IVA's President: some thoughts on China

While Europe is fully preoccupied with President Trump’s various initiatives, a very deliberate movement is under way in another corner of the world—namely, China’s scientific and technological advancement.

"United, swift and wise" IVA's President comments on the EU Commission's roadmap

Today, the President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, presented the five-year plan for the EU's future competitiveness. "It is absolutely crucial for the future of our continent that the European Commission vigorously addresses competitiveness issues," says Sylvia Schwaag Serger, President of IVA.

IVA's 105th Annual Meeting

Many thanks to all fellows and friends of IVA who contributed to the festivities during this year's evening in honour of the art of engineering sciences!

Open AI research the only way forward

Recently, the US non-profit Future of Life Institute called on all ‘AI labs’ around the world to take a six-month break in the development of advanced AI technology. How good an idea is it to pause the development of AI, and what should this break involve? We asked IVA Fellow Sara Mazur.

IVA’s Great Gold Medal 2022: Lars Samuelson – a Swedish nano pioneer

IVA’s Great Gold Medal is awarded to Lars Samuelson – the pioneer who has made a name for himself as one of the world’s leading researchers in the field of nanoscience and nanotechnology.

IVA’s Gold Medal 2023: Anders Blom

Engineer Anders Blom has been decisive for Sweden's ability to maintain its position as one of the world's most prominent aviation nations, through more than 40 years of work in Swedish aviation. Not least by his contribution to building the strategic innovation program that has given Sweden a place at the table when it comes to international cooperation in the aviation industry.

IVA’s Gold Medal 2023: Anna Wedell

Medic and research leader Anna Wedell has created completely new conditions for discovering and treating thousands of rare diseases. By developing new tools for mapping individual patients' genes and establishing unique collaborations between research and healthcare, she has made ground-breaking breakthroughs in individually tailored so-called precision medicine.

IVA’s Great Gold Medal 2023: Håkan Samuelsson

In ten years civil engineer Håkan Samuelsson managed to reverse the negative trend for the Swedish national treasure Volvo. Under Samuelsson's unifying leadership, reputation and international competitiveness were regained, cultural challenges linked to Chinese ownership were bridged, and production could be kept in Sweden. In addition, Volvo took a prominent position in the most important transition for the automotive industry in 100 years – the transition to electric.

Anders Ynnerman and Jonas Unger recieve the Chester Carlson Research Award

Researchers Anders Ynnerman and Jonas Unger recieve the Chester Carlson Research Award of 50,000 Swedish Kronor each for their contributions to research in visualization and computer graphics. The prize has been awarded since 1985 to promote scientific research in the field of information science.

IVA’s Gold medallists 2023

The Royal Swedish Academy of Engineering Sciences (IVA) awards Håkan Samuelsson, Anders Blom, Annica Bresky and Anna Wedell with gold medals. They receive the award for their outstanding achievements in technology, economics, business and society. IVA's Gold Medal has been awarded since 1921.

IVA spotlight on: EU's goals for critical metals and minerals

Last week, the European Parliament and the European Council agreed to pass the Critical Raw Materials Act, the EU's plan to secure the future supply of critical raw materials. This includes rare metals that could be crucial for Sweden's and the EU's ability to keep up with the green and digital transition. Researcher and IVA member Magnus Ericsson is one of the initiators of IVA's ongoing project 'Roadmap for Metals and Minerals,' which aims to provide answers on how the goals in the EU's plan can be achieved.

International Affairs

IVA is a national academy with a global outlook. The Academy’s international activities are focused on a global outlook and developing influential international relations.

Digitalisation

Sweden’s competitiveness will increase if we can exploit the opportunities offered by digitalisation. The conditions are good, but we need to deal with the challenges, not least by stimulating the digital transformation of companies, strengthening cybersecurity and engaging in a nuanced discussion about digitalisation as an enabler of future welfare.

Focus Areas

IVA drives factual, science-based debate in several areas that are important for society. Below you can see what IVA has to say in these areas, in the form of reports from project activities, consultation responses, statements from the President and press releases.

Skills Supply

The school and education system is vital for Swedish competitiveness – as is making Sweden an attractive country for highly skilled people and companies to work in. IVA aims to stimulate lifelong learning, positive attitudes to knowledge and education, and young people’s curiosity, problem-solving skills and joy of discovery.

Energy and Resources

Energy and resource efficiency and the circular economy are key to Swedish competitiveness and achieving the climate goals. Sustainable alternatives are needed if promises of a fossil-free energy system and a climate-smart industrial and transport sector are to be realised.

The consequences of AI: fear in the digital age

Public Trust in Science – Safeguarding Academic Freedom and Objectivity

PhD Education: A Key to Swedish Entrepreneurship and Industrial Innovation

Meeting the Rising Global Competition in Sweden: OECD's Science, Technology, and Innovation Outlook

How is global competition evolving, and what measures can Sweden adopt to address challenges in order to enhance competitiveness and growth? The seminar will feature a presentation of OECD's Science, Technology, and Innovation (STI) Outlook 2023, showcasing a significantly heightened global emphasis on strengthening countries' research and innovation systems. The seminar will feature discussions with Minister of Education Mats Persson, Minister of Energy and Enterprise Ebba Busch (to be confirmed), OECD's Director for STI Jerry Sheehan, Professor Sara Mazur from KAW, as well as Sweden's appointed representatives from various countries' Innovation and Research Councils.