New ideas - Sweden

Updated 11/2010

Legal requirements

An innovation may be an invention, a new product or service or a new way of doing something.

Alongside innovation, access to R&D is essential for businesses to develop and stay competitive.

Research — Sweden

Intellectual property must be protected to encourage innovation.

Intellectual property — Sweden

Resources

The Swedish Inventors' Association (Svenska uppfinnareföreningen) is a network for inventors.

The Swedish Inventors' Association

ALMI is a state-owned company promoting SME development, and growth and innovation in Swedish industry.

The company can test whether an innovation is good from a technical point of view. It also offers help with feasibility study grants and innovation loans to produce commercially viable products.

ALMI
Getting Sweden working

The business portal verksamt.se contains information and tools for starting and developing a company in Sweden, including guidance on how to raise capital.

verksamt.se

CONNECT Sweden unites entrepreneurs with capital.

CONNECT Sweden

Programmes

Sweden has adopted a national action programme for growth and employment in which innovation plays a central role, and in which there is a particular focus on the transfer of knowledge between research, trade and industry and the public sector.

Action programme for growth and employment

The Swedish Agency for Economic and Regional Growth currently runs programmes such as 'The Power of Action with IT' and 'Product Development in Small Businesses'.

More information about the Agency's programmes can be found on its website.

Programmes run by the Agency for Economic and Regional Growth

The Industrial Fund (Industrifonden) is a foundation which finances small to medium-sized companies throughout Sweden.

Industrifonden

The Swedish Private Equity and Venture Capital Association (SVCA) can be a good place to seek funding for your new, innovative business ideas.

SVCA

The Swedish Governmental Agency for Innovation Systems (Vinnova) and the Swedish Energy Agency (Energimyndigheten) stimulate the development of energy-efficient solutions, as demand for sustainable solutions increases. They offer help in seeking financial support.