Think Track 2026: 3 days of Creativity and Collaboration in Ankkapurha

Vol 28, Issue 19, 20 March 2026

From 8 to 12 March 2026, Xamk and LUT students and facilitators gathered in the beautiful surroundings of Ankkapurha, Kouvola, for the Think Track residential workshop — a workshop designed to spark creativity, teamwork, and new ways of approaching real‑world challenges with case-studies given by EcoPulp packaging and Laktek Engineering. With its peaceful riverside, historic buildings, and quiet nature areas, Ankkapurha offered the perfect place to step away from everyday routines and focus on fresh ideas.

The workshop ran for three days, and each day had a mix of guidance, group work, and hands‑on activities. The first morning began with a short introduction of the case studies by the companies. After that, students were allocated their teams and their accommodation, and then started on their work sessions.

One of the goals of Think Track was to use lean thinking to solve the problems of the case study companies and to also use an entrepreneurial mindset to create a start-up idea that could be scaled up to include larger companies or other industries. This meant discussing, researching, drawing, testing ideas, and then trying again.

Throughout the workshop, facilitators introduced different tools, ideas and methods to help structure the teams’ thinking. There were also mentoring sessions to help teams organise their ideas and communicate more clearly and prepare for the final presentations. For many students, it was the first time using such creative and structured tools, and they found them surprisingly helpful.

One of the aims of the workshop was to mix participants. Students from Xamk and LUT worked together, with lecturers and facilitators ensuring students had assistance throughout. This created a lively environment where people shared different viewpoints and learned from one another. Many students said that using real case-studies from companies helped make the challenges feel more meaningful. It also showed how taught knowledge connects to real life.

Ankkapurha’s calm and scenic setting played an important part in the workshop’s atmosphere. During breaks, groups often took short walks by the river or explored the historic surroundings. These moments away from screens and work sessions helped clear the mind and inspired more relaxed, open conversations. The workshop also included breakfasts, lunches, and dinners, all provided free of charge for participants by the town of Kouvola and Kinno.

On the last day, each team presented the ideas, plans, or prototypes they had created during the workshop at an event held at the town hall of Kouvola. The results were diverse — and heavily focused on AI concepts and development ideas. What they all had in common was thoughtful design and a clear connection to real‑world problems and the possibility of scalability.

The winning team (developed an idea for Laktek engineering with a shared prize of €1250 and the runners-up for EcoPulp with €500.