Jaipur September 18. The three-year international Erasmus+ Co-LIFE project involving ARCH College of Design & Business will conclude with a closing ceremony on September 22, 2026, at LAB University of Applied Sciences in Lahti, Finland. The closing event, themed “3 Years, 2 Pilots, 1 Journey,” will bring together partners from higher education institutions across India and Europe to discuss the project's experiences, achievements and future possibilities.
The concluding seminar will be held at the Isku Center Auditorium in Lahti from 9 am to 12 noon Finnish time, corresponding to 11:30 am to 2:30 pm Indian Standard Time. The programme will feature presentations on the international curriculum pilot, faculty development, case studies linked to real companies, and educational resources and teaching materials developed under the project.
ARCH College of Design & Business Founder and Director Archana Surana and Director of International Relations Benoy Thoompunkal will travel to Lahti to participate in the concluding ceremony. They will also engage with international partner institutions on academic dialogue and opportunities for future collaboration.
Following the programme, Surana will conduct two special sessions in Finland. She will also visit Laurea University of Applied Sciences in southern Finland, where she will present ARCH's approach and work in design-led education, impact-focused entrepreneurship and creative innovation.
Supported by the European Union's Erasmus+ programme, the Co-LIFE project brings together eight higher education institutions from Belgium, Finland, Denmark and India. The initiative aims to develop new educational approaches for Impact-Focused Entrepreneurship (IFE).
One of the key outcomes of the project is a 6-ECTS entrepreneurship module incorporating design thinking, sustainable development, co-creation, real-life challenges and case studies involving companies.
Through Co-LIFE, ARCH has gained an international platform to strengthen India's contribution to entrepreneurship education. Archana Surana has particularly emphasised the role of Design Thinking in developing problem-solving abilities among young learners and connecting entrepreneurship education with sustainable development and real-world challenges.
As part of the international collaboration, ARCH hosted the project's second IFE pilot programme in Jaipur in January 2026. Students from India, Belgium, Denmark and Finland participated in the programme, working on real business challenges through design thinking, teamwork and cross-cultural learning.
ARCH's participation in Co-LIFE aligns with the institution's broader vision of making design education more interdisciplinary, relevant, sustainable and impact-focused. The initiative is strengthening academic exchange between India and Europe while providing students and educators with opportunities to learn and collaborate in a global context.