“LTU Business Summer“ is a summer program carried out thorough LTU Business in collaboration with Swedish Mining Innovation where students help solve real-life cases on the theme: Mining Innovation.
Since 2020 the summer program has included a mining theme. One of the challenges in the mining sector is the lack of qualified personnel and attracting students to education linked to the sector. In the summer program, students work in pairs as full-time business developers with coaching from experienced LTU Business staff. Based on their profiles, the students are assigned to evaluate the business cases of innovations arising from university research or from SMEs. There are a wide variety of subjects and societal challenges represented among the various cases. Two cases per summer are tackled with new perspectives, as not all students have mining-related studies in their backgrounds.
This activity is one way to create a curiosity for mining and metals sector that attract graduates with other degrees and lead them to apply for jobs in the sector where they can contribute with new perspectives and knowledge.
Do you see a future working in the mining sector after completing your studies?
-This summer has been a real eye opener for the industry, as engineering students, we are quite intrigued by the possibilities within the mining sector. The new technologies and the green transition is very appealing for us, we are excited to explore our opportunities within the mining sector after our graduation, says Elin Svärd and Viktor Haga, students at Luleå University of Technology.
Thanks to LTU Business for being an accelerator to the sector by adding Mining Innovation as an annual theme to the program, to the researchers and companies that keep contributing with real-life cases from the industry, and finally to the fantastic students who give their all during these projects. They contribute with new insights to innovations in the mining sector and we hope to see them continuing in the industry in the future!
