01 Feb 2021

Smart City Sweden Demonstrates Swedish Solutions Digitally During the Pandemic

Smart City Sweden, with the mission to showcase Swedish solutions for sustainable cities internationally, the travel restrictions following the pandemic demands new ways of working. From welcoming international delegations on site around the country, today both visits and other events are conducted digitally.

More than half of the world's population are living in cities and the number is estimated to increase to around 70 percent by 2050. At the same time, the world is facing big challenges where cities are a key in the transition to a sustainable future. 

The investment and export platform, Smart City Sweden works to increase the cooperation between Sweden and other countries within the sustainable city. Smart City Sweden, which is run by IVL Swedish Environmental Research Institute on behalf of the Swedish Energy Agency, receives delegations from all over the world and demonstrates Swedish solutions in areas such as urban planning, mobility, environmental technology, waste management and social sustainability. The goal is to inspire others to follow the Swedish example and at the same time create export opportunities for Swedish companies.

Since the start, the platform has greeted thousands of visitors from more than 60 countries at the head office in Hammarby Sjöstad and the regional nodes across Sweden.

- Through Smart City Sweden's activities, we have increased cooperation with many countries such as the Netherlands, Germany and Ukraine. We have started a feasibility study on smart grids in Germany and a matchmaking activity regarding residual streams in Bioeconomy in the Netherlands, which are just some examples from the past year, says Nina Rismalm, International Business Developer for Smart City Sweden Region North.

Investment in Digital Development

In March, a digital Smart City Sweden was launched and has since then had hundreds of digital visits and webinars with over 2.000 participants from all over the world, but mostly from countries such as China, the Netherlands and Denmark. The areas of interest from the delegations vary greatly with everything from energy efficiency, transport and waste management to social sustainability and digitalisation. 

- We see that there is still a great interest in Swedish sustainable solutions from foreign stakeholders and by making the visits digital, Smart City Sweden has managed to continue to develop collaborations even during the pandemic, says Annika Nilsson, responsible administrator at the Swedish Energy Agency.

As a part of the digital investment, a film has been produced that showcases the Swedish solutions for sustainable cities. Webinars have also been held several areas and virtual tours have been created to give visitors a 360-degree view of some of the good practices Sweden has to show. In September, Smart City Sweden represented Sweden in the digital Nordic Edge, the largest trade fair for sustainable cities in the Nordic.

In 2021, the investment will be expanded to be able to receive even more visitors and continue to create international collaborations, both digitally and physically.

For more information, contact:

Nina Rismalm, Smart City Sweden Region North, nina.rismalm@umea.se, tel. +4670-256 82 84.

Annika Nilsson, the Swedish Energy Agency, annika.nilsson@energimyndigheten.se, tel. +4616-544 20 63.

About Smart City Sweden

Smart City Sweden is a government assignment that aims to increase Swedish exports of sustainable solutions linked to the city. The export platform is operated by IVL Swedish Environmental Research Institute on behalf of the Swedish Energy Agency. Smart City Sweden also includes the National Board of Housing, Building and Planning, the Swedish Environmental Protection Agency, the Swedish Transport Administration, Lantmäteriet, the Swedish Agency for Economic and Regional Growth, Vinnova and Business Sweden as well as six regional nodes operated by North Sweden Cleantech, Dalarna Science Park, IVL Swedish Environmental Research Institute, Business Region Gothenburg, Cleantech Östergötland and Sustainable Business Hub.