Inter-institutional collaboration: establishing stronger relationships

It is vital for higher education institutions (HEIs) to collaborate with each other for knowledge exchange and improved research and teaching. Through collaborative efforts, HEIs can enhance the academic community, share diverse perspectives and address global challenges (Gutiérrez 2025). International partnerships are highly beneficial for both students and staff as they provide opportunities for learning, innovation and stronger networks.

In this article, we focus on Haaga-Helia’s partnership with TeamLabs, Mondragon University in Spain, as seen from our point of view here in Finland.

The value of inter-institutional collaboration   

The partnership between Haaga-Helia and Mondragon University has lasted eight years and since 2017, together we have been providing immersive, project-based learning experiences to students. TeamLabs serves as an innovative learning laboratory that provides a radical learning environment emphasising project-based, experiential education. Over the years, the faculty and students from both institutions have been visiting one another and had the opportunity to work together. 

This partnership has been quite successful as it aligns with our commitment to practical education and offers valuable international experience to our students. We have built trusted networks by connecting students, faculty, and industry partners to promote knowledge exchange and enhance entrepreneurial learning.  

The students from Haaga-Helia and TeamLabs have used collaborative learning methods like design thinking, problem-based learning and cross-cultural reflective learning. They have engaged in project-based learning, developed their business idea prototypes and showcased them during presentations.

In our sales courses, they have worked together on successful sales pitches and delivered impactful presentations. In our language courses, the collaboration with the students from TeamLabs has encouraged our students to speak Spanish beyond traditional exercises, practising vocabulary with Spanish students in creative ways. As instructors, we have noticed that students become more engaged as language learning combines cultural dimensions and individual interests.

Challenges and key lessons learned 

While our cooperation has offered many opportunities for cultural engagement, we have experienced certain challenges and understanding them helps us improve our future experiences. 

First of all, limited Spanish language skills among Finnish students cause some difficulties in the beginning. However, this provides opportunities for our students to practice Spanish with native speakers. A common language allows students to connect with each other through shared interests, student life experiences and other meaningful topics.

Furthermore, our teachers and TeamLabs coaches navigate multiple commitments while contributing to joint activities. Teachers adjust implementation plans to support shared objectives, which requires careful coordination and time management. Moreover, cultural diversity brings its own set of challenges such as different communication styles, norms and etiquette.  We have faced some communication barriers as well, because misunderstandings are more likely to occur online.

This collaboration has been valuable as it has taught us several key lessons. To have an effective cooperation in the future, we need to reflect on the key lessons and how to best learn from them.

• It is important to form good relationships and engage in consistent communication with our partners. The effectiveness of cooperation relies on personal relationships and a proactive attitude. Establishing strong connections and communicating effectively with partners is crucial.  
• In-person meetings foster clarity and effective cooperation. In our case, email communication was initially difficult, but it was soon overcome once we engaged in face-to-face interaction. Opportunities for more in-person interactions strengthen trust and encourage productive collaboration.  
• Mutual knowledge and resource sharing provided new ideas and opportunities for both parties. Good discussions with teachers provide us with new ideas for our courses and events. Interesting joint activities and open discussions with teachers are mutually beneficial.   

Looking forward: building stronger academic communities

Our partnership with Mondragon university, and specifically with TeamLabs has been quite fruitful, offering opportunities to share expertise, knowledge, resources, practical teaching methods and incredible cultural experiences. By focusing on establishing personal relationships and maintaining active collaboration channels, we create sustainable partnerships.  

In the future, our collaborative planning will be even more effective as we become even more familiar with each other. Furthermore, TeamLabs coaches will not strictly pursue their own programmes during their visit to Finland as before. We will plan more time for them to explore Finland and Finnish culture, allowing for greater flexibility. This arrangement also allows the TeamLabs students to explore a different cultural environment more efficiently.

When TeamLabs students visit Haaga-Helia, they bring vibrancy to our campuses. They arrive in groups, or ‘waves’, and each wave consists of around 80 students. These large groups are outgoing, lively and highly interactive, adding a dynamic atmosphere to our campuses. Interacting with them provides our students with valuable opportunities for internationalisation here at Haaga-Helia.  

We are expecting over 200 TeamLabs students to join us in two waves at Haaga-Helia between January and March 2026, and we are excited to start planning this next step in our cooperation soon. 

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