The Corona crisis – reflections and learning

In a debate article in Ny Teknik, we describe what is needed to develop a sustainable and competitive Swedish industry: “A vibrant innovation environment is crucial for the government's industrial strategy to be realized and for the Swedish indtech miracle to continue to grow.”

But what exactly is a vibrant innovation environment? And how can individual companies, investors, researchers, and individuals gain access to such an environment? For me, the answer is simple – the innovation environment consists of the combined competence and opportunities within the network.

Swedish industry is facing a digital transformation that will require extensive investments in the coming years. In a debate article in the magazine Ny Teknik, Automation Region and PiiA point out four areas that require special efforts and focus from politicians.

Read the debate article at Ny Teknik (in Swedish) →

On May 25, a first Automation Expo was held after the pandemic. Automation Region's member companies demonstrated smart products and services in automation, robotics and production technology at Kungsleden's Sports Center in Västerås. Organizers for the day were Automation Region and Mälardalen University.

In the newly published book Artificial Intelligence and Innovation Management, international experts give their views on how AI affects how companies and organizations do business and innovate. Helena Blackbright, innovation researcher at Mälardalen University and project manager at Automation Region, and Stoyan Tanev, professor at Carleton University in Canada, are editors of the book.

“AI technology is now so useful that it is expected to have a major impact on the pace of innovation in many different sectors”, says Helena Blackbright. “It enables radically renewed processes for value creation, at the same time as more and more tasks can be automated and machines begin to surpass human cognitive ability.”