Sudden changes (Covid-19, war in Ukraine, energy crisis) in the business environment during the recent times have significantly affected the operational preconditions of SME’s. In order to maintain the competitiveness in the process of changes, resilience and transformational capabilities are essential features to the companies. It is vital that the strong research, educational and development organizations competences are utilized fully in the process of getting into the growth path of SME’s in the new normal era. Research and development results and outcomes need to be fully available for the companies and competences produced by education are efficiently meeting the needs of business life. Furthermore, companies need to be aware of these possibilities.

The aim of this project is to support the SME’s of Western Finland in the Covid-19 and other crisis recovery, renewal and resilience (RRR) development by offering micro-credentials and sparring to promote the required skills and competences of the staff and management in the changing environment. The project is implemented by network of Universities of Applied Sciences (UAS) in the region of Western Finland. Project implementation includes themes related to green transition and sustainability.

Nationally total of 22 UAS will work together to provide fast track actions to SME’s to promote recovery and resilience especially under themes of green transition, transformational capabilities and digitalisation. National micro-credential modules (< 3 ECTS) will be collected to a common platform and implemented in collaboration with national and regional Chambers of Commerce, Suomen Yrittäjät and regional entrepreneurial associations. UAS’s will provide a common platform where companies can find the modules and micro-credentials that can be carried out independently from time and place. UAS’s will also create the link between the course offerings of Suomen Yrittäjät and our offerings. Furthermore, Western Finland-scale info and sparring events will be organized. As a regional action, every UAS will implement their own development actions meeting the needs of SME’s and in accordance with regional programmes.

The target groups of the project are the micro- and SME’s and start-up communities of Western Finland (Tampere Region, Southern and Central Ostrobothnia, Central Finland, Satakunta, Southwest Finland) and especially the staff and management of these organizations. 

The project is divided into three work packages:

• WP1: Creating the marketing window and platform of modules and micro-credentials for companies (national level)
• WP2: Sparring of SME’s and supporting the companies in transitional capabilities in green transition, sustainability and digitalization (Western Finland)
• WP3: Regional development actions and pilots organized by each UAS in their own region. The supply of services (micro-credentials, guidance and sparring) are developed to support the resilience, competences, transformational capabilities and RDI-investments. (Regional)

Aa a result of this project the resilience and transformational capability of companies is improved, and they will get more competences to renew their operations. Furthermore, micro- and SME’s the threshold of cooperating with UAS’s is lowered and companies can identify and utilize UAS’s even better as development partners in terms of competence development, funding applications and operational development. The project is implemented simultaneously with the similar projects in Southern and Eastern Finland and Lapland. 

Project actions and work packages are synchronized with the corresponding actions in other areas of Finland and the nationwide part of the project is coordinated by Karelia UAS. The project in Western Finland is implemented in collaboration with Tampere University of Applied Sciences (UAS, coordinator), Centria UAS, Jyväskylä UAS, Novia UAS, Seinäjoki UAS, Satakunta UAS, Turku UAS and Vaasa UAS.
 

The project is funded from the resources of the REACT-EU Instrument as part of the Union’s actions in response to the covid-19 pandemic.