The greatest changes start from the tiniest systemic fractures, and SÄRÖ/FRACTURE is a pre-incubator for all of us who want to change society and its institutions for the better, and investigate just how great of an impact even the smallest of ideas can have. Impactful solutions and projects come in many shapes and sizes, and we’re here to educate and empower you would-be changemakers in how to turn ideas into reality.
With help from experts in sustainable entrepreneurship & social impact, you’ll learn how to take your skills and ideas into practice and develop them into something meaningful and valuable for society.
The City Centre-based SÄRÖ/FRACTURE programme is a two month series of lectures and workshops covering the tools and know-how required to create sustainable business ideas with a societal element responsibly and effectively. Featuring speakers and mentors from Helsinki Incubators, Helsinki Think Company, and other organisations, as well as on-call advisors with diverse sets of skills you can turn to ask for help if needed, our hope is that by the end of SÄRÖ/FRACTURE, you’ll have learned valuable entrepreneurial skills, formed a plan for taking your idea onwards, and be ready to take the next step in your journey.
Will you continue onwards to our TREMOR incubator or other support programmes to turn your idea into a business? Use the skills you learned during SÄRÖ/FRACTURE to work on another idea? Or continue elsewhere as a valuable and talented team member in another organisation? Whatever you end up choosing to do after participating, we hope you’ll do it feeling emboldened and with a greater readiness to go out and have an impact than you did before taking part.
The pre-incubator is produced by the University of Helsinki with support from Helsinki Think Company and is powered by the City of Helsinki. Applications to the third round of the programme are now closed and the program will commence on 6 October.
SÄRÖ/FRACTURE's 3rd round will be held in-person and in English once or twice a week from 6 October to 30 November 2023, in various locations at the University of Helsinki's City Centre campus and elsewhere.
During these two months, the programme will primarily feature expert-led lectures and workshops on a number of subjects, including lean canvas business modelling, social enterprises, funding models, and more. You'll also get to connect with your fellow participants to give and receive valuable peer support, all to help you get all the skills and know-how you'll need to turn your idea into an impactful solution to do good in whatever field or area you're hoping to be active in.
At the end of the programme, you'll have the chance to take part in the programme's final showcase, presenting your idea and solution on stage to the world.
Applications for the third round of SÄRÖ/FRACTURE are now closed and the program will start on 6 October.
We welcome applications from any idea-stage individuals or teams both from the University of Helsinki and the broader Helsinki community wanting to learn the skills needed to transform their idea into something impactful. Students, researchers, staff, alumni, and enthusiastic citizens are all equally welcome to join and come create the change they want to see.
To apply, please be ready with a document introducing your idea. We recommend trying to define the problem you're addressing, the solution you're thinking about, and who it's for. This document can either be:
Note! You do not need to have a registered company to take part in the programme.
All applicants will be interviewed. Once you've submitted your application, we'll share a link for you to schedule an interview with us at a suitable time for you. Do note that interviews will already begin during the call period!
For bachelor's or master's degree students:
Participating in the programme can be registered in Sisu under the course code PHD-312 for a total of 5 ECTS. Please request a certificate of attendance upon the completion of the incubator programme, and contact uhds-office@helsinki.fi for the registration of the credits.
Students must then co-ordinate with their degree programme to include these credits into their degree. It is advised to check with the degree programme beforehand if the credits can be included into the degree, and under what section.
The Entrepreneurship & Innovation Services does not guarantee that credits can be included in all degrees.
For doctoral researchers:
Participating in a pre-incubator programme 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.
In addition to having been in charge of the first SÄRÖ/FRACTURE programme, Mari has been the lead at the Helsinki Think Company for two innovation programmes for developing solutions in sustainable societies and well-being, Hack for Society and 4UNI. A social scientist, she is interested in how social sciences and the humanities can be used to create impactful innovations, and strongly believes that those in those fields have a lot of creative, critical, and valuable know-how that the ecosystem needs, and that the best solutions come from multidisciplinary teams.