“Mission oriented innovation will support us to enhance our motto: we want to leave the ocean in a better stage than when we came.”
Claes Westerlind
President NKT
A legacy of impact and local pioneering
Sweden is known worldwide for innovation that makes a real difference—from platforms like Spotify to breakthroughs in healthcare and industrial technology. In just a few decades, Sweden has gone from being one of Europe’s poorest countries to one of the world’s most innovative nations. Despite representing only 0.13% of the world’s population, Sweden ranks among the global leaders in innovation.
In Blekinge, innovation is driven by something practical: strong collaboration between business, research and the public sector. As one of Sweden’s smallest regions, Blekinge has developed an innovation culture where people, expertise and decision-makers are close—making it easier to test ideas, build partnerships and move forward.
A long tradition of pioneering development
Blekinge’s innovation story goes back centuries. In the late 17th century, shipbuilder Fredrik Henrik af Chapman revolutionised naval production by introducing serial production methods for warships—laying early foundations for structured industrial development.
Today, that pioneering spirit continues in Karlskrona, a UNESCO World Heritage city, where SAAB builds world-class marine technology and contributes to the continued development of Sweden’s defence industry.
One of Europe’s Regional Innovation Valleys
Blekinge has been recognised by the European Commission as a Regional Innovation Valley—a distinction granted to only 151 out of 1,166 regions in Europe. The award highlights the region’s commitment to innovation, smart specialisation and long-term collaboration across sectors.
This recognition strengthens Blekinge’s ability to:
- build new partnerships between companies, academia and public actors
- develop strong innovation ecosystems connected to European priorities
- drive regional growth through smart specialisation strategies
Mission-oriented innovation
Sweden is often seen as a role model in both innovation and sustainability. In Blekinge, the ambition is to go further by working with mission-oriented innovation—combining cutting-edge knowledge with a clear direction: solving real societal challenges.
Blekinge’s mission-driven focus builds on areas where the region has internationally recognised competence, including:
- Tech and digital solutions
- Marine technology and sustainable oceans
- Smart industry and advanced manufacturing
- Food production and sustainable systems
This creates space for innovation that is not only new—but relevant, scalable and connected to the green transition.
Testbeds that accelerate innovation
A key strength in Blekinge is access to testbeds—environments where companies can test, validate and develop products and services before committing to full-scale investment. These testbeds range from physical labs to virtual simulation environments and help speed up development, reduce risk and strengthen collaboration.
Blue Maritime Testbed
Imagine a testbed at the bottom of the sea. The Blue Maritime Testbed is a hub where companies, entrepreneurs, innovators, scientists, students, and public sector representatives collaborate to develop and test underwater technology innovations.
RISE Stamping and Forming Centre
At the RISE Stamping and Forming Centre, future production methods are showcased. This arena offers a space to experiment with the production of lighter, more efficient products—paving the way for next-generation manufacturing.
SPOK
SPOK is a national network with a regional hub in Blekinge. At www.s-p-o-k.se, designers, architects, artists, and other creative professionals converge to commercialize their innovative products in a sustainable and cross-disciplinary setting.
Virtual Production Studio Lab
The Virtual Production Studio Lab is a cutting-edge virtual laboratory where you can simulate and visualize a product’s lifecycle. This technology is not only ideal for product development but also benefits the fast-growing digital film industry and other creative sectors.
Test-Arena Blekinge
Blekinge’s compact size is one of its greatest assets. The entire region can act as one large testbed for new products and services. In collaboration with the five municipalities, the local healthcare organization, the university, and Blue Science Park, Blekinge is testing innovations in telecom/IT, eHealth, marine technology, IoT, IT-security, underwater technology, remote healthcare, and welfare technology for the elderly.
Volvo CE Innovation in Blekinge
For many years, Blekinge Institute of Technology (BTH) and Volvo Construction Equipment have collaborated in “Model-Driven Development and Decision Support.” Together with six other companies and the national initiative “Knowledge Foundation,” they fund a research environment at BTH. This initiative strengthens Swedish industry competitiveness through innovative product and service development—with projects even involving students from Stanford University to develop sustainable future concepts.
Testbeds in Blekinge
Innovation powered by collaboration
In Blekinge, innovation is rarely separated from implementation. With strong networks, science parks, industry clusters and applied research, the region offers an environment where companies can collaborate efficiently, access expertise and move from development to real-world impact.
If you want to explore new opportunities in innovation, sustainability and industrial development, we welcome you to connect with us in Blekinge.
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