Pre-SPARK Concept Discovery Program

Upon completion of the program, SPARK Finland will provide certificate of completion to all participants. For student participants, earning the study credits is optional – only if you wish to include Pre-SPARK in your study transcript and if your degree program approves it. In most cases, credits are not granted automatically. Students need to coordinate with relevant contacts from your home university. Please see below for more details:

University of Helsinki
For Bachelor’s or Master’s degree students, it is advised to check with the degree programme beforehand if the credits can be included into the degree, and under what section. Please contact uhds-office@helsinki.fi and share your certificate of completion for the registration of the credits. Students must then co-ordinate with their degree programme to include these credits into their degree. We do not guarantee that credits can be included in all degrees.

For Doctoral Researchers, participating in Pre-SPARK can be included in your transferable skills studies under the course code PHD-312 for a total of 5 ECTS. Please request a certificate of attendance upon completion of the pre-incubator programme, and contact uhds-office@helsinki.fi for credits registration.

University of Eastern Finland
There is a possibility of earning 5 ECTS upon completing Pre-SPARK program. To confirm, please contact your degree programme to check if the credits can be included into the degree and under what section. We do not guarantee that credits can be included in all degrees – therefore, it is advisable to check with your relevant contact person beforehand. A list of contacts and more further instructions can be found here: https://kamu.uef.fi/en/tietopankki/planning-and-completing-studies/recognition-of-prior-learning/.

University of Turku
There is a possibility of earning 5 ECTS upon completing Pre-SPARK program. To confirm, please contact your degree programme to check if the credits can be included into the degree and under what section. We do not guarantee that credits can be included in all degrees – therefore, it is advisable to check with your study program beforehand.
If it is possible to earn credits, after Pre-SPARK has completed, students are responsible for coordinate with their program’s contact person to include the credits into their degrees.

Tampere University
Instruction to be updated soon. 

Aalto University
Instruction to be updated soon.

Do I need my own research findings to participate in the program?
No. You can develop a concept based on your own research, draw inspiration from a curated pool of research discoveries, or work on any idea that interests you—as long as it aligns with at least one of the program’s themes.

Do I need to have an idea or ongoing project before joining the program?

No. While having an early-stage idea can be helpful, it’s not required. You can also join a team and contribute to ideas suggested by your teammates. Before the program starts, we encourage you to explore different aspects of health and life sciences to identify topics that interest you – if you haven’t done so already.

Who can participate in the course?
The course is open to Master’s and Doctoral students, researchers, clinicians, and scientists affiliated with SPARK’s member institutions. We expect that participants will together form a diverse, multidisciplinary and collaborative learning environment.

Do I need a background in health and life sciences to join?
No. The only requirement is a strong passion for health and life sciences and an interest in creating impact from research discoveries. While prior knowledge of the industry is beneficial, it is not mandatory.

Do I need a team to join the program?
No. You can apply as an individual or with teammates. However, each team member must submit an individual application and specify their team name or teammates in the application.

How will teams be formed?
If you join as an individual, we will facilitate team-building sessions to help you connect with other participants. We advise using this time wisely to find teammates that share common interests with you. After these sessions, teams of 4 people will be formed. If you apply with an existing team, you will work together as a team throughout the program.

What is expected from participants during the course?
We expect all participants to attend and actively engage in program sessions while collaborating with their project teams to develop their concepts. By the end of the program, you are expected to deliver a final team presentation and a concept description of your team’s project. As part of your project development, there will also be other small assignments throughout the program.

How are mentors be assigned to teams?
Once teams are formed, we will match each team’s topic and interests with relevant industry mentors.

Who owns the intellectual property (IP) of the concept developed in the program?
IP ownership depends on your affiliation and the origin of your idea. We will explore this topic in more detail during the program.

How is confidential information handled in the course?
We ask you to not share any confidential information throughout the program. Please be mindful of this, especially when you are developing concepts from your own existing research.