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Recipe for innovation and growth

DEAN'S BLOG. To succeed in producing utilisable research and innovations that have staying power and create growth in Sweden requires free research, a long-term approach, complete knowledge environments and forward-looking venture capitalists, writes Annika Olsson, Dean of LTH.

– Published 13 April 2023

Two persons working at MAX IV, one of them holds a laptop in her hands.
How do we create more success stories in Sweden? The radical technological shifts and innovations that have created growth have often had their origins in interdisciplinary knowledge environments in which basic research, applied research and entrepreneurship have been able to work symbiotically for a long time. Photo: Kennet Ruona

After having recently participated in a workshop about efficient organisation of government research funding, LTH's Dean Annika Olsson writes that research funding, if it is to contribute to growth and solve societal challenges, needs to adhere to principles such as freedom, curiosity and patience.

"It can be noted that the major innovations and new areas of technology that Sweden has a good tradition of creating have not arisen from short, underfunded projects burdened by laborious and time-consuming administration."

At the same time, the entrepreneurial sector needs to become more equal. A low-hanging fruit should be that we in Sweden look at all the researchers' results and solutions, Annika Olsson argues.

The full blog post "Recipe for innovation and growth"