FYRKLÖVERN – SWEDEN’S UNIQUE INNOVATION OFFICE

YOU DO NOT SOLVE SOCIAL CHALLENGES ALONE - WE DO IT TOGETHER

Fyrklövern has established itself as one of Sweden’s leading innovation offices. The explanation for its success lies in the joint innovation process. Each node within Fyrklövern has different strengths, which complement the whole. If one of the four universities lacks the expertise to pursue an idea, then the others can quickly offer support. In fact, the collaboration goes much further than just innovation advice. Within Fyrklövern, expertise is shared in everything from student and alumni collaboration, research support, business law, finance and communication. This makes Fyrklövern a unique player.

HOW WE CREATE OPPORTUNITIES FOR MORE IDEAS TO BENEFIT SOCIETY

Many people have innovative ideas, but are unsure if there is a real need for their idea in society. That assessment is important, but often costs money - which means that many people never take their idea further. To remedy the situation, Vinnova has set up a verification programme that gives the innovation offices the opportunity to distribute funds to potential innovators. Within Fyrklövern, this is done through a joint ‘verification council’, where innovation advisors assess current ideas and cases, and then decide on the allocation of verification funds. In this way, we open up the possibility of more ideas and research results being utilised.

WE GIVE FUTURE RESEARCHERS THE RIGHT TOOLS TO CHANGE THE WORLD

Unfortunately, it is all too common for research results with potential societal benefits to remain confined within academia. Fyrklövern wants to change that. One way is by educating our future researchers. Every year, Fyrklövern delivers the course ‘Impact and the Utilisation of Research’ (4.5 credits), in which doctoral students from the Fyrklövern universities learn how to transform research ideas into concrete societal benefits. In this course, we show the doctoral students how they can create wider impact and build meaningful networks, how to formulate a research pitch, and how they can identify funders and protect their ideas. With this knowledge, the researchers of the future can also become the innovators of the future.

ABOUT US

Fyrklövern was established by the government at the end of 2009 and is one of 14 innovation offices in the country. It is a collaboration between four equal partners: Karlstad University, Linnaeus University, Mid Sweden University and Örebro University.

Fyrklövern's goal is to ‘meet current and future societal challenges by increasing the value creation in, and the utilisation of, research-based knowledge and by contributing to more innovations from students, researchers and other staff’.

Fyrklövern's work is governed by a steering group consisting of four pro vice-chancellors and vice-chancellors with a rotating chairmanship. The operational activities are led by a management group, which includes the innovation support managers at each university

Fyrklövern works systematically with the exchange of experience between the four universities in order to continuously increase expertise and to develop and implement new methods and working practices within its innovation support activities.

Fyrklövern has a strong and active presence at the local, regional and national levels.

OBJECTIVE

Fyrklövern's strategy is based on an overall goal, two strategic goals and three priority development areas for the period 2021–2024. The strategy describes each area briefly together with sub-goals, activities and indicators for follow-up. In addition to the strategy, a business plan is produced every year.

• Overall goals

Fyrklövern will meet current and future societal challenges by increasing the value creation in, and the utilisation of, research-based knowledge and by contributing to more innovations from students, researchers and other staff’.

• Strategic goals

1. To be the national leader in qualitative innovation support.
2. To be the national leader in meeting societal challenges.