Bluetooth and medical ultrasounds, the practical bicycle helmet from Hövding and the shower that saves 90% of water from Orbital Systems are innovations that were all born in Lund. It is important to continue to innovate so that we can solve the problems of today and the future, find new ways to use resources and increase the quality of life. Innovation contributes to renewal, improvement and the creation of new workplaces. But there are many factors that must be true and that makes innovation a complex process. Future by Lund is now investigating which factors are crucial together with researchers from the Sten K. Johnson Centre for Entrepreneurship (SKJCE).

Researchers Jasna Pocek and Christin Scheller from Stone K. Johnson Centre for Entrepreneurship (SKJCE) onto Lund University analyses Lund's innovation ecosystem using a framework called the Global Institute Innovation District Framework (GIID). It has already been used in major cities such as Dublin, Milan and Toronto. Data for the analysis are based on interviews with the public sector, academia and business.

GIID examines five key areas of each ecosystem: critical mass, entrepreneurship & innovation, quality of place, leadership and diversity to provide a holistic view of the innovation ecosystem and to highlight strengths and untapped potential.

In the category “critical mass”, the researchers gather facts about Lund by asking where innovation actors, universities, hospitals and highly skilled workers are located. It turns out that Lund University, www.lu.se Regional Hospital, major international companies as well as innovation centres such as Axis, Ideon, Medicon Village and Science Village Scandinavia are concentrated in northeastern Lund. Highly qualified personnel are also gathered in the section which is also known as the Knowledge Path. Having actors from the public sector, academia and business in one place is a great advantage. That means short routes that are desirable to allow for an easier way to collaborate. “Everything is within cycling distance,” says Pierre Elzouki, serial entrepreneur.

The researchers see Lund as an exciting and inspiring city with a long history of innovation and entrepreneurship. The proximity to everything in Lund makes it easy for innovators and entrepreneurs to find contacts and resources nearby that can help to realize their ideas. In addition, it offers science parks, incubators such as SMiLE and Ideon Innovation, as well as accelerators (e.g. Nordic Cleantech Accelerator, Beyond) support for new companies. University employees can also turn to Lund University's Technology transfer office for help with their business ideas. Lund has many strengths in the areas of innovation and research, but perhaps the most prominent are ICT (Information and Communication Technologies), Life Science, Healthtech, Materials Science and Medicine. Although it is an ideal place for new entrepreneurs as the city combines knowledge, capital and other resources, there is development potential for medium-sized businesses and the creative industries.

Accessibility, parks and leisure options are some of the important factors measured in the “quality of place” category. Lund has good connections to Malmö, Gothenburg, Stockholm, for example by train. Copenhagen and Kastrup Airport can be reached in 40 minutes and from there you have access to the whole world. Within Lund you can easily get everywhere by bus, bicycle or on foot, and the new tram passes important places such as the regional hospital, Lund University and Brunnshög with the MAX IV and ESS research centres. Brunnshög, the new district, is also built in a way that allows exchange and communication between those who work and live there.

One of the most crucial components for a successful innovation ecosystem is relationships between actors and this is precisely what Jasna Pocek (SKJCE) is researching. In her work, she focuses on entrepreneurial ecosystems. She believes that the actors in an ecosystem can benefit from cooperation since no one has all the resources available to them. The more resources are shared, the stronger the ecosystem becomes. Today there is a lot of interaction between actors, but Jasna sees that it could be even better if we could coordinate more and have a meeting place — physical, digital or in the form of a union. More leadership can make it easier by being able to channel activities and this would help Lund become an even stronger centre for innovation and entrepreneurship.