The Innovative Spirit of Skåne
Innovation is a cornerstone feature of Skåne, a region that has long held the attention and interest of entrepreneurs, researchers, businesses, and professionals from every corner of the globe.
Thanks to its strong academic foundation and a cross-sector approach to collaboration, Skåne consistently sets the stage for world-class research results that offer breakthroughs in everything from cleantech to life sciences.
By 2020, the region aims to become the most innovative in Europe, leading the way in three focus areas in particular: smart and sustainable city development, personal health, and the research and development of smart materials.
Over the next few years and well into the future, investment in these areas is expected to grow, and the innovations that emerge will have a tremendous impact locally, nationally, and abroad. From lighting and its implications for safety in cities to smart packaging and its potential to reduce waste, tomorrow's Skåne will offer concrete answers to the questions currently challenging not only Europe, but the world.
In 2016, Skåne's startup community placed third in the Nordics for investment capital. Source: Nordic Web. Photo of Malmö Startups Event by Tam Thi Le Cao.
A Unique Approach to Innovation
By focusing specifically on the focus areas of smart and sustainable cities, personal health, and smart materials, the region aims to further strengthen the various industries that fall within those three categories. These include traditional industries that Skåne has historically excelled in, like packaging and materials science, to new industries like the automotive industry. Major actors in the automotive industry, like Bosch and Volvo recently established software development centers here because of the region's strong tech competency, and effective collaboration between academia and the private sector.
The patented technology developed by Orbital Systems makes the world’s most advanced and efficient shower system possible, and saves over 90 per cent of water and 80 per cent of energy while also making the water cleaner than normal hot tap water.
Cross-sector collaboration is a cornerstone of innovation in nearly every key industry in Skåne. The results of this multi-helix approach include the globally recognized Bluetooth, to the Hövding helmet, and more recent innovations like, Innoscentia's smart packaging and Orbital Systems' sustainable shower. The region's unique infrastructure has allowed it to serve as a fertile testing ground for researchers and developers from around the globe. It is also one of the core reasons why the innovative landscape in the region is expanding. The urban renewal project H+ in Helsingborg and the advanced research facilities MAX IV Laboratory and the European Spallation Source (ESS) facilities in Lund are prime examples of new initiatives that contribute to the local ecosystem and present new opportunities for investment.
