National-regional governance of STI

The governance of research and innovation policy in Sweden has both national and regional levels. On the national level the government oversees R&I policy through three main ministries: the Ministry of Education and Research, the Ministry of Climate and Enterprise, and the Ministry of Finance. The Ministry of Education and Research is responsible for research and some innovation policy, while the Ministry of Climate and Enterprise is responsible for mainstream innovation policy. Swedish ministries are small and set broad policy directions. The remit of each ministry includes responsibility for a number of government agencies. These agencies design and implement policy measures within their specific areas. There are around 20 agencies that to varying degrees allocate public R&I funding. The agencies which allocate the most are: the Swedish Research Council (Vetenskapsrådet), Sweden’s Innovation Agency (Vinnova), a Swedish Research Council for Sustainable Development (Formas), a Swedish Research Council for Health, Working Life and Welfare (Forte) and the Swedish Energy Agency. The Swedish Research Council is a key player allocating research funding across different scientific disciplines. Vinnova focus on promoting innovation and collaboration between academia and industry. Formas, Forte and the Energy Agency are thematic research agencies with their specific mandate. In October 2023 a new government commission on research funding suggested several changes. One of them is about the restructuring of the above-mentioned R&I funding agencies into three new agencies: the Research Agency with a similar role to the current Swedish Research Council; the Innovation Agency which would support the transformation of society and businesses and fund R&I of importance to complex societal issues as well as support innovation in SMEs; and the Agency for strategic research which would support R&I of great importance to society and business. It would also fund R&I that supports other agencies’ thematic areas (which thus will be removed and integrated into this agency). It would also have responsibility for Sweden’s involvement in international R&I cooperation, including the EU. It is important to note that no actual changes have been made so far. On a regional level, Sweden is divided into 21 counties at NUTS 3 level. Country councils and regions although primarily responsible for healthcare and public transportation may also allocate funding for local research initiatives, facilitate collaboration between universities and local industries, and support innovation and entrepreneurship. In addition to county councils, there are regional development agencies that work to promote economic growth and innovation within their respective regions. These agencies often collaborate with universities, research institutions, and businesses to identify and support strategic areas of research and innovation that can drive regional development. Through the Swedish Agency for Economic and Regional Growth (Tillväxtverket), the regions of Sweden can seek funding to strengthen their cooperation with other regions in the EU.

National and regional S3s: organisation and governance

Sweden has only regional smart specialisation strategies. The main S3 activities in the country cover dialogues and support for the regions, co-operation between the regions, and cluster programme for reaching the companies in the S3 areas. It is built on a multi-level governance and a bottom-up perspective. The national level supports the development of regional smart specialisation strategies. Since 2016 this has been done by the Swedish Agency for Economic and Regional Growth (Tillväxtverket) which has a governmental assignment to support regions in their work with smart specialisation. The work of the Agency contributing to strengthening regional capabilities in the S3 process; increasing collaboration between regions and between regional and national level; increasing internal knowledge about S3 aimed at administrators and programme managers; and identifying barriers for S3 implementation. In addition, while Vinnova does not have a formal mission related to smart specialisation, some of this agency’s activities do relate to smart specialisation in building synergies between regional, national and international innovation efforts. In some regions the S3 process involves triple or quadruple helix steering groups which consist of representatives from business, academia, the public sector and non-profit organisations. In many regions there is a cluster organisation or innovation network, which are responsible for the region's work in chosen priorities areas.

For information on regional S3s, please return to the homepage: https://ec.europa.eu/regional_policy/assets/s3-observatory/index_en.html