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.

How can the Swedish mining cluster strengthen Europe's supply of metals and minerals?

Sweden is one of Europe's most important mining countries, and the Swedish mining cluster is world-leading. But what role can Sweden, together with Finland, play in securing the supply of metals and minerals in Europe? Welcome to an international seminar where leading experts from the IVA project's international reference group, with participants from the USA, Latin America, Australia, and Europe, will discuss how we can strengthen our supply chains.

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

Climate Urgency and the Nordic Response

With respect to climate policy, Sweden was an early mover in introducing a tax on CO2 emissions from fossil fuels already in 1991. By the end of the 1990s the Swedish electricity sector was almost decarbonised. The remaining sectors, industry and transport, are curerntly the targets of ambitious decarbonization efforts, in Sweden and in the EU.

Seminar with Professor Geoffrey Hinton

Global Tech Diplomacy as a Guardrail for AI and Other Disruptive Technologies

Design Thinking & Change

The Future of Solar Energy – research and development of Solar Cells

Smart Industry competition

The Smart Industry Business Competition recognises and rewards companies that take advantage of the opportunities offered by digitalisation in a smart and innovative way with clear results. The aim is to stimulate the digital and sustainable transformation of SMEs by highlighting best practice. The business competition has been held annually by IVA since 2016.

Hans Werthén Foundation

Each year, the Hans Werthén Foundation awards a number of scholarships for one year of scientific work at the postdoctoral or doctoral level, MBA or LL.M. studies in a qualified international environment. Next application period: January 8-March 7, 2027.

IVA’s 100 List 2024: Sweden’s Most Promising Research Projects

A simple hair test for early cancer detection, a healthy sugar substitute, and a rapid test for tuberculosis. These are some of the research projects selected for this year’s 100 List, focusing on innovation through interdisciplinary research, compiled by IVA. All research projects are considered to have great potential to benefit society.

Cable breaks in the Baltic Sea part of a bigger challenge

Protecting internet cables is just one piece of the much larger challenge of building more resilient solutions for the entire digital infrastructure that our society depends on. Achieving a solution requires many efforts, according to cybersecurity expert Johan Malmliden and IVA Fellow Daniel Akenine, both involved in IVA's Resilient Digital Infrastructure project.

IVA's President: some thoughts on AI

When the 2025 edition of the Global AI Index is released after the summer, I hope Sweden will have made a significant climb from last year’s ranking of 25th. The United States topped the list in 2024 (no surprise there), followed by China.

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.