The course is offered under an Inter-Institutional Agreement (IIA) between the University of Inland Norway, Turku University in Finland, and the J.J. Strossmayer University of Osijek in Croatia. In addition, up to 15 international places are open to students from any other higher education institution participating in the Erasmus+ programme.

This course is an Erasmus+ Blended Intensive Programme short-term international bachelor/master-level course that combines online and on-site learning among students and teachers from European universities. Its main theme is how companies, particularly SMEs, can use digital tools, supply chain partnerships, and data-driven strategies to become more resilient and attractive to customers, partners, and employees. It thus focuses on how interdependent actors work together in value chains and business networks to improve efficiency, resilience, and sustainability. More specifically, the course addresses how digital tools and data-based processes affect production, value chain coordination, and customer interaction, and how companies integrate these developments in their operations. Students study how business networks and value chains develop over time when new digital technologies and sustainability requirements become part of business practice.

The course welcomes both later-stage bachelor students and master-level students. Students work in mixed international teams but with level-adjusted learning objectives and assignments. Bachelor students focus on applied analysis and practical recommendations for companies, while master students are expected to include more advanced theoretical discussion, literature-based reflection, and methodological depth in their written and oral work.

The course provides analytical perspectives from industrial marketing, innovation studies, and supply chain management to help students understand how companies cooperate and adapt within regional value chains and networks. Through case studies, company visits, and collaborative projects in international groups, participants gain both conceptual and practical tools for analysing collaboration between companies and other organisations where digital tools and sustainability goals are central. Seminars and reading further strengthen the ability to assess how digitalisation and interdependence influence value chain development, transformation, and new ways of producing, consuming, and creating value.