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.

Anders Ynnerman and Jonas Unger recieve the Chester Carlson Research Award

Researchers Anders Ynnerman and Jonas Unger recieve the Chester Carlson Research Award of 50,000 Swedish Kronor each for their contributions to research in visualization and computer graphics. The prize has been awarded since 1985 to promote scientific research in the field of information science.

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.

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.

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.

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).

Textiles – from waste to resource by 2030

The demand for fibres is expected to increase by 150 percent by 2050. This type of increase is not sustainable in the long term, as most of the fibres today are synthetic and come from fossil-based raw materials and water-intensive cotton. This IVA report focuses on the challenges in the textile sector – and on possible pathways forward.

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.

Resource effectiveness through shared space in Sweden

Sharing space and existing offices is necessary in a sustainable society. A sector report from the IVA project Resource Effectiveness and the Circular Economy (ReCE).

Attractive Living Environments and Flows – Eight themes in planning good cities of the future

The Attractive Living Environments and Flows subproject has a people-centric focus and has aimed to define important themes to find ways to face the challenges identified domestically and internationally in, for example, the UN’s Global Sustainability Goals.

Global Tech Diplomacy as a Guardrail for AI and Other Disruptive Technologies

Design Thinking & Change

The Future of Solar Energy – research and development of Solar Cells

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.

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.

Steering Committee and Funding Providers

IVA´s project “Swedish Futures” aims to develop an overarching vision for Sweden as a world-leading country of technology and innovation by 2035, with a focus on competitiveness, sustainability, and security. The project is made possible thanks to the commitment and financial support of a large number of actors.

Contact us

Would you like to get in touch with someone at the Royal Swedish Academy of Engineering Sciences (IVA)? Here you’ll find all staff members at IVA’s office in Stockholm, along with current address, billing, and contact details.