Haaga-Helia did well in the REACT-EU funding applications

Last year, Finland and the whole world faced a crisis, which effects are still not fully understood. Today, it’s justifiable to say that the hospitality industry was the biggest loser in the global corona pandemic. Many had to put up the shutters and close their businesses.

With that being said, one could argue that the year was also challenging for Haaga-Helia University of Applied Sciences, which is one of Finland's leading universities in the hotel, tourism and restaurant field.

However, there were also reflections of light at the end of the tunnel.

Last spring, Haaga-Helia applied for REACT-EU (Recovery Assistance for Cohesion and the Territories of Europe) funds for recovery and a total of 15 project applications were accepted.

The total value of the financial contribution received by Haaga-Helia was approximately EUR 2.7 million.

With the help of the financing, Haaga-Helia will be able to implement several socially significant projects, and thus also contribute to the re-construction of Finland, which has been affected by the corona pandemic.

TEEMU KOKKO, President and CEO of Haaga-Helia, says that he is proud of the work input of RDI actors. Thanks to their tireless interest, RDI has developed into a natural part of Haaga-Helia's operations in just a few years.

Our RDI actors have done an excellent job! Our projects cover ever wider areas of expertise and at the same time, our involvement has also increased. I think we’re in a good spot, he says.

According to Kokko, it has been wonderful to follow the numerous initiatives and projects that aim to bring Finnish society back to normal.

By this he refers, among other things, to the free business consulting offered last year and to this year's efforts to strengthen the competitiveness of business, especially in the areas of digitalisation, environmentally friendly carbon-neutral business operations and the green economy.

That, if anything, is a responsible way of doing things, Kokko says.

ANU MOISIO, Competence Area Director at Haaga-Helia, says that the projects launched with REACT-EU funding have attracted a significant number of first-timers, which has clearly improved the position of RDI activities within the university of applied sciences.

Practically, this also means that, in addition to teaching, projects have become a part of the daily lives of more and more Haagahelians, she explains.

In addition, the REACT-EU funding has taken Haaga-Helia's project volume to a whole new level.

According to Moisio, the growth in the volume of RDI activities indicate that Haaga-Helia will also continue to be a strong and reliable platform for learning and competence development in the future.

However, one should not lull into the future. Admittedly, while the crisis is easing, its economic impact is anything but behind us. That is also why Moisio believes that the companies, especially the smaller ones, are in dire need of RDI-driven support.

The crisis has led to a nasty spiral in which too many companies are focusing solely on survival. This is, of course, completely understandable. But that’s why it’s our job to ease the pressure on companies to grow and help them through REACT-EU funding, she says.

Currently, REACT-EU funding is being used to develop, among other things, services that will enable the Helsinki-Uusimaa Region's business community, in particular, to reform and succeed in the post-corona competition.

In Haaga-Helia, RDI activities are led by Vice President Salla Huttunen. More information about Haaga-Helia's projects can be found at: https://www.haaga-helia.fi/fi/hankkeet.