The Embassy of Sweden, along with Thailand's National Innovation Agency (NIA) and Chulalongkorn University, hosted a significant lecture titled "Honouring the Nobel Prize: What lessons to be learned from developing the Swedish Innovation Ecosystem?" on December 12, 2024, at the Chalermraja Kumari 60th Anniversary Building at Chulalongkorn University. This event highlighted the importance of the Nobel Prize, which recognizes achievements and contributions of great significance to science, research, and innovation.
The lecture, delivered by Kjell Håkan Närfelt, strategic advisor at Vinnova, Sweden's innovation agency, aimed to draw practical lessons from the Swedish model and examine how its principles can be applied to benefit society and economy elsewhere, particularly Thailand. Närfelt emphasized two pivotal ideas: "Research and knowledge breakthroughs in the service of society and the economy" and "Innovations and entrepreneurship as engines of societal well-being and economic prosperity." Through this framework, he outlined the various phases of innovation experienced by Sweden.
Sweden has undergone four major waves of innovation over the past century. The first wave, spanning from the late 19th to early 20th century, is characterized by the Industrial Revolution's breakthroughs, including significant advancements in telecommunications initiated by Ericsson’s founder Lars Magnus Ericsson, who opened his first telegraph repair shop back in 1876.
The second wave emerged around the mid-20th century and was driven by collaborations among organizations, academia, and the government. Research and development during this time were significantly supported by entities like IBM and Xerox PARC, which focused on high-performing teams and interdisciplinary research.
The third wave, occurring from the late 20th century to the early 21st century, witnessed the rise of startups leveraging external funding, especially within IT, digital technology, and biotechnology sectors. A notable example from this period is Spotify, which emerged and revolutionized how we consume music.
Currently, Sweden is entering its fourth wave, which concentrates on "deep tech"—innovations focusing on high-technology solutions addressing sustainability challenges, such as climate change, water scarcity, and sustainable energy sources. Närfelt outlined, "Sweden is currently entering the fourth wave of deep tech innovation, focusing on solutions to sustainability issues like climate change." He asserted the need for innovative technologies to be creatively applied to generate societal value and significantly impact economic growth.
The dynamic of innovation ecosystems was also stressed, with Närfelt illustrating how relationships compel the creation of new value through collaboration. He cited the pertinent example of Apple's relationship with the music industry, stating, "The relationship of Apple with the music industry is a classic example of how new ecosystems create previously unimagined value, leading to innovations like iTunes." This highlights how innovation is often driven by collaborative efforts within ecosystems.
Intellectual asset management emerged as another key aspect discussed by Närfelt. He opined, "Intellectual asset management is as important as investment and innovation efforts," emphasizing the structured approach needed to coordinate resources effectively to sustain growth and innovation.
Summarizing his insights, Närfelt pointed out three fundamental aspects to release innovation potential: the creation of human capital through education and training, effective engineering bringing innovations to society and market applications, and entrepreneur promotion as economic drivers. He elaborated, "Entrepreneurship is a learned skill; not everyone will be Bill Gates, but many can be capable entrepreneurs."
This engaging session illustrated not just the lessons Sweden has learned about innovation but also depicted how those insights can inspire growth and development strategies, particularly for Thailand. By adapting the most effective elements of Sweden’s experience, Thai institutions may leverage opportunities for innovation and entrepreneurship, which are increasingly imperative for future economic health.
