The regional innovation support system

Östergötland’s innovation support system is well developed and built on a long tradition of collaboration between academia, industry, the public sector, and entrepreneurs.

From ideas to established companies

The support network includes a wide range of actors offering assistance throughout the innovation journey — from early ideas to internationally established companies.

• LiU Innovation provides advice and support to students, researchers, and employees on idea development, business creation, and financing.
• LEAD Business Incubator offers programs and resources for entrepreneurs seeking faster and more secure growth, whether through research-based spin-offs or new startups.

Key actors strengthening materials development in the region include:

Innovative Materials Arena Offers Sweden’s largest network of stakeholders in the field of innovative materials, with a broad and well-established base of SMEs, industry, and academia spanning a wide range of material domains. It supports the initiation of new development projects, competence-building activities for industry within specific material areas, and a physical platform for meetings and problem-driven innovation.

Norrköping Science Park strengthens innovation in organic electronics by connecting startups, industry, academia, and the public sector. It supports the development, testing, and commercialization of printed and flexible electronic technologies through innovation projects, testbeds, and business support.

RISE Research Institutes of Sweden provides research and innovation support in materials science and production technology. With access to advanced test and demonstration facilities, RISE enables companies to develop and scale new materials solutions cost-effectively.

Examples of support areas include:

• Identifying resource flows for production
• Finding industrial collaboration partners
• Find researchers that can support industrial material development
• Production and process analysis
• Business model analysis
• Identification of public funding opportunities
• Establishing contacts to public actors relevant to planned establishments