IVA’s Gold Medal 2022: Peter Carlsson – the visionary who dared to invest

Peter Carlsson is the visionary who dared to invest in something that most people thought was impossible. Despite years of warnings and setbacks, he has managed the feat of building a giga factory for the manufacture of green batteries in the forest outside Skellefteå.

New launch site makes Sweden a major space nation

Europe’s first satellite launch site has now been inaugurated – and it is Swedish. Just in time for Sweden’s presidency of the EU, Friday 13 January saw the ribbon cutting ceremony for the new launch site at Spaceport Esrange outside Kiruna. As the first of its kind in Europe, this marks a major step towards making Sweden a more significant space nation globally, says Anna Rathsman, Director-General of the Swedish National Space Agency and Fellow of IVA.

Cyber attacks a growing threat to Swedish business

Much publicised cyber attacks and Russian displeasure at Sweden’s NATO application have brought the issue of cyber security to the fore. In the run-up to this autumn’s elections, several authorities have already noticed increased foreign influence activity. And the threat is growing not only towards the state, but also towards Swedish companies. Many are not well equipped, says cyber security expert and IVA Fellow Anne-Marie Eklund Löwinder.

IVA’s Gold Medal 2022: Peter Löthberg – the online rebel who connected the world

Peter Löthberg is a technology entrepreneur who, back in the mid 1980s, set out on a mission ‘to network the planet’. As an unstoppable force, he played a key role in the early emergence of the internet for many years, not least in the process of making Sweden one of the first countries in the world to become widely connected.

Insufficient EU support for Ukraine

One year on from Russia’s invasion, Ukraine is a country in need of huge support from the outside world, and not just in military form. It is already estimated that the costs of rebuilding the country will be many times higher than the value of the entire Ukrainian economy. And the help that the EU is currently providing is far from sufficient. So says Torbjörn Becker, Director of the Stockholm Institute of Transition Economics (SITE) at the Stockholm School of Economics, and Fellow of IVA.

IVA’s Gold medallists 2023

The Royal Swedish Academy of Engineering Sciences (IVA) awards Håkan Samuelsson, Anders Blom, Annica Bresky and Anna Wedell with gold medals. They receive the award for their outstanding achievements in technology, economics, business and society. IVA's Gold Medal has been awarded since 1921.

Resource Effectiveness and the Circular Economy

The Ministry of Enterprise and Innovation should be given responsibility to establish a national strategy to make Sweden a world leader in resource effectiveness and circularity. This is one of the messages communicated in this final report from a project of the Royal Swedish Academy of Engineering Sciences (IVA).

Innovation the Swedish way

No other country has produced as many revolutionary innovations per capita as Sweden. In the book Innovation the Swedish way, produced at the initiative of IVA, authors Eva Krutmeijer and Henrik Berggren delve into the structures that created Sweden’s favourable innovation climate. Read four of the chapters here!

Cybersecurity for increased competitiveness

The Cybersecurity for Competitiveness project aims to contribute to a broad and nuanced discussion on the importance of a solid and coordinated effort to strengthen Sweden's cyber security. The project started in 2021 and runs until June 2023. This report is part of this work.

Textile sustainability from a consumer perspective

This report has been produced as a separate appendix to the earlier report on resource-effective textiles produced within the framework of IVA’s Resource Effectiveness and the Circular Economy project. This report was written by Malin Viola Wennberg in her role as Communications Manager for the eight-year cross-disciplinary research programme called Mistra Future Fashion 2011–2019.

A Resource-Effective Food Sector in Sweden

Global food production today accounts for a significant percentage of human impact on the environment, the climate and the planet’s natural resources. The Food subproject, which is part of IVA’s project Resource Effectiveness and the Circular Economy, therefore wants to help find ways to reduce the amount of food that is lost or goes to waste.

Swedish Futures

A vision for Sweden as a country of technology and innovation by 2035.

Meet IVA's President

Gain insights from Professor Sylvia Schwaag Serger’s perspectives on current issues shaping our future, along with the President’s contributions to recent publications and other engagements.

Meeting the Rising Global Competition in Sweden: OECD's Science, Technology, and Innovation Outlook

How is global competition evolving, and what measures can Sweden adopt to address challenges in order to enhance competitiveness and growth? The seminar will feature a presentation of OECD's Science, Technology, and Innovation (STI) Outlook 2023, showcasing a significantly heightened global emphasis on strengthening countries' research and innovation systems. The seminar will feature discussions with Minister of Education Mats Persson, Minister of Energy and Enterprise Ebba Busch (to be confirmed), OECD's Director for STI Jerry Sheehan, Professor Sara Mazur from KAW, as well as Sweden's appointed representatives from various countries' Innovation and Research Councils.

Design Thinking & Change

Addressing global challenges and building sound international partnership

Science diplomacy, the intersection of science and diplomacy in addressing global challenges, has gained prominence on the international stage. While Sweden boasts a long-standing tradition of scientific excellence and international collaboration, it is yet to fully embrace the discourse of Science Diplomacy within its institutional landscape. Join us as we explore the emerging field of science diplomacy and delve into its relevance within the Swedish Science, Technology, and Innovation (STI) ecosystem, and whether Sweden measures up to compared to the development in other countries.

IVA's Annual Meeting 2023

Cybersecurity for Increased Competitiveness

Antagonistic cyber threats impact all parts of Swedish society. The project under the heading “Cybersecurity for Increased Competitiveness” is focusing on how organisations in the private and public sectors can improve their ability to deal with cyber threats. The project is also looking at which political initiatives and decisions are necessary to strengthen cybersecurity in Sweden.

Mentor4Innovation

Mentor4Innovation is an annual mentoring programme offered to Wallenberg Academy Fellows as the largest private initiative for young researchers in Sweden. The purpose of Mentor4Innovation is to increase the ability of Swedish research to innovate over the long term, by giving this group of leading young researchers a hand-picked mentor.

What can Sweden learn from California's innovation system?

California is one of the world's leading regions for innovation and entrepreneurship and has contributed to many of the world's most successful technology companies in recent decades. What makes California's innovation system successful, and how can Sweden learn from their innovation system?