this, companies are often more fast-paced, and they seek for fast benefits and profit.

The 3AMK project ‘Networking and International Partnerships for Companies’, (2024-2027) part-funded by EU’s ERDF instrument, reaches towards companies in the capital region in three sectors: food value chain, food tourism and construction activities. The project aims to increase the amount and intensity of RDI cooperation between companies and 3AMK and to increase the RDI funding especially from EU funding programs. The project builds on the long track record of RDI activities of Haaga-Helia, Laurea and Metropolia and their joint view of the untapped potential of collaboration between 3AMK and the economic life.

The project focuses on three themes. The lead partner of the project, Laurea, works on the food value chain. Metropolia works on cooperation in the construction industry. Haaga-Helia works on food tourism, which already operates on a nationwide network – Hungry for Finland. During the three-year project, concrete project ideas will be worked on in each theme, which it is hoped will lead to project applications and ultimately to RDI project funding.

The project aims to enhance companies’ participation in development projects by highlighting the benefits that companies can gain from their collaboration with 3AMK. The project kicks off at a joint webinar in which companies and 3AMK experts meet to discuss the benefits and opportunities of RDI funding. This launches a series of workshops for selected companies in the three selected topics.

The companies’ potential of RDI collaboration is considered from the viewpoint of product development and service design, internationalisation, capacity building and networking. The series of workshops aim to help companies identify specific development needs that could benefit from international cooperation and could therefore lend themselves to project initiatives. The intensive collaboration format offered by 3AMK to companies is an asset that can lead to individual RDI project proposals and at best to long-term institutional relationships that are both prosperous and fun.

During the three-year project, the cooperation between the selected companies and 3AMK is documented and worked into a descriptive model that can be applied to similar partnerships after the project. The model-building serves as a synchronising element from start to finish.

Eventually, the project introduces a model for international RDI project initiation between 3AMK and companies highlighting benefits and best practices deriving from the present project to other projects to come.