Green Innovation Park – when the aim is sustainable development
Green Innovation Park brings together innovators, exciting start-ups, academia and established companies that share the same challenge - to develop new knowledge, innovations, products and services for a sustainable future.
Next door to the newly built Ulls Hus on Campus Ultuna is Green Innovation Park. It brings together innovators, exciting start-ups, academia and established companies that share the same challenge - to develop new knowledge, innovations, products and services for a sustainable future. The environment is perfect. The proximity to researchers and expertise at SLU (the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences) is unique.
Green Innovation Park as it stands today was launched in the autumn of 2018. After a first attempt in 2016, when the focus was mainly on offering good premises, they chose to take time-out and work on the concept. More emphasis was placed on finding new forms of work and developing ideas and methods of cooperation and collaboration. The concept of tenants was replaced with members, and the premises were given a facelift and adapted to ensure that they functioned better, as both a collaborative and flexible working environment. But above all, a final programme was rolled out to inspire and promote cooperation – both between the members and with SLU.
An inspiring working environment featuring collaboration and the exchange of ideas
Frida Kempe, Communications Manager at Green Innovation Park was involved with the initial start-up and the further development of the idea behind the current business.
- 2018 was a fresh start for us. An important part of our new concept is to actively work to inspire and create meetings that can lead to innovation. Specifically, this means among other things that we organise and issue invitations to regular activities, inspirational lectures, training courses and more. In order to be a member and have a workplace at Green Innovation Park, it is important that you really want to be involved and collaborate, that you are interested, want to share your experience and inspire others and to be inspired yourself and listen to the thoughts of others. . That's when things happen, says Frida Kempe, Communications Manager at Green Innovation Park.
Common to the members of Green Innovation Park is that they have their sights set on contributing to a sustainable future.
A bridge to researchers and expertise at SLU
- Meeting-up and discussing issues, ideas and thoughts with which you yourself are struggling is both inspiring and educational, even if the members' businesses are different. Here at Green Innovation Park there are both established companies that want to make their business more sustainable and companies that focus entirely on the development of sustainable solutions. In such development work, a close proximity to SLU's expertise brings great benefits. Our business is based on SLU's knowledge and training, says Frida.
A flexible environment to develop in
Perhaps not so unexpected, is the fact that the premises at Green Innovation Park are full of fun while at the same time also being calm and stimulating. In parts of the premises there is free space for those who want to sit down and work or study for a while. For those who want to work at a desk or in a comfortable armchair, there are several options to choose from. And for those who want their own desk or a room for the entire team, this can be arranged.
There are many ways to collaborate with us. We are flexible and can usually arrange what our members want. We are “agile” and adapt quickly to the needs that arise. We also want to contribute and create extra added value for our members in their development work. We do this, among other things, through the courses we offer. An example of this is the course in Design Thinking, a method of development and innovation that Google and Apple, among others, use, says Frida.
A natural meeting place for sustainable development
The challenges ahead are many. Attracting more members is an important part and in this work Frida hopes that more companies choose to become members and develop their business at Green Innovation Park.
- You can become a member even if you do not want or have the opportunity to locate your business here, but want to be part of the business and are inspired by the development that is going on here, says Frida Kempe, Communications Manager at Green Innovation Park.
Frida also hopes that more students will discover the Green Innovation Park and that more researchers will want to collaborate and participate in the work. Both as inspirers and lecturers, but also in order to establish contacts with entrepreneurs and other partners to take their own research out into society.
Green Innovation Park Uppsala is part of SLU Holding.
If you want to know more about Green Innovation Park and the work on sustainable development, please contact Frida Kempe, Communications Manager at Green Innovation Park.
