Here we summarize the results from the innovation panel, whose purpose is to regularly take the pulse of entrepreneurship and innovation in Dalarna. This year's results have also been used in our monthly newsletters and as a basis for discussion at Dalarna Talks, a regularly recurring hybrid seminar. By conducting an annual Innovation Panel, Dalarna Science Park ensures an ongoing dialogue with residents and businesses in Dalarna. It is a way to continue to guarantee the relevance of initiatives and activities that promote Dalarna's growth and contribute positively to Sweden's prosperity.
The 2025 Innovation Panel focuses primarily on three main themes: digitalization, circularity, and
internationalization. All three areas reflect important issues for Dalarna and thus Dalarna Science Park's
ongoing strategic initiatives. This is in addition to the main theme for the entire operation, innovation.
Innovation
Today, nearly 80 percent of respondents in the Innovation Panel believe that innovation is the key to strong, enter
. Forty percent of respondents believe that collaboration between industry, academia, and the public sector is a prerequisite for increased innovation throughout Dalarna. These figures reinforce the purpose and goals of Dalarna Science Park. The healthcare sector is seen as the primary area (35%) where innovation through business collaboration can solve many societal challenges.
Digitization
Dalarna is a strong industrial region and has been so since the days of industrialism. Now we are seeing a clear development as traditional industry is gearing up to secure a stable future position within the green transition. At the same time, entirely new industrial clusters within AI and digitalization are emerging in the region. Digital transformation is one of several important solutions for Dalarna's continued growth. Digitalization is therefore becoming strategically important for the whole of Dalarna. The innovation panel therefore included questions relating to this particular area.
When respondents in the Innovation Panel are asked how digitization and AI can primarily affect society, increased efficiency and productivity come out on top (55%). Almost as many (51%) believe that new business opportunities and innovation have the most to gain from increased digitization. These figures were confirmed by the panel at Dalarna Talks on March 20, which focused on the theme of digitalization. One of the panel guests, Ronny Modigs, commander of the Dalaregementet regiment, believes that digitalisation is also a strategic investment in total defence for increased efficiency and secured high innovation power. In other words, it is not only the business sector that benefits from increased digitalisation.
However, approximately half of the respondents (51%) in the Innovation Panel express concern that jobs will disappear with the increased use of AI. Dalarna Science Park's digitalization coach Stefan Rodheim, who also participated in the panel discussion during Dalarna Talks, confirms this figure from meetings with the regional business community. Dalarna Science Park works to strengthen digital competence in Dalarna and make the region a national role model. To this end, it offers companies support through various initiatives that increase knowledge and provide new opportunities to integrate digitalisation into their business plans.
When it comes to which sectors benefit most from increased digitization, 55 percent of respondents believe that industry and manufacturing are the winners. This is followed by healthcare (37%) and transport and logistics (35%) in third place. Just over a third of respondents believe that Dalarna, as a region, has a higher level of digital maturity than the rest of the country.
When asked what they consider to be the biggest challenge with AI and increased digitalization, only 15 percent were unable to give an answer. Forty-nine percent believe that a lack of knowledge and expertise is the biggest obstacle.
The respondents' answers show that 85 percent have such broad knowledge of the subject that they can identify both challenges and opportunities. However, according to Stefan Rodheim, the digital maturity in Dalarna is considered to lag behind the leading regions in the country. He therefore wants to see a significant increase in the dissemination of knowledge throughout the region.
Circularity
Dalarna Science Park sees industrial waste streams as an obvious component of future sustainability work in industry. Not only in Dalarna or Sweden, but throughout the world. Dalarna Science Park's Circular Industry Accelerator, which was launched in 2024, is the only one of its kind in the country. The goal is to become a role model both nationally and internationally—an example of how industrial waste streams can be utilized to ensure sustainability and create growth.
Since the launch of the industry accelerator, Dalarna Science Park has been working to match established industries with startups from around the world in order to find entrepreneurs who can utilize companies' waste and residual flows. The outcome of the accelerator has the potential to drive growth both regionally and nationally. To measure the level of awareness of circularity and residual flows in Dalarna, this was also an area addressed by the Innovation Panel 2025.
Nearly a quarter (23%) of respondents in the Innovation Panel believe that Dalarna companies are national role models when it comes to utilizing residual flows in manufacturing. During a panel discussion as part of Dalarna Talks on May 15, participants discussed what is needed for Dalarna to become Sweden's leading circularity region by 2030. The panelists—Helén Wittsjö, GreenIron; Christian Olhans, Borlänge Energi; and Carolina Friberg, Dalarna Science Park—agreed that collaboration is essential. The panel believed that success can only be achieved when the business community, academia, and national and regional decision-makers can agree on a regulatory framework. For a region or country to become a role model in circularity and recycling requires consensus among different actors.
The Innovation Panel also shows that nearly 90 percent of respondents think it is positive that companies use recycled materials in their manufacturing. The panel at Dalarna Talks believes this result provides an excellent basis for encouraging more people to help ensure that waste ends up in the right place.
There is also strong confidence in the business community in Dalarna among respondents. Just over half (55%) believe that the collective sustainability work currently being carried out by companies in Dalarna has the potential to secure better development opportunities for the entire region. The result reinforces Dalarna Science Park's conviction to continue assisting more new and already established Dalarna companies in their sustainability work.
Internationalization
Dalarna has a place in the world and stands out for its strong growth, clear entrepreneurship, and ability to drive successful regional collaborations. This is stated in the EU's annual report "European Innovation Scoreboard" 2025. According to Region Dalarna, in 2023 Dalarna was still ranked 11th among Sweden's counties in terms of goods export value, which is the economic value of the region's total exports to other countries. Today, there are also around 15,000 people in Dalarna who work for foreign companies. Of these, just over half are in the manufacturing industry.
The high proportion of international players operating in Dalarna may contribute to the respondents (43%) in the Innovation Panel considering Dalarna to be a county with strong international connections. However, opinions differ as to why more companies in Dalarna are not investing in international expansion. Nearly one-fifth (19%) believe that this is due to a lack of knowledge and experience. Almost as many respondents (18%) believe that it is due to companies' lack of global networks. A smaller proportion (10%) believe it is due to a lack of interest in operating internationally. This figure is also reflected in the fact that just over half (53%) of respondents do not believe that Dalarna's future growth is dependent on increased internationalization.
Despite the Innovation Panel respondents' lack of confidence in Dalarna's significance outside Sweden's borders, there is evidence that the region is making a difference internationally. Dalarna shows that the region contributes to European growth through good collaboration. This is evident when the EU highlights Europe's strongest regions in this area. When it comes to cooperation between business, academia, and the public sector, Dalarna Science Park's core mission, Northern Middle Sweden ranks at the top.
Read the entire Dalarna Science Park annual report
This article is part of Dalarna Science Park's annual report for 2025. You can read the entire report in PDF format here.
