DEI4SME Hackathon I Organizing Team

About organizations who contributed to the DEI4SME Hackathon I

University of Vaasa (Finland) is internationally recognized multi- and cross-disciplinary university driven by a mission “Sustainable Business, Energy, and Society” (University of Vaasa Strategy 2030). It comprises four Schools – Management, Marketing & Communications, Accounting & Finance, and Technology & Innovations, as well as several technology labs and platforms for applied research. The University of Vaasa has a core faculty of approx. 450 members and over 5000 students. The university hosts one of the largest internationally accredited business schools in Finland. Research at the university is carried out by four schools: The School of Management, the School of Accounting and Finance, the School of Marketing and Communication, and the School of Technology and Innovations. The Schools are supported by four multidisciplinary research platforms: Vaasa Energy Business Innovation Centre (VEBIC), Digital Economy, Innovation and Entrepreneurship InnoLab and Comprehensive Security & Business Resilience. The University of Vaasa is ranked 22nd in the world & number one in Finland in business administration in the Global Ranking of Academic Subjects (GRAS) published by Shanghai Ranking. The Times Higher Education (THE) World University Rankings 2025 places the University of Vaasa among the top 500 universities in the world and THE Young University Ranking 2024 ranks the university in 73rd place. The University of Vaasa is ranked 17th in the Times Higher Education (THE) Small Universities Ranking, 2nd in the Nordic countries. Several University of Vaasa researchers are featured in the recent edition of the Stanford University list of World Top 2% scientists. The University of Vaasa is AACSB accredited and a partner of EnergyVaasa, the largest environment and energy sector innovation cluster in the Nordic countries. The university is a signatory to the United Nations Principles for Responsible Management Education PRME.

The Economic Chamber of Styria (Austria) is one of the regional State Chambers supporting around 68,000 businesses. The Education and Qualification Division of the Styrian Economic Chamber is home to the Economic Development Institute for Vocational Training of the Styria Economic Chamber (WIFI Steiermark), Room 466 (Education R&D) and the Talent Center. The WIFI Steiermark is one out of 9 regional WIFI institutes with 15 branches in the province of Styria. It is the market leader for vocational training at various levels and supports learners in promoting and advancing their careers. Every year, more than 40.000 customers come to the WIFI Styria and attend more than 3.000 courses and training programs. Its training courses take place in different business fields, e.g., Business Management, Talent management, sustainability and green innovation, Technology, IT, and languages. The WIFI Steiermark prides itself on keeping a finger on the pulse of business innovations and transformations and offers unique courses. The R&D department Room466 of the Styrian Chamber of Commerce has a lot of experience in national and international projects. With its interdisciplinary team, it participates in projects of all sizes in the framework of Erasmus+, from small partnerships to large alliances. Room466 aims to help shaping the Styrian economy for the future and to support both employers and employees strengthening them in the skills and competences they need for overcoming current and upcoming challenges to sustainably succeed.

E.N.T.E.R. is a European networking organisation that supports EU strategies through the dissemination and exploitation of project results funded by European programmes. With many years of experience in the field of European project work (Erasmus+, Horizon2020, AMIF) and a huge network spanning across Europe, E.N.T.E.R. has a vast command of tools and expertise to contribute to the successful implementation of EU projects. Its network has a large reach of over 1500 persons and organisations, with currently 276 active members and 430 projects from 35 countries on our platform. E.N.T.E.R.’s own international online platform for exchange and networking enables its members from all over Europe to share relevant information about their projects and their results to a broad variety of interested businesses, non-profit organisations, and public bodies as well as individuals. E.N.T.E.R enhances the exchange of know how among experts and interested citizens, and provides a platform where new and innovative project ideas can grow and find a suitable consortium to carry them out. In addition to this broad online community and to holding longstanding relationships to international partners across Europe, E.N.T.E.R. is closely involved with local, regional, and national stakeholders who help in the promotion and implementation as well as sustainable and ongoing use of project results.