This week Linköping, recognized as the Rising Innovative City of Europe in 2023, hosted the ambitious event the Future Now Forum. This international conference brought together particiapants from across Europe, all eager to share their strategies for tackling today’s challenges with future-driven solutions.
Day 1: Innovation and Global Perspectives
The first day opened with inspiring keynotes. Olena Pavlyuk from the Lviv Bureau of European Integration shared how innovation helps communities rebuild through the UNBROKEN initiative. Next on stage was Jakob Trollbäck, the mastermind behind the look of the UN’s Global Development Goals, the Inner Development Goals and the Biodiversity Plan.
Breakout Session: A Buss ride through Innovative Linköping
In the afternoon, Linköping Science Park took participants on a unique bus tour to explore the city’s innovation ecosystem. The breakout session, Building a Strong Innovation Ecosystem, was led by Maja Meurling, who introduced participants to some of the city’s most innovative hubs.
The tour began with Innovative Materials Arena (IMA One), where Andreas Johansson shared how the region leads in next-gen materials research. Karolina Muhrman and Per Frankelius highlighted advancements in agriculture at Agtech Sweden, and Tomas Ahlström from East Sweden Game introduced the thriving gaming community housed at Ebbepark. Anna Broeders also shared the work being done within community and talent attraction at Linköping Science Park.
The buss dropped of the participants at Dataton, where they explored Linköping’s technical clusters, with presentations by Ulrika Johansson, IoT World, Sara Karlsson and Oscar Spaak, AI Sweden and AI Öst, Felicia Lai Jakobsson, Visual Sweden, and Joanna Sjölander, Cyberly. The session was moderated by Fredrik Larsson, Communications Manager at Linköping Science Park.
Day 2: Turning Ideas Into Action
The second day shifted focus from exploration to execution. Darja Isaksson, Director General of Vinnova, discussed how to create conditions for a thriving innovation ecosystem.
Next up was the breakout sessions that gave us the opportunity to explore the innovative and life-friendly city of Linköping during a guided city tour. Participants also heard from Olena Pavlyuk again, who shared more about how innovation fosters resilience in challenging times.
The day ended with a highlight: Sweden’s astronauts Marcus Wandt and Christer Fuglesang spoke about their experiences in space.
The Future Now Forum showcased Linköping as a hub of innovation, offering fresh perspectives and actionable strategies for participants to bring back to their own cities. The forum reaffirmed that the future is built through collaboration, resilience, and bold ideas.
