Dalarna Innovation Days was held in October for the third consecutive year. During four intensive days, with activities in six locations across the county, a total of 26 program items were presented. Nearly 2,000 participants registered, including entrepreneurs, researchers, students, business owners, and decision-makers from across the region. Together, they created meeting places where new conversations, contacts, and opportunities arose and where Dalarna's growing role in the national innovation landscape became clear.
The tour through the county, from Borlänge to Falun, Rättvik, Mora, Ludvika, and Hedemora, demonstrated the power that arises when people come together across industry boundaries and perspectives.
The week also highlighted the region's potential in the bioeconomy of the future. The activities "From food waste to food gain" and "Swedish wool – from forgotten by-product to resource of the future" illustrated how local initiatives can be linked to global challenges. The focus was not only on technology, but also on sustainability and innovative resource utilization
, areas in which Dalarna demonstrated both ambition and the ability to take the lead.
Dalarna Innovation Days 2025 confirmed the importance of the region's collaboration model. When the EU's Regional Innovation Scoreboard 2025 places Northern Middle Sweden in the "Strong Innovator" category, after many years in the lower tiers, it is clear proof that the approach works. The fact that the region is also ranked highest in the EU in terms of collaboration between small and medium-sized enterprises and academia underlines Dalarna's strength: progress is made through joint efforts and enduring relationships.
This week's results give Dalarna Science Park even more impetus to continue its work of turning ideas into reality, deepening
relationships, and developing the initiatives that were born during the event. Planning for next year's Dalarna Innovation Days has already begun.
Dalarna Startup Arena brings together the region's most promising companies
Dalarna Startup Arena was held for the second year in a row and is part of Innovation Days. The event has grown rapidly in popularity, and this year more than 50 applications were received from startups that wanted to participate and pitch their ideas.
Victoria Ställberg, head of the incubator at Dalarna Science Park, describes the goal as clear: to create a natural and recurring meeting place where startups, investors, industrial companies, academia, and the public sector can establish contacts and initiate collaborations. A place where entrepreneurs seeking capital, companies in need of new technology, and investors who want to drive development can meet on the same stage.
The level of innovation spanned a broad spectrum, from new solutions for security and energy storage to synthetic data and sustainable textile dyes from forest raw materials. What characterized the day above all else was a strong desire to build long-term relationships, which is a fundamental strength of Dalarna's innovation culture.
Experienced voices on the jury and a strong focus on team strength
The pitch panel consisted of investors and growth company experts with extensive experience: Karin O'Connor, Filip Reineby, Anna Blomdell, and Dimitri Haid. The jury emphasized that a strong idea always needs to be backed up by a knowledgeable, flexible, and persistent team, a factor that often determines which companies succeed in taking the next step.
Dimitri Haid, Chairman of the Board of the Clas Ohlson Foundation, highlighted the energy and drive that characterizes entrepreneurs in Dalarna. He participated in the jury as part of the foundation's involvement in Dalarna Innovation Days, where the goal is to strengthen innovation and entrepreneurship in the region.
When startups meet industry
During the day, the importance of small and large players coming together was also highlighted. Ny Teknik's program item with companies from the 33 list, Findity, Helios Innovations, and Greeniron, gave the audience and entrepreneurs insights into the journey from early ideas to large-scale expansion. This was followed by a panel discussion with investors and industrial companies such as SSAB and Södra Ädla, where the focus was on how long-term collaborations are created in practice.
An arena of growing importance
This year's edition confirms that the meeting place fulfills an important need in the region and that the potential is great. With continued growing interest, strong commitment, and an increasingly clear link between startups and industry, Dalarna Startup Arena is on its way to becoming an obvious catalyst for future growth in central Sweden. In a short time, the event has become one of the region's most important meeting places for young growth companies.
From food waste to food gain – when sustainable food became a local force
On October 21, Ljusgården at Dalarna Science Park was filled with restaurant school students, food entrepreneurs, and food enthusiasts from across the region to delve into one of the major issues of our time: food waste. The event, "From Food Waste to Food Gain," combined product tastings with inspiring lectures and showed how local actors can contribute to solutions to global challenges. For several years, Dalarna Science Park has been working with entrepreneurs focused on the food industry and future food supply in the region.
Some of Sweden's most innovative voices in sustainable food took to the stage, alongside local food companies such as Stora Skedvi Mejeri, Murboannas, and Leksands Knäckebröd.
The audience also got to meet celebrity chef and sustainability advocate Paul Svensson, who enthusiastically described his vision of a food system where waste can be considered a resource. Using examples from his own businesses, he showed how the entire raw ingredient can be utilized. He also demonstrated how sustainability must be built in from the outset through planning, well-thought-out menus, and smart production flows.
Paul's message challenged both the industry and the audience. He believed that premium ingredients do not need to be perfect. He believes that much of what we call waste is actually due to poor planning and outdated ways of thinking. His philosophy was summed up in a clear statement: "If it doesn't taste fantastic, it doesn't matter how sustainable it is."
The event demonstrated that Dalarna has both the expertise and the will to drive development towards a more sustainable food system, and that local initiatives can play a central role in the transition.
Swedish wool: from unused resource to future potential
During Dalarna Innovation Days 2025, the event "Swedish wool – from forgotten by-product to future resource" brought together 170 participants to highlight the huge untapped potential of Swedish wool. Although Sweden produces around 1,000 tons of wool annually, more than half is discarded, while 1,700 tons are imported.
The event was based on The Swedish Wool Initiative, run by Axfoundation and Dalarna Science Park with around twenty participants. Among other things, a new classification system is being developed here that will enable Swedish wool to be processed on an industrial scale. A mini exhibition showcased the breadth of wool, from furniture and fashion to insulation and pellets, clearly demonstrating the potential of a more sustainable fiber choice.
Participants also got to see a preview of the documentary film "It Wool Happen," which follows the growth of the Swedish wool movement. The closing discussion emphasized the need for political support and continued collaboration.
The day showed that Swedish wool is no longer a forgotten by-product, but a resource for the future with great significance for both sustainability and regional development.
Dalarna Talks
On the final day of Dalarna Innovation Days, the hybrid seminar Dalarna Talks brought together entrepreneurs, investors, and experts to discuss the region's future in innovation, digitalization, and growth. This year's edition was characterized by strong optimism about the future and a clear image of Dalarna as a place where tradition and innovation meet.
Digital keynote speaker Sara Wimmercrantz highlighted Dalarna as the region that best lives up to its brand. She pointed out that digitalization, global reach, and AI are creating opportunities that were previously unthinkable—where companies in Falun and Mora can reach the global market at the touch of a button. The combination of innovation and cultural heritage was described as Dalarna's unique strength.
In a panel discussion, Stefan Rodheim from Dalarna Science Park talked about the AI Lift initiative, which helps companies integrate AI into their entire business process, not as an IT issue, but as a strategic transition on par with sustainability development. The panel emphasized that this transformation requires trust, learning, and courage.
Another panel focused on the willingness to invest in the region. According to Brita Klingberg, business coach at Dalarna Science Park, investors are actively seeking promising companies, and the incubator's quality and excellence status means that more and more entrepreneurs are seeking it out. The allocation of new Vinnova funds during the year also strengthens the region's innovation capacity.
Dalarna Talks concluded with a shared conviction: Dalarna has both the power and the ambition to lead the way and be a place where innovation, entrepreneurship, and courage drive sustainable growth forward.
Watch Dalarna Talks afterwards
Read the full Dalarna Science Park Annual Report 2025
This article is part of Dalarna Science Park's annual report for 2025. The report provides an overview of our work, our results, and developments during the year.
