Welcome to Ignite, Dalarna Science Park!

“This is a great opportunity for Dalarna. Ignite is a national platform and that enables us, as a key local and regional player, to support our startups in finding potential customers in other parts of the country, while our local large companies and public organizations can find solutions for their many challenges in startups located all over Sweden,” says Angelica Ekholm, CEO of Dalarna Science Park.

Ignite Sweden is a non-profit program hosted by SISP, Swedish Incubators & Science Parks, of which Dalarna Science Park is one of its 61 members. Their partnership will be a door-opener for both startups and established companies in the region.

“The commitment I see in Dalarna, not only at Dalarna Science Park but also in their local enterprises and Region Dalarna, is fantastic. As the epicenter of the region’s innovation ecosystem, Dalarna Science Park plays an important role and together we are building a platform that aims to strengthen the path of innovation both regionally and nationally. Our partnership will create more business opportunities for Swedish startups. Science Parks are important for Sweden’s future development,” says Ignite Sweden Program Manager, Stina Lantz.

Dalarna, first region part of Ignite Public

As part of the partnership, Dalarna Science Park will get access to Ignite’s proven method for mapping and identifying challenges and needs within public organizations, and match them with innovative Swedish startups.

Dalarna is the first Swedish region to be part of our initiative Ignite Public. Angelica Ekholm thinks it is great to be able to discuss societal challenges together with Region Dalarna.

“One of Dalarna’s challenges is its aging population and startups can be part of the solution for the elderly care. The region needs to match its challenges with new business solutions, and we can play an active role in this. We must work together to be stronger in the future.”

For Region Dalarna, it has been difficult to define its challenges and needs until now, as the region doesn’t count with the collaboration structures for finding new innovative solutions together with startups.

“We would like to find e.g. new innovative services and products for the elderly. We believe this can be solved through Ignite Public, both in terms of specific solutions to our concrete needs but also in learning and building collaboration structures,” Katarina Nordin Kajblad, Unit Developer at Dalarnas Hjälpmedelscenter.

Dalarnas Hjälpmedelscenter was the first unit within the region to participate in the Ignite process. In September, they were matched with no less than 11 startups with possible solutions to their needs. The goal of these matchmaking meetings was to find the right startups to initiate pilot projects on a small scale to test their solutions.

“We have already met entrepreneurs regionally and nationally who understand our needs and challenges. The next step is to be matched with possible services and products,” explains Katarina.