Ambassador Per Thöresson: “Co-Lab” means Partner Country Sweden’s social culture of innovation

Our motto Co-Lab is a combination of the terms cooperation (Co) and innovation (Lab) and thus the two most important success factors of Swedish entrepreneurship – Per Thöresson

It is 2019 and you started explaining Sweden’s industrial future with a wonderful picture of a lake and a wood. What is the connection of HANNOVER MESSE 2019 to the origins of Sweden industrialization?

The picture shows where we come from. Water, wood, and ore are the raw materials with which the Swedish industry has been working for over a hundred years and on which many of our large traditional companies are based. But the picture also shows where we want to go, namely to use our resources sparingly and sustainably. There are already a whole series of exciting projects that continue our industrial tradition.Test facilities have already succeeded in producing steel without any CO2 emissions. And thanks to cheap, green electricity from hydropower, the river-rich north of Sweden is developing into a real hotspot for energy-intensive industries such as data centers or battery production.

“Co-Lab”. That is the by far shortest claim we ever read in 15 years of closely following partner countries at HANNOVER MESSE since 2005. Can you give us some more details of this concept and why it stands for the industrial development of Sweden?

Our motto Co-Lab is a combination of the terms cooperation (Co) and innovation (Lab) and thus the two most important success factors of Swedish entrepreneurship. We Swedes are regarded as future-oriented and technology enthusiasts. As a relatively small country with a small domestic market, our companies have to face global competition early on. It is important to stand out, to be innovative and adaptable. In times like these, the strong focus on cooperation is particularly important to us. Looking outside the box has made Sweden a very successful industrial location, and we would like to make that clear at the Hanover Fair and continue to do so.

You were always emphasizing the complementarity of Global Players, SME, and start-ups from Sweden. What is the driving force behind the Swedish “ecosystems”, how can visitors have a better understanding of them in Hannover?

In Sweden, we have found that a good climate for innovation can be created above all if all participants contribute and cooperate as much as possible. We are talking about the so-called triple helix, i.e. the close integration of research, companies and government authorities. Good and close cooperation between these three actors creates an environment in which innovation can emerge and grow. Visitors to the HANNOVER MESSE will certainly also feel this. After all, all the demos we show in our Swedish “Co-Lab Pavilion” will be actual Co-Lab projects, i.e. innovations that have emerged from cooperation between different sectors, between multinational companies and start-ups or between business and science.

We would like to present ourselves at HANNOVER MESSE as an open, strong cooperation partner and actively look for new opportunities for cooperation.

Some words about Sweden expectations from the Partner Country role at HANNOVER MESSE. Just after April 5 – what will be different, what should be a sustainable achievement of this large industrial presentation of Sweden?

We would like to present ourselves at HANNOVER MESSE as an open, strong cooperation partner and actively look for new opportunities for cooperation.

For example, we organize daily matchmaking sessions for the 30 start-ups that we will be bringing to Hanover. After the fair, we hope that visitors will link Sweden not only with clear lakes and lonely forests but also with an open and reliable culture of cooperation, a dynamic start-up scene, and a strong innovation location. We hope that the HANNOVER MESSE will be the beginning of many new long-term business partnerships and exchange opportunities with players from all over the world.