The 2015 EU innovation scoreboard has ranked Sweden as the innovation leader of all EU countries. Its performance is above 20% of the EU average, and it has consistently been spreading innovation in different sectors and converting it into a real success story. A combination of the skilled human resources, intellectual assets, entrepreneurship, networking and economic incentives have come to play over the last years in order to achieve this result. For Ulrika Steiner, Head of Sweden’s research match, whose role is to help companies and laboratories to network and compete for projects like ITER, it was the right moment to host a business event to highlight the potential in big science projects and position potential bidders in the race.
Under the lively moderation of Maria Borelius, representatives of ITER, CERN, Omnisys instruments, Examec and the Director General of Vinnova, Sweden’s national innovation agency, shared their thoughts with an audience drawn from 80 companies. Each speaker had to illustrate the technical specificities and the business angles of the different projects showcased. One of the key messages was the capacity of big science projects to structure around them a community of skills that will evolve and adapt according to emerging R&D needs. The major strength of this approach is that know-how is project-driven and networking proves to be more resourceful. Leonardo Biagioni, F4E’s Head of Contracts and Procurement, attended the event and elaborated on the three types of company profiles that ITER has attracted so far: i) product-based, ii) technology-based and iii) skills-based. The latter category refers to the strongest innovators because they know how to interact and how to move from one technology field to another.
The meeting gave participants an overview of the business benefits experienced by companies and helped them learn more about ITER, among other projects, and their potential contribution.
To view the presentations of the event click here.
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