Students innovating and learning for lasting impact

Research, development and innovation (RDI) have been a core focus of universities of applied sciences for decades. More recently, increasing attention has been given to integrating RDI into teaching and learning, often referred to as RDIL.

Haaga-Helia’s vision is to lead the way in renewing competences and businesses (Haaga-Helia s.a.) and at the heart of it is RDIL. By engaging students in authentic development and innovation projects that address real-world challenges, RDIL strengthens both learning outcomes and employability skills. (Kilja et al. 2024; Vähäsantanen, Civil, Hero & Tammilehto 2025.)

Indeed, our students often state that the single most motivating ingredient of excellent learning experiences is a real business case. Rather than learning only through lectures and theoretical assignments, students develop skills and competencies by working on challenges and commissions provided by businesses or projects.

The commission: innovative ideas for the future of the hubs

By December 2026 the EU funding that created the six ENRICHER Green Tourism Hubs for enhancing sustainable tourism and service design methods across Georgia and Moldova will end. The ENRICHER hubs project has already reached around 600 people with new courses and hubs (Ojaranta 16.3.2026), yet the biggest test comes after the funding ends.

To secure the future of the Green Tourism Hubs we challenged our students attending the Haaga-Helia course Trends and Innovations in Travel and Transportation – Business Case to generate innovative solutions that would support the long-term continuance of the hubs. They were asked to benchmark various innovation ecosystems, hubs and labs around the world, use innovative development methods, and recommend ideas for activities, collaboration and financing to secure the future of the hubs.

Sitra (s.a.) defines innovation ecosystems as networks in which businesses, entrepreneurs, universities, research institutions, and organisations collaborate to create innovations and added value. Successful ecosystems combine diverse actors, access to funding, supportive infrastructure, and a culture that encourages experimentation, risk-taking, and learning from failure (Davis, Safran, Schaff & Yayboke, 28.2.2023). Each student group studied different ecosystems and innovations hubs around the world. They looked for funding models, collaboration and activities that could be adopted in the two target countries.

At the end of the course, the students presented and pitched their ideas for hub continuance in a persuasive presentation, building skills relevant for communicating with commissioners, investors, and policymakers. They advocated for diversified funding sources, including revenue-generating services and development partnerships with multiple donors. For activities, they recommended training, incubation, student consultancy activities (e.g., students as sustainability advisors for guesthouses and SMEs), and building strong partnerships with sustainable tourism companies.

The students highlighted the importance of working together and in partnership with other sustainable players, for instance, in multi-stakeholder collaboration and cross-border networks around the Black Sea and the Caucasus region.

The student journey of learning

At Haaga-Helia, there are various roles for students in RDI. They can work as interns, project or research assistants, thesis authors, or members in an innovation team. Commissioned group projects play a central role in Haaga-Helia (s.a.) strategic goals and learning experience, enabling students to develop and apply innovative development methods in authentic business contexts.

In the process, the students also develop essential skills in communication, collaboration, and conflict resolution, all of which are highly valued by employers. As AI and automation changes work, practising these human skills remain critical in business education. Through the participation in a RDI-project, students were able to recognise the value of these skills and their relevance to future career opportunities.

This task has made me more clearly realize that my future career is likely to involve complex multi-party collaboration environments, rather than just completing a single task. – participating student

The students also learned about sustainability mindset and entrepreneurial thinking, which are vital for jobs in regenerative tourism, destination management, and green startups. Furthermore, the student journey in a commissioned project like this is usually not a smooth one. There are challenges and moments of growth along the way.

Our student case linked innovation to learning on tourism megatrends (twin green-digital transition, climate resilience, sustainability), and critical future-of-work skills like systems thinking, foresight, stakeholder engagement, and problem-solving (World Economic Forum 2025).

This course expanded my understanding of innovation, stakeholder collaboration, and future industry trends. It also strengthened crucial skills such as teamwork, research, critical thinking, and professional communication. – participating student

The students presented the results to the project manager of ENRICHER hubs at the end of the semester. The project received fresh ideas, researched through global benchmarking, and all participants got first-hand experience of RDI. All in all, even as the commissioned assignment was about sustaining the continuation of the hubs, it also turned out to prepare the next generation of tourism and business leaders for future success.

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