Turku Castle Innovation Camp
Are you interested in how history shapes the experience services? Turku castle is awaiting for your assistance. Following Turku School of Economics’ Business Innovation Camp concept, UTU students are invited to apply design thinking methods for solving stakeholder challenges. This time, we welcome you to improve the customer experience of Turku Castle visitors. The team with a winning proposal will be awarded as well!
We are inviting UTU students from all faculties and backgrounds to join this learning and co-creation opportunity to work together in a cross-disciplinary workshop. The goal is to find ways for Turku Castle and its museum services to better serve their community and inspire them by history. Also first year students are welcomed to join!
The Camp is organized by University of Turku in collaboration with Turku City Museum. Process will feed future development of museum services in city of Turku.
The Innovation Camp will be held in the historic Turku Castle and University of Turku campus. Detailed information will be provided to the participants selected.
The Innovation Camp process consists of a preparatory briefing session, four actual camp sessions and ending with a pitching session presenting the results to an audience of related stakeholders and professionals. Participants should reserve the following time slots for the innovation camp:
Briefing Session: 18th Feb 14.15-15.45
Camp start & problem session: 23th Feb 11.30-17.00
Sketching session: 24th Feb 10.00-14.00
Storyboarding session: 2nd Mar 13.00-17.00
Validation session: 3rd Mar 10.00-14.00
Pitching Session: 5th Mar 13.00-15.45
Additionally, depending your team's progress on the camp some independent preparation might be required before the pitching session.
About 8-16 students from different UTU faculties will be selected emphasizing a heterogenic overall composition of the group. The camp is intended for all level university students.
Different disciplines wanted! You are not required to have any specific detailed technical skills or knowledge but rather curious about rethinking experiences and different processes. The camp will be held in English.
You'll also get the unique possibility to make several visits to the Turku Castle and familiarize yourself with what is going on behind the scenes in the operations of a castle museum. Your team will also present your improvement ideas to relevant stakeholders and the best proposal will be rewarded.
Based on previous camps’ feedback, here are some things you might learn and experience during the Innovation Camp:
- innovation skills: curiosity, determination, and creativity
- facing of the blank white paper
- teamwork essentials: justifying your view, listening to others, and taking care of the joint effort
- time management under pressure
- gathering relevant information and support the from experts and mentors and contacts for the future
- presentation and pitching skills in front of both your peers and senior professionals
- lunches as well!
Overall, the camp is a real opportunity to showcase your skills! All participants will receive an official Innovation Camp diploma upon completion of the camp.
Successful completion of the Camp is registered in Turku School of Economics for 2 ECTS credits. In some cases, additional credits are possible if extra-assignments like written reports are handed in; this can be agreed separately. Students from other faculties may ask their faculties' own study coordinators about the possibility to have the Innovation Camp completion registered into their degrees according their own instructions.
Depending on the nature and applicability of the ideas and solutions generated during the Innovation Camp, the organizers might be interested to develop your ideas further. It is possible, but not guaranteed, that the organizers may consider to work with you and your concept after the Innovation Camp. This is subjected to a separate mutual consent.
Registration closed!
Basic information is enough for the form, just double-check that you're available on the dates listed above in the Schedule -section. We'd appreciate it if you can mention about your background shortly, which helps in forming the multidisciplinary teams. No long texts are required!
NB: Deadline extended for registrations until 12th Feb 2026 23:59!
