New Alliance Aims to Make Southern Sweden Europe’s Leading Innovation Hub for the Future of Food
Southern Sweden is well positioned to become one of Europe’s leading food regions. The region is home to raw materials, food companies, world-class research, innovation environments and entrepreneurs. Livsmedelsallians Syd is now being launched to bring these strengths together. The goal is to accelerate the development of the future food system and establish Southern Sweden as a leading force for innovation, investment and growth.
“Sweden is one of the world’s most innovative countries, yet the pace of innovation in the food sector remains too slow. Southern Sweden has exceptional strengths, including 30 per cent of the country’s food production and world-class research. The region also benefits from a vibrant business community and a strong innovation ecosystem. With the right funding and stronger collaboration between policymakers, industry, research and innovation actors, Southern Sweden has the potential to become Sweden’s Silicon Valley for food,” says Cecilia Warrol, Director of Sweden Food Arena, a national partner of the alliance.
“The alliance will serve as a neutral platform where industry, academia and public stakeholders can come together around business needs related to the future of sustainable and competitive food production. When many actors work towards the same goal, the potential impact is enormous,” says Cecilia Gannedahl, Director of Livsmedelsallians Syd and CEO of Livsmedelsakademin.
Bridging the Gap Between Research and Market
One of the alliance’s key priorities will be to make it easier for food companies to turn needs and ideas into competitive innovations and services, and to help them reach the market more quickly. This includes improving access for small and medium-sized enterprises to facilities where they can test, validate and scale up new solutions.
“Cross-sector collaboration is essential for staying at the forefront of innovation and bringing new solutions to market. In the food sector, biotechnology offers significant opportunities to develop new products, make better use of raw materials and create more resource-efficient and sustainable processes at an industrial scale. To realise this potential, collaboration between companies, researchers and other stakeholders is crucial,” says Marie Sandin, CEO of Tetra Pak.
A Stronger Voice for Southern Sweden
Southern Sweden plays a vital role in Sweden’s food production. At the same time, national initiatives do not sufficiently reflect the region’s needs and opportunities. Investments are often fragmented and spread across multiple actors and projects. Through the alliance, regional stakeholders can join forces to drive strategic issues more effectively and create stronger conditions for future investments.
Further Information
Region Skåne, Livsmedelsakademin and Krinova Incubator & Science Park are the initiators of Livsmedelsallians Syd. The alliance is being built in collaboration with a broad range of partners and stakeholders.