During Linköping Science Park’s annual event Science Park Update, innovative startups and growing scaleups were placed on the scene – together with, among others, the honorary guest Stefan Löfven.
What are the ambitions and efforts of Linköping and what do city politicians have on the agenda to make them a reality? Niklas Borg, Municipal Councillor, started Science Park Update by giving a strong picture of Linköping’s future. The aim of the event is to highlight voices that are part of Linköping’s growing innovation ecosystem. Niklas Borgs’s speech was reinforced by Louise Fälldin, business director, when she said that Linköping is strong in the tech sector compared to other cities – a survey shows that Linköping is one of the main cities in technology development, with over 13 000 employees in the sector, and without Saab.
Innovation for today’s staff
The Startup companies Liopep, SeaPattern and ArgusEye then took up the scene to talk about their work. Liopep focuses on the health of today’s modern workers and aims to reduce sedentary activity. The whole audience was inclined to talk about their social pause programmes, which, by gamification, will encourage more people to take regular breaks.
Reverse hierarchy creates understanding
Forefronts Oscar Groppfelt and Fredrik Carlén spoke about their participation in Linköping Science Park’s reverse mentoring programme, Reversed Mentorship Program. In the programme, a student may be a mentor of a business manager, in this case both Oscar Groppfelt and Fredrik Carlén. The programme provides an opportunity to learn more about how to promote and reach out to today’s young people. Mr Fredrik said that he saw the programme as an opportunity to understand the aspirations and expectations of today’s young people.
A disruptor during the pandemic
Anne Kihlgren, founder of the Dynamic Code, offering smart self-sampling solutions, was also on the scene and told about the company’s journey. The Dynamic Code developed enormously during the pandemic, as the demand for the company’s COVID-19 tests increased dramatically. Anne Kihlgren said that this led to a 1500 % increase in the company’s turnover in one year.
Stefan Löfven impressed by innovation
The day ended with the guest of honour, former Prime Minister Stefan Löfven. Today Stefan Löfven is President of the Party of European Socialists and President of the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI). He reflected on the fact that Linköping is a strong innovation power to count. Not least today’s agenda and guests were impressive and demonstrated Östergötland’s potential for development and job creation. One of the lessons he brings with him is the Forefront reverse mentoring programme.
