Why is Lund as an innovation district important for Future by Lund?
It was just over seven years ago that Peter Kisch and Katarina Scott realized that a well-formulated innovation district in Lund was needed in order for the Future by Lund innovation platform to work effectively. Many things pointed towards the importance of creating a cohesive district. Future by Lund took inspiration from GIID (Global Institute on Innovation Districts) which in 2014 published a report in which the concept of innovation district was launched but also of what emerged when the US defense wanted to visit Lund and found this place through Future by Lund. When they arrived, they understood that a dense innovation environment exists in Lund with many good businesses.
“At the same time, they pointed out that it had been difficult to determine what kind of place Lund is, since no actor spoke about the whole, but only presented their own business. It was confirmation that we in Lund need to get together,” says Peter Kisch.
Through this, but also through contact with the city of Barcelona and a collaboration with researcher Jasna Pocek, Future by Lund began investigating what would be required to assemble an innovation district in Lund. Jasna Pocek identified strengths and dense innovation sites in the district. At the same time, Future by Lund investigated what other innovation districts are working on. When Future by Lund became an independent economic association in 2023, the general meeting of about 40 members, including Lund Municipality and Lund University, instructed Future by Lund to continue work on the innovation district and coordinate the start. A steering group consisting of the chairman of the municipal board Anders Almgren, vice-principal Kristina Eneroth from Lund University and Pia Kinhult from ESS and Chairman of the Board of Future by Lund was appointed.
As part of this, in the fall of 2023 a series of Innovation Districts talks were launched; ten open talks with different perspectives on the innovation district. In addition, a qualitative study was carried out by the Lund company Parlametric where participants gave their views on what an innovation district could be. The result was produced with the help of AI.
- We saw it as important to find out what the different players think about an innovation district and invited various discussions to twist and turn everything that matters in the district as much as possible, such as what Lund is good at and what we should develop. More than 800 people came to the talks, which became a way of discussing and mobilising wider cooperation, says Charlotte Lorentz Hjorth, Lund University and CEO at Future by Lund.
The talks on the Innovation District showed that many actors are in need of cooperation that will keep the archipelagos of innovation players together in a good way.
- Future by Lund builds innovation portfolios, and to do so we need the skills and functions that exist in a well-functioning district, continues Charlotte Lorentz Hjorth. In addition, we have seen that it is not enough to have a top university and large companies when entering into major strategic partnerships in Europe. Then you have to come up with the whole innovation capacity of the place, otherwise you're not interesting enough. In an innovation district, it is also important to provide an opportunity for international actors to find collaborations.
In its bylaws, the association Future by Lund has stated that a major evaluation of the business is to be carried out every three years. In the autumn of 2025, work was therefore started on the evaluation, which not only deals with the work of the innovation platform, but also relates it to the place where it is located and operates. The evaluation was carried out by Emma Frost, Director of Fern Consulting (a specialist innovation and economic development consultancy) and Chair of The UK Innovations District Group (a network of leading innovation districts in the UK) and Göran Andersson, who has, among other things, worked with Sweden's innovation platforms at Vinnova.
- From the outside, Lund as a place of innovation and Lund University has a really good reputation. The place is well recognized and respected internationally. But we also see that this value could also be used much more if you were not working in silos, says Emma Frost.
The evaluators also pointed out how important it is for Lund to take advantage of the fact that it has been quick to start work on an innovation district.
- The Innovation District concept is really taking hold in Europe, and since Future by Lund is already on the European stage, Lund has the chance to take a leading role among innovation districts in Sweden and in Europe, says Göran Andersson.
Now Future by Lund's first three-year term has ended and from 2026, Future by Lund is a co-creator of the district together with other actors in Lund. The hope is that the work will be carried forward and kept together by Lund Municipality and Lund University, but also in cooperation with innovation actors and companies in Lund.
