# First EU4DUAL entrepreneurship mobility in action - Savonia AMK

> The first entrepreneurship mobility pilot took place in the winter of 2024, where French student Romane Forment spent two months at Savonia developing her business idea.

## The Entrepreneurship Mobility Pilot
Savonia actively participates in the EU4DUAL alliance to promote student entrepreneurship and innovation. In the winter of 2024, Savonia and ESTIA conducted the first entrepreneurship mobility pilot to test an international entrepreneurship learning model.

French engineering student and former elite handball player Romane Forment spent two months at Savonia developing a business idea born from her own experiences. After suffering multiple shoulder injuries during her sports career, she identified a gap in the market: existing shoulder orthoses were designed for men and did not account for the anatomical differences in female bodies. Her proposed product aims to allow users to safely return to sports after injuries and surgeries.

## Multidisciplinary Support at Savonia
During her stay, Romane received comprehensive support to refine her product:

*   **Business Coaching:** Matti Laitinen and Harri Holopainen from the Savonia Business Center provided guidance on crystallizing the idea, conducting market research, and identifying target groups.
*   **Design Expertise:** Lecturer Sirpa Ryynänen from the Savonia School of Design assisted in planning the support, and a prototype was developed in collaboration with a design student.
*   **Wellness and Anatomy:** Salla Lommi from the Savonia Wellness Center, along with physiotherapy students Sara Kemppainen and Heta Kanerva, provided expertise on shoulder anatomy, injury mechanisms, and orthosis usage.

## Success at Tahko Ski Lift Pitch
The entrepreneurship pathway model utilized multidisciplinary learning, coaching, and a final presentation at the Tahko Ski Lift Pitch event on April 3, 2024. Romane won the Student Track, with the jury noting: “Romane’s performance was really well put together and presented. The problem identified was genuine and the solution was new.”

## Future of the EU4DUAL Alliance
Project manager Pia Viklund explains that the alliance aims to build various entrepreneurship pathway models that allow students to develop business ideas in international learning environments. The goal is to enable early-stage and advanced entrepreneurs to participate in incubators and innovation environments across the international network.

Coaches Matti Laitinen and Harri Holopainen emphasize that the collaboration has focused on shared learning and a structured roadmap. They believe the EU4DUAL alliance offers significant potential, as it allows for:
*   Accessing specific expertise from partner universities across Europe.
*   Receiving international feedback on products and services.
*   Testing how multidisciplinary assistance can be provided to start-up entrepreneurs.

EU4DUAL is an alliance of nine European colleges and universities dedicated to industry-oriented education, research, and the promotion of entrepreneurship.