IVA's President: some thoughts on AI

When the 2025 edition of the Global AI Index is released after the summer, I hope Sweden will have made a significant climb from last year’s ranking of 25th. The United States topped the list in 2024 (no surprise there), followed by China.

IVA's President: some thoughts on China

While Europe is fully preoccupied with President Trump’s various initiatives, a very deliberate movement is under way in another corner of the world—namely, China’s scientific and technological advancement.

"United, swift and wise" IVA's President comments on the EU Commission's roadmap

Today, the President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, presented the five-year plan for the EU's future competitiveness. "It is absolutely crucial for the future of our continent that the European Commission vigorously addresses competitiveness issues," says Sylvia Schwaag Serger, President of IVA.

IVA's 105th Annual Meeting

Many thanks to all fellows and friends of IVA who contributed to the festivities during this year's evening in honour of the art of engineering sciences!

IVAs vd - Vi behöver tala små ekonomier med stort inflytande

Vid en lunch som IVA nyligen arrangerade tillsammans med Prins Daniel, beskrev Finlands president Alexander Stubb på ett inspirerande sätt hur Finland har byggt starka positioner inom forskning, avancerad teknologi och digital infrastruktur.

IVA's President: Some thoughts on the Self-confident China

When the world feels overwhelming, I find valuable insights in history – most recently from the Roman emperor Marcus Aurelius and his “Meditations.”  Can Stoicism help us understand what is happening, why it is happening, and guide us forward? Perhaps.

IVA's President: Some thoughts on the EU's Approach to China

China’s new Five-Year Plan was naturally the focus of this year’s China Development Forum (CDF), which took place last week in Beijing. And there is no hyperbole in observing that business leaders and representatives of international organizations were welcomed by a prime minister brimming with confidence.

IVA's President: Some thoughts on Germany

IVAs President - Some thoughts on Surviving Chaos

2026 Hans Werthén Scholars

Eight young researchers and students resident in Sweden have been awarded this year's scholarships from the Hans Werthén Fund for study and research abroad. The scholarships are awarded with the aim of giving young academics the opportunity to develop in other countries and to return with new knowledge and experience that can benefit Sweden.

IVA’s Gold Medal 2026: Joakim Lundeberg

Joakim Lundeberg, Professor of Molecular Biotechnology at KTH, has been awarded IVA's Gold Medal 2026. His method for spatial transcriptomics has become a standard tool in life sciences worldwide. The innovation is of particular importance to cancer research.

IVA's President: The Government as the Lead Customer

Public procurement accounts for nearly one-fifth of Sweden’s economy, amounting to approximately 1,200 billion Swedish kronor per year. EU-wide, the corresponding share is 14 percent. Given its scale and the nature of the purchases, public procurement could serve as a powerful driver of technological development, innovation, and, consequently, growth in Sweden and Europe.

Some thoughts on Economic Growth in Europe, or the Lack of It

Report: Advanced manufacturing

Every lorry that rolls out of Gothenburg. Every fighter aircraft that takes off from Linköping. Every industrial robot assembled in Västerås. Advanced manufacturing is today one of Sweden’s most important assets – a world-class sector that employs hundreds of thousands of people and accounts for a significant share of Sweden’s export revenues. But international competition is intensifying. A new report from Royal Swedish Academy of Engineering Sciences shows what Sweden needs to do to maintain its lead in an increasingly competitive world.

Challenges of extracting rare earth elements

Just after New Year, LKAB announced that it has made the largest rare earth discovery in Europe to date. The elements are vital for building batteries, wind turbines and other technology that can enable a rapid transition to a fossil-free society. However, extracting the in-demand elements comes with some major challenges that need to be resolved, according to Jenny Greberg, Vice President Technology at LKAB and a Fellow of IVA.

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.

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).