The Entrepreneurial Act of the Year award is given as an encouragement and acknowledgement to a person or group who has successfully and independently promoted entrepreneurial attitude and activities in the University.
Entrepreneurial behavior incorporates action, novelty, value creation, and learning. To be entrepreneurial means that an individual or a group can through their own actions create something new and innovative. Furthermore, while doing so, they not only learn from their own actions, but also do something that creates value for others. Thus, entrepreneurial action benefits both the individual or the group and the others who are the targets of action.
The act can involve, for example,
The Entrepreneurial Act of the Year award is part of the University’s strategy on entrepreneurial training and entrepreneurship, the purpose of which is to increase awareness on entrepreneurship in the academic community, to diversify and increase entrepreneurial training as well as strengthen entrepreneurial attitude and activities that support entrepreneurship.
Award description
The Entrepreneurial Act of the Year award is €30,000. The prize will be awarded as a grant to one entrepreneurial act or, for justified reasons, two acts at the most. The winner must be a member of the University staff or a group that can also include students.
Objective is to award the prize annually. In semester 2020-2021, the Intoa! Partner is LähiTapiola Varsinais-Suomi.
Award winner may use the grant to further develop and promote entrepreneurial attitude, action and thinking at the University.
In 2020-2021, the competition jury consists of Rector Jukka Kola (University of Turku), CEO Olli Aakula (LähiTapiola Varsinais-Suomi), Director of Development Riitta Mustonen (University of Turku), and Professor in Entrepreneurship Jarna Heinonen (University of Turku).
Nominations and selection of the award winner/s
yrittajyysyliopisto@utu.fi
FAQ
Where will the award be paid out to?
The award will be paid out to the winner’s cost centre.
How can I use the award ?
The award winner can use the grant to develop and promote their winning entrepreneurial act.
Can a student team participate in the competition?
The nominee(s) must be a member or a group of the University staff which can also include students. A team of only students cannot participate.
Can a university research-based company participate in the competition?
Companies based on university research cannot participate in the competition or receive the award. However, researchers of the University of Turku, who work in the research-based company, can participate as individual researchers or a research group.
Can a team that consists of personnel of the University of Turku and external interest groups participate in the competition?
A team that includes members outside the University of Turku can participate in the competition under the condition that the main actors are from the University. In this case also, the award will be paid out to the winner’s cost centre at the University of Turku.
How detailed does the description of the entrepreneurial act has to be in the application?
It is easier for the jury to review the entrepreneurial act if the act is carefully described. The act can be described in the text field of the application form, and it can be described on a video, or in a picture as well. It is also possible to give other additional material for reference in the application. Please note that the additional material only supports the actual application content.
The Winner
Flavoria® – a multidisciplinary research platform concentrating on sustainable development and wellbeing
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CampusSport Visio 2025
Hospital Ship Re-Imagined
The Winner:
Teacher education for Namibians at the University of Turku’s Rauma campus
An educational export project of the Department of Teacher Education in Rauma bought by the Namibian state is the first Bachelor’s degree education realised as transnational education in Finland. The project has developed both the University’s internal and external co-operation on many levels and in a new way.
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Corporate Corner event
The Corporate Corner is a joint business co-operation concept of the University of Turku and Åbo Akademi University.
Department of Clinical Medicine / Johannes Savolainen (Aceman Pharma Oy)
Professor Johannes Savolainen is an active innovator whose achievements are already strongly protected by patents. Establishing a research-based company Aceman Pharma Oy and jumping into the startup world was a bold entrepreneurial act.
UGIS – University of Turku Graduate School Information System
The information system of the University of Turku Graduate School was implemented as an internal startup of the University and developed on the basis of the needs of the research and teaching administration.
Watch Examples of Intoa! Entrepreneurial Acts from 2015 to 2017 