– Highlights from Almedalen –
Europe has the talent, the knowledge, and the technology. What it needs now is greater ambition and a willingness to take risks. That was the key message from Darja Isaksson, Director General of Vinnova, as she presented a new partnership with Germany’s Federal Agency for Breakthrough Innovation, SPRIN-D.
Speaking at a session focused on radical – disruptive – innovation, Isaksson painted a picture of a world shaped by climate change, geopolitical tensions, technological disruption, and growing uncertainty.
We are living through a time of multiple crises,” she said. “But history shows that uncertainty is also where breakthrough innovations emerge.”
From autonomous vehicles and advanced robotics to AI-powered systems and next-generation manufacturing, technologies that seemed impossible only a decade ago are rapidly becoming reality.
The speed at which Covid-19 vaccines were developed demonstrated what can happen when ambitious goals, urgency, and innovation come together.”
Turning knowledge into breakthroughs
According to Isaksson, Europe’s challenge is not a lack of talent or scientific excellence. Reports such as Mario Draghi’s recent review of European competitiveness point to a different problem: Europe is often less effective at turning research and innovation into globally leading companies and technologies.
We have the knowledge and the talent,” Isaksson said. “What we need more of is the courage to take risks, set radical goals, and move faster.”
That thinking has led Vinnova to explore new approaches to innovation funding and ecosystem development, including a new collaboration with SPRIN-D.
A different approach to innovation
Established by the German government in 2019, SPRIN-D was created with a mission to foster breakthrough innovations that can shape society over the next century.
Rather than focusing on incremental improvements, the agency seeks technologies with the potential to create entirely new markets, industries, or capabilities. Its model is built around high-risk, high-reward innovation and a willingness to support ideas whose outcomes are uncertain.
One of SPRIN-D’s most distinctive tools is its challenge program.
We define ambitious goals and invite innovators from across Europe to solve them,” explained SPRIN-D’s representative during the session.
The agency has launched around twenty challenges in the past five years, covering areas ranging from energy storage and mobility to security and advanced technologies.
The objective is not simply to fund projects but to mobilize talent, build capabilities, and accelerate the development of breakthrough solutions.
A shared European effort
The partnership between Vinnova and SPRIN-D aims to strengthen Europe’s capacity for radical innovation by combining expertise, networks, and funding approaches.
Both organizations acknowledge that support for breakthrough innovation in Europe has often been fragmented. By working together, Vinnova and SPRIN-D hope to create stronger pathways from idea to market while attracting some of the continent’s most talented innovators.
The challenge model reflects a broader shift in innovation policy. Instead of starting with existing technologies, the process begins with a significant societal or strategic challenge and invites innovators to develop entirely new solutions.
Bridging the gap to market
A recurring theme during the discussion was the difficulty of moving breakthrough technologies from laboratories and prototypes into real-world deployment.
Technical excellence alone is rarely enough. Innovators also need access to industry partners, customers, investors, and test environments.
SPRIN-D emphasized that evaluating breakthrough innovators is never straightforward.
Some teams have extensive commercial experience, while others possess exceptional technical expertise but have never brought a product to market.
The reality is that you cannot know in advance who will succeed,” one speaker noted. “You have to create opportunities and give innovators the chance to prove themselves.”
This is where strong innovation ecosystems become critical, connecting researchers, entrepreneurs, corporations, investors, and public-sector actors around shared goals.
Innovation as a matter of sovereignty
The discussion highlighted a growing link between innovation, competitiveness, and security.
Technologies such as artificial intelligence, robotics, advanced manufacturing, and autonomous systems are increasingly viewed as strategic capabilities.
For Europe, developing these technologies is not only an economic opportunity but also a matter of resilience and sovereignty”, says Darja Isaksson.
Neither Germany nor Sweden wants to become dependent on technological breakthroughs developed elsewhere.
Europe must strengthen its own capacity to develop, scale, and commercialize critical technologies.”
The partnership between Vinnova and SPRIN-D is a step in that direction, helping create an environment where ambitious ideas can become transformative innovations, and where Europe can compete by moving faster, thinking bigger, and taking greater risks.
