How we inspire innovation

City walks transformed into digital experiences from home on the couch, a virtual assistant that provides support directly to the children who contact Bris and nudge initiatives that help reduce the risk of infection in nursing homes. These are three examples of innovations that have taken shape despite, and thanks to, the pandemic.

The short time we have to transform to a sustainable society requires new ways of working of everyone, says Vinnova's director general Darja Isaksson. She tells about the changes that Vinnova is implementing and about her expectations for this year.

Societal development is accelerating. Governments, authorities, companies and other actors need to become better at understanding the future to strengthen their ability to deal with change and new challenges. Vinnova is now stepping up the work of strategically analyzing what awaits around the corner.

ESS and MAX IV strengthen Sweden's position as a world-class big science nation. A new office will help companies and researchers and facilitate business creation.

With a digitised return flow, we can reduce both costs and the environmental impact. Find out more about the Vinnova-funded project, which is based on customer behavior research.

The coronacrisis has produced a need for rapid change at a societal level. To meet the demands of a complex challenge, such as a pandemic, we need innovation at system level that is both agile and has a long-term focus.

Steel accounts for seven percent of the world's carbon dioxide emissions. Swedish researchers are now working on a solution to produce steel without carbon.

Why is everyone talking about AI and what does circular economy mean? What really creates sustainable development? These are issues discussed in our podcast.

Kristina Edström, professor of inorganic chemistry, is the woman who put Swedish battery research on the world map. She believes in Sweden as a leading player in battery development.

The automotive industry is of great importance to the Swedish economy. At the same time, the transport sector accounts for around 30 percent of Sweden's environmentally hazardous emissions. Niklas Wahlberg is head of system solutions and partnership at Volvo Group and believes that sustainability is a key issue for Volvo today.

EU's climate innovation initiative EIT-Climate-KIC are helping cities, businesses and even countries who want to become climate neutral.

Shifting towards a climate-neutral society is becoming more and more urgent and the need for innovative solutions is increasing. Two innovation projects are now being started to contribute to the shift through reduced food waste and long-life appliances.

Despite high ambitions, Sweden is beginning to fall behind in the transition to a circular sustainable economy. To accelerate the development, Vinnova gathered some of the country's leading experts in the field to discuss how public procurement can be used to increase the demand for circular solutions.

Innovation work at Swedish government agencies is at an exciting stage. More and more agencies realise that working with innovation is necessary for them to play an important role in the future.

Banny Bannerjee, responsible for Stanford Changelabs, presents "system acupuncture" which is a method for finding common solutions to complex problems.

Ignite Sweden works for Swedish startup companies to do business with large companies. At the Hannover fair, Swedish startups met with German companies on site.

Soon there are two of the world's most pioneering research facilities in Lund. Read about how they conduct advanced experiments.