180 brilliant minds gathered on September 26 at “Navigating the Future of Innovation Districts”, representing diverse European and US districts, industry players, hospitals, universities, businesses, and investors.
– A great opportunity to exchange ideas and learn from the success stories of leading innovation districts.” says Ylva Williams.
Everyone at the conference shared the same goal: elevating the future of innovation districts. The speakers (see list below) covered topics from a broad perspective, from The Value of a Place through the importance of soft aspects like creating a narrative, vision and culture, collaboration and leadership aspects, to The Ecosystem Secret Sauce and how to prepare for the future.
85 per cent of the attendees rated the symposium 5 or 6 points on a 6-six graded scale.
Key takeaways:
- An innovation district is more than a physical place—it’s a vibrant ecosystem with a joint mission. People are the most essential ingredient.
- Innovation districts improve the local community and should be driven by ideas and creativity, not economic output.
- If you seen one innovation district, you have seen one. Each innovation district has its own fabric, which is built on heritage, culture, people, geography, and vision.
- The innovation district needs constant gardening where you must pay attention to the solid and have the courage to reevaluate the direction.
See the program at this link >>
Session 1: The Value of Place
Here, the importance of location, physical environment, infrastructure, and what makes an innovation district tick were discussed.
Below:
- Emma Frost, Chair, UK Innovation Districts Group
- Christine Wergeland Sørbye, CEO, Oslo Science City
- Travis McCready, Head of Life Sciences, Americas Markets, JLL
Below:
- Filippa Kull, Business Development Director, Stockholm Science City
- Peter Skogh, Museum Director, The National Museum of Science and Technology
- Mikael Ahlström, Entrepreneur and CEO, The Park
- Johan Christenson, Partner, HealthCap
Session 2: Governance and Community
Here, we explored how collaborative leadership and governance enable an innovation district to grow and evolve for the benefit of its stakeholders – the effect of different arrangements and leadership styles on incentivising collaboration at all levels. Speakers below:
- Petter Hartman, CEO, Medicon Village
- Anikka Fulop, Manager Community Building & Partnerships, Science & Business organisation, Amsterdam Science Park
- Johan Weigelt, CEO, KI Holding and KI Innovations
Session 3: The Ecosystem Secret Sauce
Here, we explored how different organisations contribute to the local innovation ecosystem, with examples from businesses, educational institutions, and support services. Speakers below:
- Lena Mäler, VicePresident, Stockholm University
- Annika Borgenstam, vice President, KTH Royal Institute of Technology
- Annika Östman Wernerson, President, Karolinska Institutet
Speakers below:
- Jacob Sahlqvist, Managing Director, White Arkitekter Gothenburg
- Beth O’Neill Maloney, Executive Director, Kendall Square Association
- Jonas Schorr, Partner, Urban Impact
- Magnus Björsne, CEO, AstraZeneca BioVentureHub
Session 4: The Future
Here, we discussed what innovation districts should expect and how to prepare for the future. Speakers below:
Keynote speaker: Peter Wallenberg Jr, Chair, Knut and Alice Wallenberg Foundation
- Ylva Williams, CEO, Stockholm Science City
- Simon Danielsson, Project Manager, KFUM Central
- Stefan Dahlbo, CEO and President, Fabege
- Stefano Minini, Project Director, Lendlease
The moderator: Tim Moonen, Director, The Business of Cities
Photos by Andreas Namslauer.