Positive impact from Challenge-driven innovation

In the Challenge-driven innovation program, broad constellations of companies, public enterprises, universities and civil society organizations collaborate long-term to meet important societal challenges. The investment will contribute to achieving the global sustainability goals in Agenda 2030.

An analysis conducted by Ramboll on behalf of Vinnova shows that the program has helped the actors participating to strengthen their capacity for innovation, for example through knowledge, networks and methods. Something that is also the primary purpose.

- There is no single and predetermined solution to large and complex societal challenges. Instead, solutions are needed at the system level, which is dependent on a variety of efforts in different areas, says Göran Marklund, deputy director general of Vinnova.

- Vinnova's efforts will strengthen the innovation system. The aim is for society to move in the direction of sustainable development, rather than each individual project to solve a social challenge. It is therefore crucial that the knowledge gained through the projects is disseminated and that different actors learn from each other.

A breadth of areas

The analysis is based on case studies of completed project. They span a wide range of areas and deal with solutions for sustainable development in areas such as urban construction, industrial production, transportation, school and healthcare.

An example that has been studied in the analysis is the project Stadsbruk, where cultivation in the city will contribute to entrepreneurship, employment, integration and health. There, the Skåne Food Academy, Sweden's agricultural university, research institutes, several municipalities and companies cooperate. Among other things, the project has resulted in a concept for a new type of cultivation in the city being developed and disseminated on commercial grounds. Malmö, Gothenburg and Växjö have developed or started urban farming in their municipalities and several new cultivation companies in the urban environment have been started.

Another example is a project to launch digitized working methods in pathology diagnostics, which is microscopic examination and diagnostics of tissue samples. The project has developed a digital solution that has been introduced in several regions with the potential to lead to shorter waiting times, higher diagnostic quality and more cost-effective use of resources in healthcare. In the project, Linköping University, among others, collaborates with several regions and companies.

Some of the conclusions in the analysis

The projects have given rise to several innovations

Most project have created imprints in the form of new concepts and solutions that have been introduced or commercialized. It may be that individual or multiple actors, both project partners and external parties, have introduced solutions that the project has developed or that these have been made available to a broader market.

Strong innovative capacity

The analysis shows that the investment strengthens the innovation capacity of the actors participating in the projects. The most common impression is that those who participated have tested and demonstrated new concepts and solutions. Knowledge from this work has also been made available and disseminated, for example, by publishing it in scientific articles or reports.

Important with system approach

It is not enough that the projects focus on technical solutions to complex societal problems. The project that succeed in broadly introducing a developed solution have often taken into account several aspects, such as suitable business models, regulatory issues or production systems and norms that affect implementation.

Link to global sustainability goals

In 2018, the global sustainability goals of Agenda 2030 became a central starting point of the program. This has resulted in the projects to a greater extent meeting a specific societal need than before.

Facts about the analysis

The analysis was done by Ramboll Management Consulting AB on behalf of Vinnova. It is based on 31 case studies of completed project within the Challenge-driven innovation program. The report is the second of three planned reports during 2019-2021.

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