ALPHA. Demokratiskolan.se is a PROTOTYPE · Content review in progress
Demokratiskolan
The Innovation card from MethodKit for Society and Politics
Card 40 of 128 · MethodKit for Society & Politics
  • AreaKnowledge & technology
  • Centre of gravityCentral government
  • Points of influence3 on the journey
  • Decisive electionThe general election
Knowledge & technology

Innovation

Supporting new solutions & entrepreneurship

Innovation is about how new solutions make their way from idea to everyday life, and who pays for the experiments. Public Sweden funds research, test beds and risky first steps that the market will not take on its own. The central government holds the most power, but the EU's programmes and the regions' development money weigh heavily too.

Where does the power lie?1

  • Municipality · test beds, business office · approx 10 %
  • Region · development funds, incubators · approx 20 %
  • State · funding and research policy · approx 50 %
  • EU · framework programmes, regional funds · approx 20 %

The central government steers the big money through research and innovation policy. The general election matters most, but the EU's programmes set the agenda for much of what is applied for.

How it works: the breakdown

The municipalityThe test site
The regionThe development engine
Central governmentThe funder · centre of gravity
Who decides?
The municipal executive board (kommunstyrelse) and the business development office, sometimes a development unit of its own.
The regional council (regionfullmäktige) and the committee that holds the regional development responsibility.
The Riksdag (Sweden's parliament), the Government and Vinnova, with the Swedish Research Council (Vetenskapsrådet) and the Agency for Economic and Regional Growth (Tillväxtverket) alongside.
What do they decide?
Opens home care, schools and streets as test environments, supports local companies and tries new solutions in procurements.
Writes the development strategy, allocates project funds and EU money, runs incubators and science parks.
The research and innovation bill sets direction and amounts. Vinnova issues calls for money that companies and researchers apply for.
Where are decisions made?
In the municipal executive board and in dialogues with the local business community.
In the regional development committee. The strategy is drawn up through open processes.
In the Riksdag and in the agencies' calls, which are open and published.
Who pays?
Municipal tax, often matched against central government and regional project funds.
Regional tax, central government appropriations and the EU's regional fund.
The central government budget funds calls, research institutes and support to companies.
Fastest way in?
Municipal election Propose a trial in the municipality's services, take part in business networking events.
Regional election Take part when the development strategy is out for public consultation (samråd), apply for project funds with your association.
General election Apply for a call at Vinnova, respond to referrals on research policy.
EUHorizon Europe and the regional funds finance innovation across the whole union, and the state aid rules set the limits. Shaped in the European Parliament election.

Read the table by column to understand one level, or by row to compare the levels. The green level is the area's centre of gravity.

How it works: follow the decision

The case A research idea gets public funding
  1. State

    Policy points out the direction

    The Government's research and innovation bill, which the Riksdag decides on, determines how much money there is and which areas are prioritised.

    Point of influence

    The general election steers the bill. It is preceded by open input from universities, companies and organisations.

  2. EU

    Brussels issues calls in parallel

    Horizon Europe, the EU's framework programme for research and innovation, issues calls around shared challenges. Swedish actors compete with all of Europe.

  3. State

    Vinnova opens a call

    Vinnova designs calls based on the priorities of policy. The researcher and a company write a joint application, which is assessed by experts in competition.

    Point of influence

    The calls are open to companies, universities, municipalities and sometimes associations. Applying is in itself a way to make a difference.

  4. Region

    The region gears up

    The region's development funds and the EU's regional fund can co-finance, and an incubator helps the project become a company.

    Point of influence

    The regional development strategy, which steers the money, is drawn up through open consultations (samråd).

  5. Municipality

    The municipality becomes the test environment

    The solution, perhaps a sensor that raises the alarm when an older person falls, is tested in the municipality's home care. The committee approves the trial.

  6. Your everyday life

    The solution moves into someone's home

    Three years after the application, the sensor sits in the home of a neighbour who wants to stay put. Public money took the risk before the market dared to.

The journey looks the same in reverse: what has been built came the same way, through the same decisions. Whoever knows where the decisions are made also knows where they can be changed.

Questions to discuss

  1. Which everyday problem in your municipality would you like to see a trial around?

  2. When is it right for tax money to take risks the market will not?

  3. Who picks up a good idea from an assistant nurse or a teacher in your municipality?

  4. A lot of innovation support goes to the big-city regions. What does that mean for the rest of the country?

  5. What happens to publicly funded trials that fail, and should we talk about them more?

Glossary

Utlysning
When a funder opens for applications for money on a particular theme, in competition.
Testbädd
A real environment, for example home care, where new solutions are tried under real conditions.
Inkubator
An operation that helps young companies with advice, premises and contacts.
Regionalt utvecklingsansvar
The region's statutory task to lead the county's development and allocate certain development funds.
Ramprogram
The EU's multi-year programme for research and innovation money, currently Horizon Europe.

Go further

Footnotes

1) This is an estimate of how decision-making power over the issue is split between the municipality, the region, central government and the EU, based on how responsibility is divided in legislation. A teaching guide, not an exact measurement.