
This is the third and final year that LiU is holding a Summer Academy on a project basis. From next year it will be part of the regular student exchange system. The courses are offered to students at LiU’s partner universities around the world. This year, course participants are from countries including Japan, Argentina, Australia and Singapore.

As in previous years, six courses are offered, and for the students there are no prerequisites. We visited the workshop which is part of the course “Entrepreneurship and Knowledge Implementation for Improved Health Care”, where the students, starting from specific preconditions, are to build a prototype of a tool that can facilitate healthcare. To help them in their work, they have paper, pens, straws, glue and toilet paper rolls.
“Sometimes the students wonder what this exercise is supposed to lead to, but when we summarise it together, we see clearly that they have learned to collaborate, work to a tight schedule, be flexible and focus on solutions,” says Charlotte Norrman, who leads the workshop.
During the course, the students also discuss the differences between healthcare in different countries.

The Summer Academy’s courses are held at the Linköping University Hospital, and the students stay in student housing for their four weeks. In addition to the academic exchange, Swedish student hosts organised a large number of social activities.
The courses in the 2018 Summer Academy were:
Exploring Sweden, the Anthropological Way
Entrepreneurship and Knowledge Implementation for Improved Health Care
Innovation and Entrepreneurship in a Swedish Context
Leadership and Organisational Behaviour in Contemporary Organisations
Nanotechnology – Sustainable Challenges and Social Impact
The Use (and Abuse) of Culture