Norrbotten is getting ready for a new innovation landscape – from strategy to ability

Summary

Key takeaways from the latest Development Forum: New decisions in the EU’s long-term budget, national policy, and at the regional level will shape Norrbotten’s innovation capacity over the coming decade. For regions and project owners, this implies changing requirements for collaboration, positioning, and capacity building. Norrbotten is preparing by strengthening its innovation ecosystems and further developing its smart specialisation strategy.

What is changing in the innovation system – and why does it matter?

“The system is changing, and that affects how innovation is carried out in everyday work. Preparing ecosystems is not an abstract exercise – it is about ensuring that organisations are ready to act.”

With this as a starting point, Per Erik Andersson, Utveckla Norrbotten, opened the latest Development Forum. The event brought together regional strategists, political leadership, and representatives from innovation environments in tourism, space, mining, hydrogen, and wireless ICT.

The overall picture that is emerging is clear. In the coming months, decisions will be made in Brussels, Stockholm, and Norrbotten that will directly affect which innovation initiatives can be implemented, how quickly they can be developed, and which actors have the capacity to participate. As a result, innovation capacity is increasingly determined by how well actors can navigate policy, funding, and collaboration—not solely by the quality of ideas.

What strengths and challenges does Norrbotten have today?

Norrbotten has several structural strengths. The region offers a high quality of life, has well-established and effective research collaborations, and is characterised by low unemployment. At the same time, there are clear challenges that risk affecting long-term innovation capacity.

Fewer individuals are entering higher education, innovation activity among small and medium-sized enterprises is declining, and digital infrastructure remains uneven. Together, this creates a strategic tension where strong assets must be matched with targeted efforts to sustain and develop innovation dynamics.

How will the EU’s upcoming budget affect regional innovation?

Johannes Sundelin from Region Norrbotten described the ongoing work on the EU’s next Multiannual Financial Framework (MFF) and what it means in practice.

Decisions at EU and national levels are likely to determine not only access to funding, but also which types of projects are prioritised, how funding is structured, and what requirements are placed on implementation and collaboration.

Question: What does the EU budget process mean for regional actors?

Answer: It determines both which investments are possible and how early actors need to position themselves to remain relevant.

How is the policy landscape in Brussels changing?

Niklas Johansson from North Sweden European Office described a clear shift in how innovation policy is shaped at the EU level. It is not only about new programmes, but about changing ways of working where early positioning, strategic partnerships, and alignment with EU priorities are becoming increasingly important.

What does this mean at the national level?

John Kostet from Utveckla Norrbotten linked developments at the EU level to the national context. Capacity building is not only about large investments, but equally about creating the conditions for companies, clusters, and public actors to operate in a more complex system.

This means organisations need to strengthen their ability to interpret changing requirements, understand new funding logics, and work more systematically with collaboration.

Question: What does capacity building mean in practice?

Answer: Developing organisations’ ability to navigate and act in a system where conditions and expectations are continuously evolving.

What does this mean for actors in Norrbotten?

For regional stakeholders, the developments imply a shift in how innovation work needs to be carried out:

• Early engagement in EU processes becomes critical
• Cross-sector and multi-level collaboration becomes a prerequisite
• Capacity building becomes as important as individual investments
• Strategic positioning influences access to funding

Question: What is required to succeed in the new EU landscape?

Answer: A more proactive approach, the right partnerships, and early engagement in European processes.

What role do small and medium enterprises play in the innovation system?

Erik Hagenrud and Beatrice Lind from LTU Business demonstrated, through examples from the mining and space ecosystems, how innovation actually happens in practice. Small and medium-sized enterprises are central to implementation, while intermediaries—such as clusters and innovation support organisations—act as connecting structures.

At the same time, these processes are characterised by complexity, a need for long-term perspectives, and strong contextual understanding. Strengthening innovation is therefore not only about individual projects, but about building stable structures over time.

How is this translated into regional strategy?

As part of the forum, LTU Business—through Lina Linde, Pär Johansson, and Ulrica Åström—facilitated a workshop focused on local opportunities and barriers. The aim was to identify which priorities are most relevant for Norrbotten in the coming decade.

The results will be integrated into the ongoing revision of Norrbotten’s smart specialisation strategy (S3)—a key EU tool for structuring and mobilising innovation efforts.