Last year, we received exciting news: Switch to Sweden secured additional funding to continue our work through 2025 and 2026. This means even more opportunities to connect international talent with Swedish businesses – helping to fill critical skill gaps and drive innovation.
It’s a testament to the great results we’ve achieved so far. As we gear up for an exciting new phase, let’s take a look at some of the highlights and successes from 2024.
Switch to Sweden joins the national initiative Work in Sweden
In 2024, Switch to Sweden was selected to take part in Work in Sweden, a governmental initiative focused on attracting and retaining international talent.
Work in Sweden, led by Tillväxtverket (The Swedish Agency for Economic and Regional Growth) in collaboration with nine other government agencies, helps highly skilled international talents establish themselves in Sweden. The initiative streamlines job market access and makes it easier for companies to recruit sought-after talent
Based on our experience and insights from Switch to Sweden, Vinnova has assigned us the role of project lead for Work to Sweden’s Focus Area 4: Improving employer conditions for recruiting international talent.
Match-making activities see record-high engagement
By the end of 2024, more than 300 successful matches had been made between international students and Swedish companies through our matchmaking tool.
To support these connections, we arranged 5 national and regional matchmaking events, bringing together 681 international talents within technical fields and 37 companies – marking a new high in engagement.
One of the highlights was Career Day TECH 2024, a matchmaking event hosted in collaboration with Ideon Science Park. More than 204 international talents – including master’s students, Ph.D.s, postdocs, and their spouses – had the chance to meet with 7 companies looking for global expertise.
Strengthening Sweden’s talent ecosystem
A key factor behind Switch to Sweden’s success is the strong and growing community of partners we’ve built across the country.
In October 2024, we gathered over 100 participants for the Switch to Sweden Summit in Linköping, where we discussed opportunities and challenges ahead and highlighted success stories from different Swedish regions.
We also participated in Almedalen, Sweden’s premier policy event, where we highlighted the importance of international talent for Sweden’s competitiveness.
A positive trend is the growing engagement from universities across the country. Uppsala University, Lund University, Linköping University, and Chalmers Technical University primarily have been key collaborators, consistently working with Switch to Sweden to build bridges between education and employment.
Expanding our global reach to drive innovation
In 2024, Switch to Sweden took important steps to strengthen international collaboration. By sharing insights and learning from best practices worldwide, we’re ensuring Swedish businesses stay at the forefront of talent attraction and innovation.
- IASP Annual World Conference in Kenya – We exchanged knowledge with science parks from across the world, sharing strategies on how to connect international talent with businesses and build thriving innovation ecosystems.
- Mutual learning with the European Commission – At Karolinska Institutet, we presented our work with Marie Curie Fellows in Sweden to representatives of the European Commission, showcasing how we help researchers transition into private industries.
- International talent event in Brussels – During the European Week of Regions and Cities, we co-hosted discussions on talent attraction with regional leaders across Europe.
What’s next?
With renewed funding and a growing network, 2025 is shaping up to be an exciting year. Our mission remains clear: to bridge the talent gap in Sweden’s tech sector by increasing the number of matches between international talent and the businesses that need them.
This year, we will be diving into emerging technologies like 6G and how they can shape the future of Swedish industry. Are you a student or a company working in this cutting-edge field? We’d love to hear from you. Contact us at hela.galvisbonilla@linkopingsciencepark.se.
Join us as we build stronger connections, fuel innovation, and secure Sweden’s competitiveness for the future.
